History

Nigel Lukowski from Aldershot writes to say "Ironically in view of Andrew Tyldsley's recent contributions to the site, it involves his son...  Richard was OM at Aldershot, then quite suddenly and just before his holiday/honeymoon he's off to Go South Coast as GM for Blue Star and Vectis."

The Gliding Club at RAF Bicester was surprisingly easy to visit 'back in the day', the early 1980's to be precise.  I was fortunate to visit twice, in 1980 and 1982, the previous end of runway view of the two winches dated from the latter, 1982.

JCR 390E - A closer view of the two winch conversions from 1982, nearest the camera is ex-Southampton AEC Regent V 390, and behind, another AEC Regent V, ex-West Bridgeford 639 UVO.


JCR 391E - In the club hanger in 1982, another ex-Southampton Regent V in the early stages of conversion.  AEC's were obviously a popular choice, but not exclusively as we will see. 
Also in this hanger amongst the gliders was a Spitfire fuselage, one of the fibre-glass replicas used outside many RAF bases.


MLL 962 - Back in 1980 and again under conversion is the former RF325. 
Interestingly, this appears to be an example without doors as were the first LT Central Area examples,
I'm not aware of any RF's lasting without having doors fitted so a one-time preserved vehicle perhaps.


HJP 11 - An exception to the AEC's, newly converted by the look of it, this is an ex-Wigan Corporation Leyland PD3A.


SCANIA  -  Out at the launch point was this rather splendid right-hand drive single-deck Scania, actually in use as rest room/tea room.
Not my area of expertise but I gather this is actually a former Stockholm Corporation vehicle. 
This might fit as Sweden changed from driving on the left to driving on the right in September 1967,
Stockholm Corporation acquiring a large number of left-hand drive Leyland Atlantean's and Panther's at the time to re-equip the fleet with doors in the right place!

 
UUJ 447J i and ii  -  Following on from the picture of Oxford 59 in the February Bus & Coach Preservation,
here are two views of this Bedford YRQ/ Willowbrook with subsequent owners in East Sussex.

Firstly in a red livery, and with a very non-nondescript background and no destination blind, this is actually Bexhill in late 1980.  The operator is Bexhill Town Bus Services and the Bedford is supplementing the main fleet of ex-Plymouth Leyland National's. Bexhill was one of the locations where limited competition was allowed under the 1980 Transport Act, a group of former Maidstone & District drivers forming Bexhill Town Bus Services following M&D's services revisions/reductions after MAP (Market Analysis Project).  Bexhill did not lend itself as a hot-bed of competition (!), the operation struggled, was ultimately taken over by local coach operator Renown, the National's were replaced by ex-Eastbourne Leyland Panther's, these later replaced by various Bristol RE's.

The bus did not stay in Bexhill long, by 1981 it had moved to Vernon's of Hailsham, this was another operator using the 1980 Transport Act to provide a service between Eastbourne and Rushlake Green.  This view, very obviously in Eastbourne, dates from September 1983.