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History of Bluebell, Poppy and Tally Ho! LHG Meeting 16th September 2015

Introduction

Some time ago I came across a write-up about Tally Ho! buses and thought it would be

an interesting topic for an LHG meeting.

I then discovered this book in the local history section of Kingsbridge Library but it was

for reference only. However, I was delighted to find on the internet that I could buy a

copy for £5. When it arrived 2 days later I noticed that the author, Roger Grimley lived at

Bigbury --- so I telephoned him to see if he would be willing to talk to us. Sadly, he said

he no longer gave talks — so you have to listen to me instead!

This is how the book begins:

“At midday on Tuesday 12th July 1904 a large concourse of people

assembled at the upper part of Fore Street, Kingsbridge to witness the

departure of a motor 'bus on its journey to Salcombe. The car left the front

of the Albion Hotel in fine style and proceeded down the street in a

manner that proved that the chauffeur thoroughly understood his business

and that the brake power was such as to give him perfect control of the

car, even on the steep gradient.

When the car approached the hill near the station it was evident that the

defective and somewhat limited power of the car rendered the hill a

formidable obstacle, but after a little adjustment it proceeded to climb the

hill and capital speed was made until Pinhey's Hill was reached. Here

again the hill climbing gear was considerably taxed in negotiating the

incline but, after a brief stoppage and a little further attention to the

defective wire, the car approached Malborough, very much to the

gratification of the expectant villagers. On leaving Malborough a splendid

run was made to Salcombe, the car being pulled up outside the Marine

Hotel for a short time and afterwards taken through the narrow Fore Street

to the King's Arms Quay, where it was inspected and commented upon by

a large number of residents.

At an impromptu lunch a toast was drunk, "Success to the projected

service of motor 'buses between Kingsbridge and Salcombe". A speedy

means of transit should involve expenditure of money and would naturally

tend to improve the business of both places. If the people of Kingsbridge

and district would regard the vehicles as "their cars" there could be no

question whatever upon the success of the project.

The car afterwards got under away again and returned to Kingsbridge in

fine style. The hills were easily negotiated and the car seemed in much

better fettle than on the morning trip so it was taken round by Churchstow,

where a short stop was made and considerable interest manifested. The

party returned to Kingsbridge in the evening having thoroughly enjoyed

the experience.”

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But first let me go back to 1893 when the Great Western Railway opened the branch line

from South Brent to Kingsbridge.

Horse-drawn wagonettes and coaches now awaited passengers at Kingsbridge Station

(see above) instead of Wrangaton to convey people to and from Salcombe and other

coastal places.

Then from 1903 motor services became available because GWR set up Road Motor

Services from their railheads. People in the South Hams therefore wanted GWR to set

up a motor service from Kingsbridge to Salcombe but GWR declined. (Perhaps they

were concerned about the steep hills and narrow roads.)

However local people in Modbury created their own motor service to Plymouth and this

increased the pressure on Kingsbridge and Salcombe to do likewise. As it happened, in

1904 three gentlemen from London, Messrs Parken, Sturton and Gregson came to

Kingsbridge and Salcombe with a view to installing electric lighting. They heard about

the desire for a motor service and decided to become involved, especially Mr Sturton.

Thus the Kingsbridge, Salcombe and South Devon Motor Company was born. But the

baby didn’t live long. You see, there were problems! The excerpt I read at the start was

a trial run on the 12th July 1904 between Kingsbridge and Salcombe. It was a success.

The motor vehicle which was purchased came from Newton Abbot but had an accident

on the way to Kingsbridge and so did not arrive until the 11th July i.e. the day before the

trial run. Two days later, on the 14th it was used to convey the Kingsbridge cricket team

to Totnes. It climbed the hills well but had an accident entering Totnes. A horse-drawn

trap pulled up suddenly in front of the Kingsbridge Inn on a narrow stretch of road. The

bus driver had to swerve to avoid it and damaged a wheel. (I don’t know the end of the

story!). Mr Sturton was determined to invest in a better vehicle and very soon a 24hp

omnibus arrived from London for the August Bank Holiday (beginning of August in those

days). It was a German-built Durkopp.

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A trial trip over Dartmoor was arranged carrying a group of local worthies. Such a

vehicle had never been seen before and crowds gathered in towns and villages on the

moor and the trip went well. Mr Sturton and friends were congratulated. In August a

timetable was drawn up for regular running between Kingsbridge and Salcombe. There

were several minor delays during the first few days, some as a result of holiday

congestion or the train arriving late (so what’s new?).

But then for 2 days the bus was unable to run because the coil connected to the

electrical ignition had fused. It was realised a second bus was needed. The buses coped

with the hills and were well patronised but minor breakdowns continued and trains were

missed or not met. More seriously someone forgot to send the accumulators to be

charged and the service had to be suspended. Local people lost patience with the

London promoters and the service ceased in September. In December the licence was

withdrawn. The horses had the road to themselves again until 1909.

In July 1909 the Great Western Railway did provide a Motor Service between

Kingsbridge and Salcombe and of course they faced no competition, that is — until after

the 1st World War.

After WWI road transport came to the fore and trips to the seaside and moors became

popular. Also visits to shops, football matches and theatres in towns such as Plymouth

were an attraction. The lack of a direct rail service (because Kingsbridge to Plymouth

required a change at South Brent) was exploited fully by local motor proprietors. Now

charabancs and village carriers abandoned horse traction for the new-fangled motors.

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At first dual-purpose vehicles were used locally

to maximise profit. The passenger carrying

vehicle was known as a charabanc — from the

French term meaning a carriage with (wooden)

benches — which was originally horse-drawn

and later driven by motor. The charabanc had a

canvas cover which could be pulled over the top

in bad weather but was very heavy to operate.

There were no side screens in the early days.

The body of the vehicle was built separately

from the motor chassis so that a second goods body could be fitted when the charabanc

was not needed. Pictured below is Trant’s Lorry in 1921. Trant owned the Kingsbridge

Town Mill.

Thus carrying passengers could be fitted in between rabbit trapping, farming, scrap

metal dealing or haulage. The seasons brought different opportunities and it was

possible to keep occupied throughout the year.

Some Local Operators

There are 22 listed in Roger Grimley’s book! I shall concentrate on only four.

1. Noyces

In July 1919 Edwin Noyce bought a 24 – 26hp Napier lorry and informed the public that

he was prepared to do any kind of hauling by motor traction and that pleasure trips could

also be arranged (bench seats being fitted to the lorry). Personal attention was assured

and estimates given. He was planning trips to Newton Abbot races on the 4th and 5th

August (bank holiday) and to avoid disappointment passengers are advised to book their

seats at once.

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With the development of motor transport, outings became very popular and local people

were able to travel further and see places they had never been to before. Edwin Noyce

set about building up this aspect of the business by using his motor lorry to carry either

goods or people as demand dictated, for to make a profit it was necessary to make as

much use of the vehicle as possible.

He developed a programme of regular pleasure trips from Island House, Ebrington

Street e.g. Sundays to Dartmouth, fare 3s 6d. Depart Kingsbridge 1.30 pm. Return from

Dartmouth 7pm. Also Paignton, Teignmouth and Plymouth. At the end of summer

coastal tours ceased and he concentrated on Plymouth where there were year-round

attractions.

As I said before, there was a rail link from Kingsbridge to Plymouth but this involved

changing trains at South Brent, whereas the lorry, although primitive, did afford a

through journey e.g. on Saturday for a special fare of 5s. (5s 6d on Thursdays)

departure from Kingsbridge was at 12.30pm returning from Plymouth at 10.30pm,

allowing people to go shopping or see a football match, then have a drink at a local

hostelry or go to the theatre. When the passengers had assembled for the return

journey, the Napier set off into the night to tackle the long hilly road to the South Hams.

To give some protection against the elements, the lorry was fitted with a cover although

in a SW gale there was little anyone could do to stop the driving wind and rain and the

travellers huddled in the darkness trying to ignore the discomfort and revive the

experiences of the day out.

When not used for passengers the Napier was used for furniture removals, “the

cheapest in the county”. The following summer, 1920, coastal tours recommenced and

there were visits to shows such as the Devon County Show and the Royal Cornwall

Show, also Widecombe Fair. To provide more comfortable travel the seating on the

Napier was reduced from 30 to 24. A 5-seater touring car was also available for hire.

In 1921 GWR realised the motor charabanc trips were taking traffic from their trains so

they introduced their own buses between Plymouth, Kingsbridge and Dartmouth.

The competition caused Edwin Noyce to review his operations and he decided a

converted lorry was no longer sufficient to attract passengers.

In April 1921 he took delivery of an AEC fitted with an up-to-date, comfortable motor bus

body with tip-up seats for 22 passengers. Fares from intermediate villages were reduced

and luggage and other light goods could also be carried to Plymouth. The name

“Bluebell” was adopted for the AEC bus with its blue livery. The Napier was used for

general haulage and furniture removals. The usual seaside excursions were continued

and evening trips to Torcross and Thurlestone were introduced.

By now there were other charabanc operators in Kingsbridge as well as GWR so Edwin

Noyce decided to try and attract passengers from Salcombe. In January 1922 he

announced the Bluebell would run from Salcombe to Plymouth at 9am every Saturday,

leaving from Bonfire Hill on the main road high above the town. This meant that people

had a long steep climb to the starting point. The vehicle also stopped at Malborough,

Kingsbridge, Churchstow, Aveton Gifford and Modbury. It was soon found that a second

charabanc was needed to cover the increased number of trips.

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In December 1922 a purchase was made of a 14-seater Lancia on pneumatic tyres with

red livery and so “Poppy” was advertised for hire for whist drives, matinees, pantomimes

and private parties.

With continuing competition it was decided to modernise the fleet. E and BR Noyce

(Beatrice his wife) announced that “Bluebell and Poppy have been overhauled, re-

sprung and fitted with the latest pneumatic tyres in order to minimise vibration and obtain

the maximum comfort. On the many bad roads all shaking and jarring will now be

avoided. In thanking our numerous patrons for their past favours we solicit a

continuance of their support assuring personal attention to all orders.” This resulted in an

excellent season and it was decided to expand.

The next year they advertised “We have made even greater improvements in our

vehicles and we have added 2 more cars to our fleet that now comprises 14-, 20-, 26-

and 32-seaters. These are the last word in comfort with their well-sprung bodies, well-

padded upholstery and sidescreens (to obviate draughts) and no detrimental effects of

travelling on the roads in their present bad condition will be felt. Tours will commence on

2nd April”. This was in 1925 and they attached this jingle to their advert:

“If a trip you want in moderation

You need have no hesitation

For we have the reputation

Of the local population.

Bring along your deputation

We will discuss the situation

And you can choose your destination.”

The extra vehicles were another Lancia 20-seater and a Karrier lorry convertible 32-

seater when not used for carrying goods.

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To encourage Salcombe trade Mr Martin, a dairyman in Fore Street, was appointed

booking agent and coaches started from outside his office so people no longer had to

walk up to Bonfire Hill.

Private hire flourished, among them church outings: June 1925 the choir of All Saints

Church, West Alvington had an outing over the moors. Despite the intense heat they had

a happy time. Salcombe Baptist Church went over the moors too in Bluebell. Stokenham

Mother’s Union chose Plymouth and thanks were expressed to Mr Noyce for the

courtesy and comfort shown to them. Churchstow Choir made the most of their day out,

a party of 50 leaving at 7.00am in Bluebell and Poppy bound for Ilfracombe, not

returning until a quarter to midnight.

At this time another attraction ‘Talking Pictures’ came to Totnes. Some of you will

remember when we explored Dodbrooke and Kingsbridge, hearing about the Palace up

the narrow passage alongside Harbour House which showed only silent films. Edwin

Noyce and Son converted their lorry to run half- crown charabanc trips to the Totnes

cinema until Edwin Noyce decided to convert the booking office and family home into the

Regal Cinema (now the Regal Club).

As roads improved ever longer journeys were possible and private hire customers were

encouraged to think about the possibilities. “We have the finest range of cars and

charabancs in the district for hire. Have you thought of a trip to London by road? Our

cars are fast, reliable and their road holding capabilities make them suitable for long

distance travel by any route.” The expanding fleet was accommodated in a garage built

at Rack Park.

Road Service Licensing was introduced in 1931 and Noyces were issued with licences

to operate up to 7 vehicles a day on excursions from Kingsbridge. During 1931 Noyces

took on the contract to carry pupils between Goveton and Kingsbridge School but it was

discovered that adults were being carried too. Therefore it was agreed that this should

be a public service on which children could ride, the children’s fares being paid by the

Education Committee.

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Sometime earlier the Western National Omnibus Co took over the GWR Motor Services

and bought out as many of their competitors as possible. In 1932 they negotiated to

acquire Noyce’s coach business. The price was £2,000 for premises and goodwill and

£1,500 for vehicles. The transaction was concluded in 1933 and Noyces returned to their

other business interests some of which continue today.

2. Another local operator was Quay Garage Co Ltd

This claimed to be the oldest motor garage operating in town having started in 1913.

Their premises were situated at the head of the Estuary (now Abbot’s Quay apartments

and shops next to Boots). In addition to motor and marine engineering, they undertook

wireless and electrical installations and were motor car proprietors. They operated mail

vans under contract to the Post Office and they were agents for Rover, Sunbeam and

Overland cars.

In May 1921 they decided to take advantage of the rising demand for trips and they

advertised that “Quay Garage having purchased a luxurious 14-seater Crossley

charabanc are now in position to cater for day trips of every description. The charabanc

is fitted with pneumatic tyres and is equal in comfort to the most expensive touring car.

The following trips have been arranged:

Sun 15th May

am Kingsbridge to Torcross Fare 6s0d (Return) pm Totnes, Paignton and Torquay Fare 7s0d.

Mon 16th and Tues 17th May Buckfastleigh Races Fare 6s0d

Thurs 19th May Circus Day. Leaving Kingsbridge immediately after the evening performance for villages in the district

Private trips can be arranged Wed, Fri and Sat”

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After a quiet winter the 1922 season got underway at Easter. In 1924 a second

charabanc was purchased, a Fiat 18-seater, to be used for summer outings and the

winter pantomime season. Attention was drawn to the fact that their vehicles had

pneumatic tyres and were not converted lorries on solid tyres so they were just as

comfortable as a car. This was to differentiate themselves from other operators still

using dual-purpose lorries.

In 1927 Quay Garage reduced their fares advertising “our landaulettes are large and

comfortable and at the very low price people would be very foolish to walk at all! The

cars and charabancs are fully insured against any class of accident and driven by

careful drivers”. Fares for excursions to Bantham and Thurlestone were now only 1s.,

half the price charged in 1922. There were now more operators in the area and

competition increased.

As mentioned before, Road Licensing began in 1931 which required authorisation for

any tours and excursions operated. Quay Garage only sought licences for four

destinations: Bantham, Torcross, Princetown and Exeter. About this time ownership of

Quay Garage passed to Mr Trembath of Totnes. Efforts were now made to build the

passenger business.

The reorganisation of schools in the area by Devon County Council meant closure of

Sherford School. Older pupils were transferred to Kingsbridge and younger ones to

Charleton. To convey them the council hired a coach from Quay Garage Co. This was

from January 1933 at a charge of £1 per day. The school contract provided regular all

year income whereas shortage of money in the Depression of the 30s meant that

seasonal excursions were uncertain.

Unfortunately the numbers travelling on the Sherford school bus exceeded its capacity

and Devon CC terminated the contract the following year. The loss of income to Quay

Garage meant de-licensing their charabancs for the winter months and the licences then

passed to Western National Omnibus Co.

Now Western National wanted premises on the Quay. Having taken over Noyce’s

charabanc business they had the office at Island House (where the Regal Club is today)

but having an enquiry and booking office in the centre of town would be much better.

They approached Mr Trembath at Quay Garage Company. The company still had two

licences to operate charabancs but following the Sherford debacle, Mr Trembath agreed

to transfer the licences and the office to Western National and the charabancs were

scrapped. Quay Garage continued with motor engineering and car hire.

3. Now for our 3rd local operator: Wellington’s

Returning to 1926, a notice appeared in the Kingsbridge area “William Wellington begs

to announce that he has purchased a 1 ton lorry and is open to do any kind of light

haulage. 2 Belle Vue Road, Dodbrooke.” The vehicle was a Ford 20hp dual purpose

lorry and the business developed a mixture of goods haulage and passenger transport.

From the start he was contracted to carry schoolchildren from Goveton School when it

closed in 1926, to Kingsbridge. He was paid 10s per day. In 1931 the contract was lost

to E. Noyce and Son but in 1933 a new opportunity arose.

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With further reorganisation of local schools, the older children at Thurlestone were

transferred to a new senior school at Kingsbridge. Transport was required and

Mr Wellington successfully tendered a price of 19s per day for the provision of a 20-

seater. This contract was held for some 30 years.

During the war, the number travelling was swelled by evacuees and it was necessary to

run a duplicate school service until it was possible to purchase a larger vehicle.

After the war in 1946 Mr Wellington tendered for a second contract to carry children from

Hope Cove area, the juniors to Malborough School and the seniors to Kingsbridge. His

tender of £1.15s was accepted but with vehicles in short supply after the war it was

impossible to obtain a 20-seater and he lost the job. DCC then awarded the contract to

Western National at £2.15s per day! Mr Wellington finally bought his 20-seater in 1949.

He was then contracted to carry girls from Salcombe to Kingsbridge School. Boys were

carried in a separate bus by a different company! In the post-war years William

Wellington was joined by his son Jim who took over the business in 1950. Kingsbridge

Belle was the name given to the coach business to separate it from the furniture

removals and cattle haulage side.

4. Finally we come to Tally Ho!

James Henry Clark (Jimmy) was born in 1893. His father was a thatcher and rabbit

catcher. Many people in rural Devon relied on more than one occupation to provide them

with a living and after Jimmy married Jane Tucker in 1919 he combined farming a

smallholding at The Mounts (a hamlet on the road from Kingsbridge to Totnes) with

rabbit trapping. Rabbit pie was enjoyed by many people and during the 1920s and 30s

when farming was in recession, the trapping and selling of rabbits brought much-needed

income as well as reducing the number of pests on the farm.

Jimmy used a horse and cart until 1919 when he bought a motor lorry. This was used to

carry traps to the warrens and to deliver dead rabbits to customers. But it was essential

that this expensive machine was kept occupied so, in 1923 he bought a new bed for the

lorry which converted the back into a bus or taxi for use at weekends (see below).

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In 1933 he discussed with his friend Bill Wellington whether to enter the coach business.

Bill suggested that the transfer of older children from outlying villages to senior school in

Kingsbridge would bring opportunities. So Jimmy bought a proper bus, a six-year-old

De-Dion Bouton 20-seater to run schoolchildren from East Allington to Kingsbridge. He

called his bus the Tally Ho Sunshine Coach. The coach was based at The Mounts in a

yard next to his home (now DJB Haulage Yard?). Picture with Number Plate registered

in Plymouth in mid-1930s:

Every school day the Tally Ho went to Kingsbridge leaving The Mounts and going to

East Allington village — then through the narrow twisting hilly lanes to farms and small

settlements at Combe, Coles Cross and Bearscombe before reaching Goveton village.

To occupy the bus during school holidays and at weekends, excursions were run from

East Allington and Goveton to the moors, Paignton, Torquay, Dawlish, Teignmouth and

Bigbury-on-Sea; also to Buckfastleigh Point-to-Point meetings.

Here is an account of a typical seaside outing in pre-war years given by a local village

resident recalling his childhood: “Throughout the season we of tender years were mere

bystanders as the charabanc passed — except for one day! As a reward for sitting

through seemingly endless sermons and long, long prayers, during which the call of the

great outdoors was much more urgent than the voice of our Creator there was a Chapel

Sunday School treat. On the day, while waiting outside the village Post Office for the

charabanc, we showed disdain towards our lesser CHURCH-going colleagues.

Plimsoll clad and clutching sandwiches – Sidney, spadeless but not to be outdone, had

brought his mother’s galvanised water bucket – we awaited the arrival from East

Allington of the Tally Ho!. When finally the great moment did come chaos ensued.

Baskets, bottles of lemonade or cold tea, towels even a primus stove complete with

kettle were loaded while we, anxious to avoid parental eyes, strived to gain the rear

seats. Eventually order was restored and our peak-capped driver set off on the 10 mile

journey to the seaside”.

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In 1934 other school contracts were won: one to carry children from Loddiswell and

Woodleigh to Kingsbridge. These children had previously travelled by train from

Loddiswell station. For this a second coach was required and this was called Tally Ho

Sunshine Saloon. Now the coach business became widely known as Tally Ho!

From September 1939 trains, filled with evacuees, were arriving from London and Tally

Ho coaches carried them to villages to be placed with host families. In 1940 bombing

raids on Plymouth caused people to leave the city and seek refuge in the countryside.

Tally Ho contracted to transfer workers to Plymouth each morning and back to the

countryside each evening.

In 1942 a South Brent coach operator, Leslie Hard was called up and Jimmy Clark took

over his school run from Diptford to Ivybridge until Leslie Hard returned after the war.

This is mentioned here because Leslie Hard’s son Richard is a Tally Ho! driver today

and has been for many years.

In 1943 the Americans arrived for training for the invasion of France. 750 families had to

be moved from 8 villages within 6 weeks. Tally Ho! played an important part moving

families and their belongings. The Mounts was on the edge of the evacuation zone and

Jimmy Clark stored many people’s possessions at the yard.

By 1944 the Tally Ho coaches were becoming very tired! Three Albions, a Chevrolet, a

Commer and a Morris were all 10 to 18 years old. The supply of new vehicles was very

limited after the war but due to his help with troop movements, the Ministry of Supply

agreed that a new Bedford 32-seater could be bought and it arrived in May 1944 — the

first NEW Tally Ho! coach. It wasn’t a luxury vehicle. It was a utility model with wooden

slatted seats.

In 1945 Salcombe school closed and Jimmy Clark won the contract to carry children to

and from Kingsbridge, a contract still held by Tally Ho! today. In 1951 Tally Ho started to

transport Kingsbridge Rugby Club to local matches and occasional trips to Twickenham

for Internationals. They always had the same driver — a talented sportsman, Harold

Pike. This kept the coaches busy in winter and “we are very proud to do the club’s

transport today.”

Harold Pike also looked after the transport of the Devon County cricket team.

Incidentally Harold Pike started with Jimmy Clark as a rabbit catcher in 1928.

In 1956 Tally Ho! took a Women’s Institute party to an International Rally at the Royal

Albert Hall. I thought this was appropriate to mention as this is the centenary year of the

WI. Pick up started from the villages at 6.00am and having collected the party it set off

on the 200 mile journey to London. There were no motorways then and the long,

arduous trip reached London in the evening, returning 2 days later.

Other local business included transport to Darts matches and Whist Drives. Whist was a

favourite pastime for Loddiswell people who would go to anywhere in the district where

there was a whist drive, Kingsbridge and Stokenham being particularly popular venues.

The coach driver would join in and play a few hands while waiting to take the visitors

home.

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Mr Cutler a local ironmonger (good name!), hired the coach to attend agricultural shows

such as the Bath and West and Devon County Show. He held the franchise to sell

catalogues so the seats were removed from the coach and it was stacked with books

and for a couple of days it served as storeroom, office and sleeping accommodation for

his staff and the driver.

One Tally Ho! bus was a 14-seater Chevrolet but it had poor brakes. If it was used for a

trip over the moors, going downhill could be exciting. On one occasion the passengers

asked to stop for a picnic but the brakes failed to hold and the bus ran down the hill and

up the other side of the valley before coming to a halt. On the Salcombe school run the

driver of the Chevrolet was Charlie Yeoman. Now I don’t understand the technicalities of

this story: the bus had narrow single rear wheels and poor braking but it was discovered

that if the wheels were turned around (inside out) they gripped the hubs better

(presumably better when braking). Unfortunately it was not realised that this put

enormous pressure on the wheel nuts and one day they sheared allowing one of the

rear wheels to come adrift while Charlie was driving along the road. The first he knew of

it was when the wheel passed him. As he told his colleagues, “He never blew his horn

nor nothing. He just went right by”.

Meanwhile Wellington’s business had grown and continued to trade as a mix of goods

and passenger transport. They called their principal coach the Kingsbridge Belle and the

coaches were numbered sequentially as they were acquired, numbers 1 to 9.

Wellington was keen to buy up competitors and in 1960 Jimmy Clark, in his late 60s

decided that the time had come to give up his transport interest.

In February that year Jim Wellington and Desmond Gullett bought the 9 dilapidated

coaches and the premises at The Mounts. They retained the Tally Ho! name and the

business was kept entirely separate from Wellington’s goods transport and the

Kingsbridge Belle coaches.

Wellington continued to buy up other competitors. In 1964 the Salcombe Motor Co. was

taken over with 3 coaches and tours and excursions from that town. 1966 Walls of

Dartmouth was purchased with 3 vehicles, tours and excursions including running

coaches for the British Royal Naval College (BRNC).

In 1971 the businesses were all moved from The Mounts, Salcombe, Dartmouth and

Kingsbridge to new premises at Station Yard. A large purpose-built garage was

constructed on the site of the GWR terminus of 1893 (a nice touch I feel!). Other

operators were bought up including those from Ivybridge and Modbury.

In 1984 Mr Gullett had to retire due to poor health and a deal was struck on the back of

an envelope to sell his share of the coach business to the Wellington family. The

partnership became Wellington and Partners trading as Tally Ho!.

In 2005 the garage at Station Yard caught fire. It was rebuilt but sadly Simon Wellington

who ran that part of the business was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease. In 2008 it

was decided to sell Tally Ho! to Don McIntosh and Richard Pullan who now operate as

Tally Ho! Ltd.

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Their website from 2008 states: “Tally Ho has been an important part of the South Hams

for a long time, touching the lives of many people whether taking them to school, out for

a trip or simply taking them to work. The company has had varying reputations from

quality travel to notorious breakdowns! Throughout our history we have always been the

archetypal ‘local business’ and long may it continue.”

The new owners continue the blue and white livery in a modern style. The business has

been streamlined, the vehicles refurbished and updated and a new holiday business has

been established.

Today (2012) Tally Ho! has 44 coaches and buses in its fleet and over 60 staff. They

operate about 25 school runs to 5 different schools, 4 bus services Mondays to

Saturdays and several one day only services. The private hire fleet is busy and

increasingly involved in our own holiday business.

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There is no time to mention the Coleridge Community Bus driven by volunteers and

serving a number of villages bringing people into Kingsbridge one morning a week. This

began in 1979 when public transport was no longer available.

Post-meeting note:

Two days after the meeting the Kingsbridge Gazette published an article by Sam Acourt

about the history of the Coleridge Bus. I am taking the opportunity of adding it to this

report as an Appendix (see page 16 below).

Conclusion

You probably know that this Saturday, 19th September, Kingsbridge has its 8th Vintage

Bus Running Day (so today’s talk is well-timed).

You can purchase this booklet from the KIC for £5. It contains the programme and

timetables and very informative accounts of the buses and tours around the South

Hams. It also acts as a ticket to ride.

Why not re-live the past by taking a vintage bus to Goveton or the seaside — no need to

take your bucket and spade or primus stove and kettle! But you could have a memorable

day out.

I must mention 2 items I have found in the programme.

The oldest bus is the 1929 Leyland Lioness which we photographed when it visited in

2012 (see above). I now read that this bus was one of only six Lionesses built with all-

weather convertible bodies.

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It operated in Rhyl in 1930 but was later exported to Jersey Motor Transport. A few days

ago I returned from a holiday in Jersey where I saw evidence of the German occupation

in the 2nd World War.

During the German occupation in WW2 this bus was hidden in a bricked-up tunnel to

prevent its use by the occupying forces. It was returned to the mainland in 1958 and

was restored to its original livery by its present owner and here it is today. In 2012 it had

an engine problem and remained at the bus station. With luck, it will be running on

Saturday on the town bus route at 12 noon, 1pm and 2pm.

Those of you who remember having tea and scones on the platform at Loddiswell

station (when Sheila Hall lived there), can travel there on Saturday on the Service 103

and repeat the experience!

Thank you for listening.

Celia Strong

Acknowledgements

Tally Ho!, Bluebell, Poppy and More by Roger Grimley

Cookworthy Museum Resource Centre

Roger Trembath of Quay Garage

Tally Ho! website, Coleridge Bus website, vintagegarage.co.uk website

Kingsbridge Vintage Bus Running Day programme

The Kingsbridge & Salcombe Gazette

Appendix

Community bus has run for 35 years

by SAM ACOURT

IT is 35 years since the Coleridge Association was formed, the origins of the Coleridge

Community Bus. In 1970, a group of parish councils joined to form a committee called

the Coleridge association of Parish Councils, after the ancient administration area, the

Coleridge Hundred. Introduced by the Saxons, a 'hundred' was an area of land large

enough to support 100 households.

Each parish chairman took turns to chair the association and when the East Allington

chair took over, believed to be Peggy Verniquet, a question was raised about the lack of

public transport to areas away from the main trunk routes, as the main bus companies

had withdrawn from much of the area some years before, and the possibility of a

volunteer- operated community service bus.

So the community responded with the formation of the Coleridge Community Bus

Committee which, in discussion with Devon County Council, developed a business plan

using unpaid, volunteer drivers and administrators.

DCC responded with the donation of a second-hand, 16-seater bus, and a one-off grant

of £10,000 to provide working capital, and the Coleridge Bus was born.

17

In order to meet the regulatory requirements, the bus was nominally part of local

operator Tally Ho!’s fleet. Tally Ho! provided the operator’s licence and undertook

maintenance and road-worthiness checks.

The very first service ran on Wednesday, February 7, 1979. This grew into four routes

weekly, serving Chillington, Slapton, Coles Cross, East Allington, The Mounts,

Buckland-tout-Saints, Goveton, Ledstone, Stokenham, Sherford, Frogmore, Charleton,

Beeson, Beesands. North Hallsands, East Prawle, West Prawle, Gara Rock, Rickham,

East Portlemouth and South PooL In the first year, 4,500 passengers were carried and

the fare from Slapton to Kingsbridge was 43p.

The success of the scheme led to a new bus being purchased in 1981, with the old one

going to a new community bus project in Tavistock, with a larger 20-seat vehicle bought

in 1984, the old one again being given to Tavistock Community Transport Association.

After eight years in operation, the Coleridge Community Bus had carried 45,000

passengers into Kingsbridge and back from the small parishes. The majority of the

drivers passed their PCV, Passenger Carrying Vehicle, driving test specifically to be able

to volunteer for the Coleridge Bus, athough the training qualified them to drive up to the

largest double-deckers.

The Coleridge Bus today

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The Coleridge Bus was on its fifth vehicle by the time it carried its 100,000th passenger

on February 8, 1996.

As well as the regular runs to and from Kingsbridge, the bus is available for private hire

which generates additional income and volunteers also support the bus through events

such as coffee mornings and raffles and means the service is self-supporting, not grant

funded, continuing as an independent local enterprise.

In June 2013, the Coleridge Community Bus was awarded the 'Best Contribution to the

Local Community' at the Community Transport Awards, organised by DCC. The

nomination highlighted how the service allows users to stay in their homes, preserving

their independence.

Currently the Association is chaired by Steve Manchip and continues to offer services

across the South Hams. For more information, to view the timetable or to book a private

event, visit the website: www.coleridgebus.co.uk