Austin's bus, Stafford

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Date:1945

Description:This Austin's bus LRE 1 was a Guy Arab II with Weymann double deck body, new in January 1945 as fleet number 65. There was also an identical Bus LRE 2 as fleet number 66. These were probably built to a Second World War, wartime utility specification by Guy Motors of Wolverhampton who were a major supplier of utility buses to the Government.

The Happy Days Coach business was started around 1922 by the Austin family. They operated originally as coal merchants and later began to arrange coach trips at weekends. In later years the Austin name merged into the Happy Days business. Happy Days had depots in Knightley, Stafford, Cannock and Walsall. They were one of the first coach companies to operate holidays into Europe after the Second World War. All of their coaches were given consecutive numbers and by June 2017 they reached 233.

Around 1951 Leon Douglas started a taxi business and adopted Leons as its trading name. Happy Days became part of Leons during 2012 and moved from their site in Greyfriars, Stafford, to a new purpose built base for Leons Holidays at Paton Drive, Beaconside, Stafford.

Brian Podmore remembers: "I used to travel on them regularly going from Haughton to Stafford to Dartmouth Street School. They had another “decker” of the same design LRE 557 made by Guy Motors of Wolverhampton. They were all painted in World War II Austerity Grey. LRE1 was unique in that it was the only one fitted with wooden slatted seats, another war austerity saving, the others had upholstered seats. Some of the drivers of those years:- Bill Podmore (my father) Bert Owen, Stan Clay (both lived in Derrington), Jack Yapp, Ron Gayler (he was the driver I remember putting Austin’s Daimler double decker in a ditch at Allimore Green near Church Eaton. Cyril Austin joined Austin’s straight after his World War II service in the RAF."

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Image courtesy of: Leons Coaches (Mr Gavin Lewis)

Donor ref:IMG_0369a (55/32887)

Source: Miscellaneous Collection

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