SAMUEL LEDGARD BUS STAFF MEMORIES

BLAKEY · Post by **BLAKEY** » Fri 14 Nov, 2008 4:57 pm

LILYSMUM WROTE :-"Hi Blakey,I used to travel on Sammy Ledgard buses as a child.Did the bus conductress who dressed as a man work for Ledgards originally? I can remember being puzzled by her and asking my mum why the man had a lady's name(and a large chest) and being given the answer "never you mind" I also remember Walter,Mavis,who always wore bright red lipstick and Johnny Wardle a little round chap as condutors on the buses round here."All the good folks you mention were on the Otley to Horsforth services from the little Yeadon Depot ("The Moorfield"). Mavis and Walter are sadly no longer with us, and possibly Johnny Wardle has also gone. The conductress you mention though, Peggy, is still with us and active at 88 and is a good friend of mine and I see her often. She was a real case who stood no nonsense, as I daresay you remember, and there was no need at all for two way radio assistance in her day - if a ribald rebuke didn't do the trick, then a smack with the ticket rack would - LOL. Despite this she is actually a very well educated lady indeed, a qualified horsewoman, heroine of ghastly wartime duties in the Land Army in Kent, an expert on Art and on Egyptology (giving lectures on both from time to time) Above all she is a heart of gold and has the most outrageous and wicked sense of harmless humour - she is one of life's gems. Dear Walter was also a good hearted star turn, with an endless stock of real life experiences and incredible jokes - after telling these he would then shriek with genuine laughter and spread a good feeling among everyone around. Many of his experiences at work seemed to occur in Guiseley ("i' Towngate") and my favourite (of those that I dare repeat on here) was dispensed to the early morning customers in Gascoigne's Cafe at the top of Otley Bus Station - it went like this :_"Eeee a woman just gorron i' Towngate and give us 'alf a crown - she says "a tuppenny an' I'm sorry I 'ave no change" - ah sez yer will 'ave in a minute - two 'un fower i' copper." LOL LOLJust one of many other star turns was ginger driver Frank Slater - a close rival to Stirling Moss - who had many wonderful zany tricks up his sleeve. Before there was a roundabout at the Fox and Hounds there was just a "keep left" bollard at the junction of the Burley and Otley roads - Frank's favourite little habit any time before about 7.30am was to hurtle at his usual full tilt (and some) in a straight line towards Otley, leaving the little bollard shaking in the breeze - on his LEFT !! LOL LOLI worked a few rest days myself at Yeadon as a young conductor and what a grand bunch they were - oh for those happy days again.

Lilysmum · Post by **Lilysmum** » Fri 14 Nov, 2008 5:21 pm

Hi Blakey,you have lots of happy memories of your time "on the buses",you should write a book. Thanks for your update on Peggy,I recall seeing her a few years back in Rawdon and she still looked the same. Johnny Wardle passed on many years ago,he got re-married quite late in life to one of our neighbours.I think Mavis's husband was a bus driver.

BLAKEY · Post by **BLAKEY** » Fri 14 Nov, 2008 6:52 pm

Lilysmum wrote: Hi Blakey,you have lots of happy memories of your time "on the buses",you should write a book. Thanks for your update on Peggy,I recall seeing her a few years back in Rawdon and she still looked the same. Johnny Wardle passed on many years ago,he got re-married quite late in life to one of our neighbours.I think Mavis's husband was a bus driver. Yes Lilysmum I'm glad you've spotted Peggy, bless her. Another super lady was Jean Roundhill who is still alive and around. You will recall the two Irish lasses Eileen and Bridie, and also Mavis's pal Anne Slater - a lovely quiet lady. Then there were the two Christines Buckley, mother and daughter. Christine the mother became an actress in a small way and appeared in tiny parts in one or two B & W films and TV programmes - always immediately recognisable by her rather deep and stern voice. A very good driver friend of mine was George Candler of Rodley (nicknamed "The Reverend") - an absolute scream of a character who sadly died unexpectedly in his mid forties while travelling on a West Yorkshire bus to start his late turn at Ledgard's. My favourite memory of the Reverend occurred also one early morning in the cafe of the aforementioned serious minded Mrs. Gascoigne. In swept George, sporting a very prominent set of new dentures where for weeks there had been no teeth, and loudly demanded "Do you like mi' new gnashers Mrs. Gascoigne ?? -' ave just bought 'em wi' t' Provident Cheque !!" LOL LOL With respect to our younger readers, "The Peoples Provident Clothing Company" provided cheques for needy folks to buy essentials (but NOT teeth !!) in return for easy weekly payments. Mrs. G., in true Victorian manner, was NOT amused.I've just finished an article for The Samuel Ledgard Society's next quarterly magazine about the rest day I once spent at Yeadon with The Reverend - the foulest blizzard ridden day of the 1950s, when I was away from my home in Ilkley for no less than nineteen hours.

Lilysmum · Post by **Lilysmum** » Fri 14 Nov, 2008 7:57 pm

I was nobut a little un when Ledgards was on the go so don't recall all the charachters you mention but you certainly have some entertaining stories to tell Blakey.By the way was that you in an article in the Wharfedale Observer a few weeks back?

BLAKEY · Post by **BLAKEY** » Fri 14 Nov, 2008 11:27 pm

Lilysmum wrote: I was nobut a little un when Ledgards was on the go so don't recall all the charachters you mention but you certainly have some entertaining stories to tell Blakey.By the way was that you in an article in the Wharfedale Observer a few weeks back? Yes I'm afraid it was me, grinning like a demented Cheshire cat - the photgrapher instructed me to "do something lively with my hat" and look what happened !! LOL LOL Can you credit that that hat and jacket are genuinely my originals from nearly half a century ago ??Incidentally - talk about telepathy - in between typing this message and the last one I've unexpectedly had Peggy on the phone for a natter and a laugh for a good few minutes and we shall be going out for another pub lunch somewhere in the Dales very shortly.

Trojan · Post by **Trojan** » Sat 15 Nov, 2008 12:37 am

Alan Bennett writes about travelling to Wharfedale with his brother and parents on the day WWII started, on Ledgard's bus. I think it's in "Telling the tale" not sure.I remember when at Tech in Pudsey that Ledgards buses used to travel up Richardshaw Lane,(could have been Lowtown) but I don't think they terminated at the same stops that the Yorkshire Woollen and Farsley Omnbuses did.

BLAKEY · Post by **BLAKEY** » Sat 15 Nov, 2008 11:49 am

Trojan wrote: Alan Bennett writes about travelling to Wharfedale with his brother and parents on the day WWII started, on Ledgard's bus. I think it's in "Telling the tale" not sure.Who can beat Alan Bennett's wonderful style of relating local history in a "presence" that we can all relate to, especially those of us old enough to remember the same times that he refers to. On September 3rd 1939 I was at Grandma's in Bridlington - I was three, and I can vivdly remember her kindly sad face when the news was announced - like most others of her era who had suffered WW1 I imagine they thought it COULDN'T happen again.......................................................................................................I remember when at Tech in Pudsey that Ledgards buses used to travel up Richardshaw Lane,(could have been Lowtown) but I don't think they terminated at the same stops that the Yorkshire Woollen and Farsley Omnbuses did. Right second time Trojan - Ledgards didn't touch Richardshaw Lane, but Farsley Omnibus and LCT did. The Ledgard route was Leeds - Pudsey - Bradford, via Lower Wortley Ring Road, Hough side, Lowtown, Littlemoor OR Chapeltown, Waterloo, Thornbury , Leeds Road.

Trojan · Post by **Trojan** » Sat 15 Nov, 2008 12:41 pm

BLAKEY wrote: Trojan wrote: Alan Bennett writes about travelling to Wharfedale with his brother and parents on the day WWII started, on Ledgard's bus. I think it's in "Telling the tale" not sure.Who can beat Alan Bennett's wonderful style of relating local history in a "presence" that we can all relate to, especially those of us old enough to remember the same times that he refers to. On September 3rd 1939 I was at Grandma's in Bridlington - I was three, and I can vivdly remember her kindly sad face when the news was announced - like most others of her era who had suffered WW1 I imagine they thought it COULDN'T happen again.......................................................................................................I remember when at Tech in Pudsey that Ledgards buses used to travel up Richardshaw Lane,(could have been Lowtown) but I don't think they terminated at the same stops that the Yorkshire Woollen and Farsley Omnbuses did. Right second time Trojan - Ledgards didn't touch Richardshaw Lane, but Farsley Omnibus and LCT did. The Ledgard route was Leeds - Pudsey - Bradford, via Lower Wortley Ring Road, Hough side, Lowtown, Littlemoor OR Chapeltown, Waterloo, Thornbury , Leeds Road. Is Littlemoor, Littlemoor Road? The Yorkshire Woollen no 5 service Dewsbury Pudsey which I used to catch from MOrley went on Littlemoor Road I think. It came up Roker Lane, turned right at Littlemoor Corner and went into Pudsey past Crawshaw School, then turned left and left again to terminate by the baths adjacent to the Farsley Omnibus stop - but it went back via Carlisle Road, Fartown and Fulneck. My friend from school who live in Otley used to travel to Pudsey on Ledgards - must have been quite a long journey - an hour?

BLAKEY · Post by **BLAKEY** » Sat 15 Nov, 2008 1:16 pm

Trojan wrote: .......................................................................................................I remember when at Tech in Pudsey that Ledgards buses used to travel up Richardshaw Lane,(could have been Lowtown) but I don't think they terminated at the same stops that the Yorkshire Woollen and Farsley Omnbuses did. Is Littlemoor, Littlemoor Road? The Yorkshire Woollen no 5 service Dewsbury Pudsey which I used to catch from MOrley went on Littlemoor Road I think. It came up Roker Lane, turned right at Littlemoor Corner and went into Pudsey past Crawshaw School, then turned left and left again to terminate by the baths adjacent to the Farsley Omnibus stop - but it went back via Carlisle Road, Fartown and Fulneck. My friend from school who live in Otley used to travel to Pudsey on Ledgards - must have been quite a long journey - an hour?Yes, that's Littlemoor/Roker Lane etc. I'm not sure where your school and your friend's Otley house were, but that's one awful journey your pal had to take from Otley and would be well over an hour at the best of times. His choice must have been Otley to Leeds (Cookridge Street) and walk to King Street for the Bradford bus (option of LCT also to Pudsey) OR Otley via Yeadon to Horsforth and then Farsley Omnibus to Pudsey. Unenviable even on a lovely day !!

Trojan · Post by **Trojan** » Sat 15 Nov, 2008 3:17 pm

BLAKEY wrote: Yes, that's Littlemoor/Roker Lane etc. I'm not sure where your school and your friend's Otley house were, but that's one awful journey your pal had to take from Otley and would be well over an hour at the best of times. His choice must have been Otley to Leeds (Cookridge Street) and walk to King Street for the Bradford bus (option of LCT also to Pudsey) OR Otley via Yeadon to Horsforth and then Farsley Omnibus to Pudsey. Unenviable even on a lovely day !! WE went to tech together on Richardshaw Lane - next to the Grammar School. He lived on Bondgate in Otley - I'd assumed that he caught a Ledgards bus direct from Otley to Pudsey - this was in 1961/2. Most of those at the tech were from the Pudsey/Rodley/Rawdon/Yeadon/Horsforth area - but there were one or two including him who came from Otley.