A GLIMPSE under the bonnet of former bus company Midland Red is being offered by an enthusiast and former employee in his third book on the subject.
Midland Red and its People by Ashley Wakelin looks at the figures behind the scenes who were key to Midland Red’s rise to becoming the UK’s largest provincial bus and coach company.
Garage staff having fun on one of the many day trips organised by the company’s social club.In the book – a companion to his earlier publications Inside Midland Red and Midland Red Influence – Brinklow resident Ashley features plenty of entertaining stories from his time with the company as a conductor, driver and manager in Leamington, Coventry and Nuneaton from the late 60s to the mid 80s.
It includes tales from some of Midland Red’s almost 8,000 members of staff, and their everlasting memories.
Ashley details how the company – whose buses graced the roads of Warwickshire and Worcestershire from 1905 to 1981 – and its staff brought about the development of a range of iconic buses and coaches that were often a decade or more ahead of mainstream manufacturers.
He told The Observer: “Midland Red was not just a bus operator. They designed, built and tested most of their own buses and coaches to precisely suit their needs – from the rural country bus to the UK’s first 100mph motorway express coach.
“But, it was its people who gave Midland Red its direction and drive. Many had remarkable careers with the company of 50 years or more – a feat almost unimaginable today.
Author Ashley Wakelin: “Midland Red was no ordinary bus company. It really was a big family.”“What a fabulous organisation it was. It was the life and soul of most folk in the 12,000 square miles of the Midlands in which it operated. Whether travelling to school, shopping, work or for social occasions, Midland Red was a big part of Midlanders’ community life.”
Among the stories in the new book is that of Alan Eatwell.
“Alan was the last of the company’s Fitters Boys and the first indentured apprentice – yes, the same man. He tells a compelling account of his days while training at the company’s Central Works in Edgbaston, Birmingham – that’s where a lot of the Midland Red magic happened.
“He has also written the book’s foreword, and describes his time with Midland Red as some of the best years of his life. Alan went on to become one of the UK’s topflight bus company CEOs and Directors.”
The book also talks about the deep-rooted division that split Traffic operations from Engineering.
“It didn’t seen to hinder the development and success of the business,” says Ashley. “But you were very much aware that you were on one side or the other!”
The company’s quest to build ‘the perfect motorbus’ is highlighted in a chapter called Direction of Travel, which tells how some 1930s prototypes went through numerous changes and became the post-war prototypes of the buses whose style dominated our streets for the following 40 years.
Other chapters cover the company’s workshops, garages, drivers, conductors, inspectors, bosses and coach holidays, and the conclusion to Midland Red’s once advanced and innovative computer story – which, Ashley says, ‘didn’t end well!’
Bob Richards takes a break on his journey with the first S16 bus on the way to the ‘tilt test’ examination to ensure that it won’t easily tip over.There are also snippets of Midland Red at play, some secret underground tunnels, and even a few poems.
Ashley’s latest nostalgic drive down memory lane was inspired inspired by a lifetime in the industry, which began when he joined Midland Red at the age of 16.
He said: “When I retired, I realised that my working life – from office lad, conductor and driver, and into management – had accumulated a number of escapades, and entertaining and sometimes shocking stories that were worthy of recalling.
“The Midland Red spirit got into the blood of many of its employees, and was the career choice of sometimes two or three generations of a family.
“These industry professionals, whether drivers and conductors, engineers or managers, told me their stories of life with Midland Red in the 1930s and beyond, and how the job and the vehicles had changed over the years.”
There is no questioning his enthusiasm for the vehicles. Besides having a collection of Midland Red memorabilia and models, he has previously owned over 60 buses and coaches, selling some on and keeping others – all acquired between his 16th and 60th birthdays.
The opening picture in the book is of these two Midland Red staff once based at Coalville garage in the 1950s and 60s. Ashley says: “With their roguish looks, their passengers were in for a fun-filled journey!”And he helped buy and save two significant buses made by the Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Company – Midland Red’s former name; the only running Midland Red CM6T motorway express coach, and the last built Midland Red S16 single-decker service bus.
His admiration for the company, its engineering achievements, and its employees really shines through.
He said: “Midland Red was no ordinary bus company. It really was a big family.
“The stories in the book capture that lost spirit of strong leadership, exemplary engineering, and good service that the company was known for, and which earned it the title of ‘The Friendly Midland Red’.
“Midland Red played a big part in the lives of the people of the Midlands for most of the 20th century, and still retains a fiercely loyal following of enthusiasts – which is why it is important that stories of ‘The Red’ should be retold for future generations.”
“These wonderful bygone times are to be cherished.”
Midland Red and its People is available from www.midlandred.co.uk online, or selected independent book shops including Kenilworth Books, Hunts Bookshop in Rugby, and the Transport Museum Wythall.
