NICE DAYS OUT, LAD!
The first of the Museum's tours took place on St George's Day, 23 April. This travelled via the Vale of Evesham and offered the passengers afternoon in Broadway or at the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway in Toddington. The tour was designed to have appeal to the general public and we were rewarded with a full bus, apart from the inwards facing side seats, which were deliberately not sold. The tour followed as much of the Blossom Trail as possible with a double-decker. The Cheltenham Bristol Lodekka was used to give enthusiasts a chance of a longer ride on this bus and to get into villages no longer accessible to full-height double-deckers. Although recommended by the experts to be the best weekend for blossom, sadly the cold April meant some types of blossom were late. Nevertheless the itinerary of delightful villages meant it was a happy band of passengers that returned to Wythall. Thanks to Dave Hales who came up from the south-east to be the Lodekka's driver, reliving his earlier career, and he too was a happy man after a day along roads well suited to the bus.
Birmingham City Council hired Birmingham Guy 2976 to provide tours from Sarehole Mill on its Tolkien weekend in May. A lot of effort was put into the event by the organisers and it was great fun to watch between tours. Fortunately, unlike other staff, we were not required to dress as hobbits. In my school years I travelled past daily the then derelict Sarehole Mill aboard the CVA6s, Leylands and Crossleys that formed much of the stock on the old 29A route, and also breathlessly padded past on 'cross country' runs from school. It was strange to see the place restored and the centre of so much interest.
The far end of the Tolkien tours was Waterworks Road, Edgbaston and its two towers that inspired the author's towers in the Lord of the Rings books. It was here that dark forces were at work, either from Mordor or, more likely, Mr Wyndham Shire because Waterworks Road was the access to Carlyle Works, home of his buses of the mighty Midland Red. His ghost, incensed by BCT buses entering the street for the second day running, ensured that the offside front tyre suddenly deflated and a change bus had to be called for. The team at Wythall responded magnificently to the emergency and the change bus was there within half an hour, followed closely by Alex's Ford truck bearing replacement wheels and tyres. The replacement was Midland Red D9 5399, a bit modern for Mr Shire, but thankfully the curse was lifted. Driver for the two days was myself with Keith Lewis and Dave Taylor as guards.
It was a privilege a week later to transport Normandy veterans and their wives to the memorials at Alrewas. The route via a lunch stop in Middleton called for a single-decker and the numbers demanded the S23. Clambering on and off a BMMO underfloor bus at the age of eighty plus must have been only marginally easier than battling through Normandy but, needless to say, they were more than happy to tackle the job. As is often the case with people who have seen action, these self-effacing real life heroes were more willing to talk about what we're up to now than what they did sixty years ago. Phil Ireland was driver for the day and both of us semi-ancients enjoyed being called 'lad' again (as in 'nice day out, lad'), a term not used much these days from one generation to another! A superbly good-humoured day with the lasting memory of local television personality Ashley Blake under siege from the party at the lunch stop!
Malcolm Keeley
Chapel Lane, Wythall, Worcs B47 6JX
Tel : 01564 826471 e-mail us
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