NAME DROPPING
The use by a correspondent in the last edition of the title Midland Bus Museum, superseded around twenty years ago, is a reminder of the poor impact Birmingham and Midland Museum of Transport has had as a memorable name. Ghastly misrepresentations of it turn up in articles and on envelopes, reflecting its tongue twisting nature as well as the tautological reference to Birmingham, as if it was not in the Midlands. It came, of course, from the proper title of our much loved former bus company BMMO who not surprisingly presented the simpler name Midland 'Red' to the public.
We did a bit of market research last year among our visitors. Most referred to us as BaMMOT or Wythall, only one used our public name! To add to the confusion, BaMMOT also stands for the Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Trust, our formal name.
The Birmingham and Midland Museum of Transport is thus being quietly dropped and is disappearing as items are reordered. In its place is the easily remembered Transport Museum, Wythall which is what the leaflet has said for years, what people already call us and accurately describes what we do and where we are. Surfers on the net will find us straightaway if they hit the word Transport. BaMMOT lives on in its original form as the Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Trust, developers of the Transport Museum, Wythall.
Malcolm Keeley
Chapel Lane, Wythall, Worcs B47 6JX
Tel : 01564 826471 e-mail us
A registered educational charity no 507191
