Whilst visiting the Leyland Museum I bought a copy of this publication.It is full of old pictures and stories about the Corporation Buses.
If interested will try and scan more pictures. Anyone else got a copy?

Some great pic's amd memories on this thread,sadly one memory involving buses was an accident on canning road in the late 60's,a friend I was playing with died after been hit by a bus,does anyone remember it ?

Hi everyone!
I have been thrilled to read all of the threads posted so far and I wonder if I can add anything to the great memories that they have stirred up!!
Well my name is Mike Baker and am 81 years old so have some memories I think may be of interest
My father was well know I think his name was Tommy Baker and joined as a tram conductor in 1933, after being a time serving fitter with Vulcan Motors since 14 but losing his job in the depression of the 20s and 30s.
After being a conductor for a number of years he was just about to train as a tram driver but the end of trams and the coming of the bus put a stop to that and he of course reverted to being a bus conductor!! He eventually became a driver, later, after a few years was chosen to become a cash clerk in the Eastbank St office (yes access to the office was by way of a closed staircase at the back of the now Arriva office through a passage way from the Cambridge Arcade!) under the chief clerk
Bert Gorman, and worked with Nick Wright and Jimmy Topping until retirement in 1968.
As a young lad I knew most of the conductors and drivers, his first driver George Dowson, and others Nat Rawlins, Jack Rimmer the Union Sec, Tommy Lilley Social sec for the very active Transport club (first in Pine Grove then at the end in Russell Road) Albert Waters, Harry Walworth Albert Bradley, dear old Rolly Bleazard who used to have letters written about him to the Transport Commitee about his politeness etc, Len Hall, and most of the others that have been listed on other threads, Arthur Bland and Reg Hedger were particular friends of ours, incidently my Dad also had a spell on the shore buses and also worked in the Hesketh Road Aerodrome cash office and of course in the Canning road depot office
I'd better finish this off for now but will try to write other threads as memories return!! I do hope someone will respond that knew my Dad so I will be watching

Originally Posted by rekab

Hi everyone!
I have been thrilled to read all of the threads posted so far and I wonder if I can add anything to the great memories that they have stirred up!!
Well my name is Mike Baker and am 81 years old so have some memories I think may be of interest
My father was well know I think his name was Tommy Baker and joined as a tram conductor in 1933, after being a time serving fitter with Vulcan Motors since 14 but losing his job in the of the 20s and 30s.
After being a conductor for a number of years he was just about to train as a tram driver but the end of trams and the coming of the bus put a stop to that and he of course reverted to being a bus conductor!! He eventually became a driver, later, after a few years was chosen to become a cash clerk in the Eastbank St office (yes access to the office was by way of a closed staircase at the back of the now Arriva office through a passage way from the Cambridge Arcade!) under the chief clerk
Bert Gorman, and worked with Nick Wright and Jimmy Topping until retirement in 1968.
As a young lad I knew most of the conductors and drivers, his first driver George Dowson, and others Nat Rawlins, Jack Rimmer the Union Sec, Tommy Lilley Social sec for the very active Transport club (first in Pine Grove then at the end in Russell Road) Albert Waters, Harry Walworth Albert Bradley, dear old Rolly Bleazard who used to have letters written about him to the Transport Commitee about his politeness etc, Len Hall, and most of the others that have been listed on other threads, Arthur Bland and Reg Hedger were particular friends of ours, incidently my Dad also had a spell on the shore buses and also worked in the Hesketh Road Aerodrome cash office and of course in the Canning road depot office
I'd better finish this off for now but will try to write other threads as memories return!! I do hope someone will respond that knew my Dad so I will be watching

Hi Mike......what a great memory and a fantastic post.....thanks for sharing. I remember several of the names mentioned......I remember the cash clerks but not by name apart from Jimmy Topping. I knew him as a boy long before I joined the Corpy. A great guy.

Originally Posted by Barrie

Hi Mike......what a great memory and a fantastic post.....thanks for sharing. I remember several of the names mentioned......I remember the cash clerks but not by name apart from Jimmy Topping. I knew him as a boy long before I joined the Corpy. A great guy.

did jimmy live in zetland st

Well what do you know! already someone replied to my first thread! someone who knew Jimmy Topping!!

Well maybe I can bore everybody some more!! I do hope not!
Perhaps some memories of the Transport club would stir someone up??
Well my first memories are of the club when it started in Pine Grove over the printers, (a flight of steep stairs to the right of the premises) when I was sent on my bike by my Mum on a sunday to tell my Dad that dinner was ready!! and usually me sitting there by one of the snooker tables sipping lemonade bought by one of the lads most of whom knew me well by then!!
of course I was generally at the great childrens Christmas parties mentioned in another thread!!
After my National Service in the R A F I was made an honorary member and remained so until the club was effectivley wound up!

One of my earliest memories was of one of the first clippies who used to use the club was Winnie Pugh who used to play a mean game of snooker!
and of 1 honorary member whose name escapes me was a one armed cockney who had worked on London Buses and had lost his arm in the blitz and
evacuated his family, he played great one armed snooker with a little rest which attached to the end of his cue and had little wheels on it!!
The barman was Albert "have you no homes to go to"" Waters!
Later on of course the club moved to a purpose built place at the and of Russel Road, with 2 big rooms one a snooker room and the other with a stage for bingo, whist drives dances and concerts etc.
Each side of the path leading up to the club where 2 bowing greens, and the story of how that came into being is worth mentioning I think!
When the sods were being cut of the building of Stanley School, Tommy Lilley the social secretary persuaded the council to donate free of charge the turfs provided he could get the labour and transport to shift them!! that was easy he got permission to use a couple of buses lots of the members turned up to help cut, roll and load the turfs and unload them at the Russel Road site,and with the help of a chap from Wigan who laid out crown greens and again a help from the members 2 smashing bowling greens were born!!
The club prospered there were bowling, darts football teams etc playing in all the Southport and District leagues!!
For now thats all but as I remember things if people are interested I'll have another go!!

Originally Posted by blackys dad

did jimmy live in zetland st

Hi Blackys dad, yes Jimmy Topping did live in Zetland St almost opposite the Zetland Hotel!! Great to know someone is watching!!

Originally Posted by rekab

Hi Blackys dad, yes Jimmy Topping did live in Zetland St almost opposite the Zetland Hotel!! Great to know someone is watching!!

hi rekab

That is a very interesting thread you have put on -Thank you for sharing..if it is the Jimmy Topping that I know - he lived on Zetland Street opposite Zetland Garage not the Pub ! The reason I know this is that I went to school with Andrew Topping , Jimmy's Son and I think Andrew had an older brother called Alan. I don't know what year it was but I think Jimmy passed away in the late seventies. The Topping family then moved to Catford, South London. And Andrew sadly passed away a couple of years ago Thank you for the thread and keep posting

Hi again "Blackys Dad" great to know someone is watching!!
Thanks for putting me right about JimmyTopping lived!! I only went once to visit with my Dad!
Thought I'd share this with everyone!
Its about the old days when Dad was a tram conductor! People may forget nowadays that the old trams had a trolley on top, spring loaded and quite frequently especially on very windy and rainy days that the pulley connecting the trolley to the overhead wire came off and sprung upwards!!
Now it was the poor conductors job to pull out the long bamboo pole (which was kept in a long tube which ran under the seats on the onside) and reach up and pull the trolley connection down and re-connect it to the wire!! and I passed my Dad almost to the top of Eastbank St bridge going towards Kew, struggling to reconnect the trolley to the wire, the rain was pouring down and of course the rain was running down the bamboo pole,down his sleeve and soaking him!!! remember that was a live wire he was trying to connect to as well!! NO HEALTH AND SAFETY in those days!! I was on my bike and cycled quickly past so as not to hear the language!! happy days eh???
If you look carefully at pictures of the old trams you can see clearly the rod that goes from the trolley up the overhead wire!!
Regards to all Mike

When I first started as a 'duck' with SCT one of the standing wind ups was your driver asking if you had got your trolley pole from the stores......something similar to the 'long stand' wind up.