Author: Laurie James
Publisher: Pen and Sword Transport
ISBN: 1526776065
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 374
Book Description
Although the Surrey towns of Walton-on-Thames and Weybridge were for many years served by the London bus network, there were also a number of small scale locally based operators running bus services, before selling out to London Transport in the 1930s. Such companies ran coaches for private hire, contracts and pleasure outings, commencing just after the First World War. This book seeks to newly record the history of these proprietors and put the activities of the London General Omnibus Company and later London Transport into local context. The story starts in the 1890s with horse drawn buses linking with the local railway stations and carries the reader through the dawn of the motor era, the rise of the charabanc, entrepreneurial opportunities in the 1920s and consolidation in the 1930s, World War Two and the gradual decline of bus services from the 1960s. It culminates in a return to a de-regulated operating environment in 1986. Capturing the story of Ben Stanley's Coaches (amongst other pioneers) by using primary source material , the book covers more than just routes and vehicles - it attempts to show how road passenger transport was influenced by local social historic and economic activity.
Woking Buses 1911-1939
Author: Laurie James
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781445608297
Category : Bus lines
Languages : en
Pages : 160
Book Description
The motor bus did not come to Woking until 1911. Unlike many other areas the town was not subsumed into the network of the major territorial operators for a considerable time. It was on the extreme fringe of the empires of Aldershot & District and London General and it was not until the mid-1920s that Aldershot & District was able to anchor itself firmly in Woking while London General had to wait until 1931. Being on the boundary of two major operators who were providing little, meant that the Woking area (and Guildford too) became ripe for exploitation by local proprietors. Men were returning from the Forces after the war with their demobilisation gratuities. A fourteen-seat bus on a lightweight American chassis was relatively cheap, so the cost of market entry was not prohibitive. It was, however, a cut-throat business with numerous proprietors competing on the most lucrative routes almost on a dog-eat-dog basis. One Councillor described the Woking - St John's - Knaphill route as a 'little goldmine', making competition fierce and surely against the public interest in terms of providing a regular, reliable service. The history of A&D and London General has already been documented but little in-depth has been written about the so-called 'independents'. This book sets out to remedy this and to put the activities of the larger companies into local context. The book concerns itself with the period before the Second World War, up to the time of the disappearance of the last of the independent operators.
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781445608297
Category : Bus lines
Languages : en
Pages : 160
Book Description
The motor bus did not come to Woking until 1911. Unlike many other areas the town was not subsumed into the network of the major territorial operators for a considerable time. It was on the extreme fringe of the empires of Aldershot & District and London General and it was not until the mid-1920s that Aldershot & District was able to anchor itself firmly in Woking while London General had to wait until 1931. Being on the boundary of two major operators who were providing little, meant that the Woking area (and Guildford too) became ripe for exploitation by local proprietors. Men were returning from the Forces after the war with their demobilisation gratuities. A fourteen-seat bus on a lightweight American chassis was relatively cheap, so the cost of market entry was not prohibitive. It was, however, a cut-throat business with numerous proprietors competing on the most lucrative routes almost on a dog-eat-dog basis. One Councillor described the Woking - St John's - Knaphill route as a 'little goldmine', making competition fierce and surely against the public interest in terms of providing a regular, reliable service. The history of A&D and London General has already been documented but little in-depth has been written about the so-called 'independents'. This book sets out to remedy this and to put the activities of the larger companies into local context. The book concerns itself with the period before the Second World War, up to the time of the disappearance of the last of the independent operators.
A Companion to Contemporary Britain 1939 - 2000
Author: Paul Addison
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1405141409
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 600
Book Description
A Companion to Contemporary Britain covers the key themesand debates of 20th-century history from the outbreak of the SecondWorld War to the end of the century. Assesses the impact of the Second World War Looks at Britain’s role in the wider world, including thelegacy of Empire, Britain’s ‘specialrelationship’ with the United States, and integration withcontinental Europe Explores cultural issues, such as class consciousness,immigration and race relations, changing gender roles, and theimpact of the mass media Covers domestic politics and the economy Introduces the varied perspectives dominating historicalwriting on this period Identifies the key issues which are likely to fuel futuredebate
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1405141409
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 600
Book Description
A Companion to Contemporary Britain covers the key themesand debates of 20th-century history from the outbreak of the SecondWorld War to the end of the century. Assesses the impact of the Second World War Looks at Britain’s role in the wider world, including thelegacy of Empire, Britain’s ‘specialrelationship’ with the United States, and integration withcontinental Europe Explores cultural issues, such as class consciousness,immigration and race relations, changing gender roles, and theimpact of the mass media Covers domestic politics and the economy Introduces the varied perspectives dominating historicalwriting on this period Identifies the key issues which are likely to fuel futuredebate
Church of Spies
Author: Mark Riebling
Publisher: Basic Books
ISBN: 0465061559
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 385
Book Description
The heart-pounding history of how Pope Pius XII -- often labeled "Hitler's Pope" -- was in fact an anti-Nazi spymaster, plotting against the Third Reich during World War II. The Vatican's silence in the face of Nazi atrocities remains one of the great controversies of our time. History has accused wartime pontiff Pius the Twelfth of complicity in the Holocaust and dubbed him "Hitler's Pope." But a key part of the story has remained untold. Pope Pius in fact ran the world's largest church, smallest state, and oldest spy service. Saintly but secretive, he sent birthday cards to Hitler -- while secretly plotting to kill him. He skimmed from church charities to pay covert couriers, and surreptitiously tape-recorded his meetings with top Nazis. Under his leadership the Vatican spy ring actively plotted against the Third Reich. Told with heart-pounding suspense and drawing on secret transcripts and unsealed files by an acclaimed author, Church of Spies throws open the Vatican's doors to reveal some of the most astonishing events in the history of the papacy. Riebling reveals here how the world's greatest moral institution met the greatest moral crisis in history.
Publisher: Basic Books
ISBN: 0465061559
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 385
Book Description
The heart-pounding history of how Pope Pius XII -- often labeled "Hitler's Pope" -- was in fact an anti-Nazi spymaster, plotting against the Third Reich during World War II. The Vatican's silence in the face of Nazi atrocities remains one of the great controversies of our time. History has accused wartime pontiff Pius the Twelfth of complicity in the Holocaust and dubbed him "Hitler's Pope." But a key part of the story has remained untold. Pope Pius in fact ran the world's largest church, smallest state, and oldest spy service. Saintly but secretive, he sent birthday cards to Hitler -- while secretly plotting to kill him. He skimmed from church charities to pay covert couriers, and surreptitiously tape-recorded his meetings with top Nazis. Under his leadership the Vatican spy ring actively plotted against the Third Reich. Told with heart-pounding suspense and drawing on secret transcripts and unsealed files by an acclaimed author, Church of Spies throws open the Vatican's doors to reveal some of the most astonishing events in the history of the papacy. Riebling reveals here how the world's greatest moral institution met the greatest moral crisis in history.