Wilks & Meade

I have a 1947 Leyland Tiger PS1 reg. number JAX 354 with a Wilks & Meade body and would be interested in finding out if any other Wilks & Meade bodied buses have survived.

Dave Robertson

27/12/12 - 13:47

This firm was a subsidiary of Wallace Arnold in post war years and although some bodies were produced they were really only available to Wallace Arnold and its associate companies. One of the best places to search is the Classic Buses website at www.skylineaviation.co.uk/ who have a comprehensive list of surviving half cab buses.

Chris Hough

28/12/12 - 09:11

Let's not forget two batches of brand new coaches supplied to the legendary Premier Travel of Cambridge. Firstly, in late 1948 and early 1949, four Leyland PS1 coaches were delivered. The real gems though in 1950 were three Daimler CVD6 double deck coaches. These were extremely luxurious and well finished and incorporated at the same time many delightful "vintage" features. To add to the fascination in 1950 they were of six bay construction and were lowbridge - the latter, combined with coach seating, gave a cosy or claustrophobic feeling in the upper saloons, depending on your viewpoint. They were named after adjacent counties and were a magnificent trio, enhanced by the beautiful and dignified Premier blue livery. Often forgotten is the fascinating fact that the superb Premier bus and coach operation had its origins in the formation of an "in house" travel agency for the University students !!

Chris Youhill

28/12/12 - 09:59

There is a thumbnail link to a pic on flickrhivemind.net from which a better link might emerge. Handsome looking raised full-front.

Joe

29/12/12 - 07:10

I was going to mention the Premier Travel examples of Wilks & Meade coachwork, Chris, but you beat me to it. As you state, the 1950 trio of Daimler CVD6 double deck coaches became quite famous, but the Wilks & Meade bodies turned out to be something of a curate's egg. The CVD6 chassis had originally been ordered by Dundee Corporation, but were diverted to Premier Travel instead. According to Paul Carter's extremely detailed history of Premier Travel, the bodies, which were the only double deck examples of Wilks & Meade coachwork, proved to be extremely heavy, so much so that the front suspension had to be modified. Like similar designs elsewhere, the full fronts, with their attendant heat and fumes, were not universally popular with drivers. As Chris indicates, Mr E.A. Lainson did start the Premier enterprise when he was a student at Cambridge, and built up the business after graduating and finding no opening in the depressed 1930s bus industry for his talents. He intended to use the Daimlers on long distance express services, but the Eastern Traffic Commissioner had other ideas, and restricted the three vehicles to routes of up to 60 miles in length. Arthur Lainson had initially hoped to introduce more double deck coaches, and ordered six Leyland PD2 chassis accordingly, but the constraints imposed by the licensing authority obliged him to change the order to two PD2 buses and four Royal Tigers for 1951. Early in the lives of the Daimlers, the structure of the coachwork began to give concern, particularly in respect of the unseasoned quality of the timber, which showed similar characteristics to those of wartime utility bodies. Premier itself ultimately stripped the bodies down completely, and rebuilt them in its own workshops using new frames of seasoned ash. The original quote from Wilks & Meade was Ł2370 per body, but this was substantially increased by the manufacturer before delivery, and a thoroughly dissatisfied Premier Travel delayed making the final payment. Like a number of the coach building firms that mushroomed in the years immediately following WW2, Wilks & Meade fell well short of the standards maintained by the established firms. As an interesting aside, it was about this time that Premier entered into talks with Towler of Emneth and Whippet Coaches with a view to taking them over. Both of these firms still survive, though Premier itself is now long gone.

Roger Cox

Comments regarding the above are more than welcome please get in touch via the 'Contact Page' or by email at obp-admin@nwframpton.com

Quick links to the - Best Bits - Comments - Contact - Home