Samuel Ledgard, the legendary founder and owner of the bus operator
based in Leeds, started out running a pub in 1896. However, he soon
branched out into catering, for which transport was needed and so, in
1912, he bought a lorry along with an interchangeable coach body and
started services to the seaside resorts of Scarborough and Blackpool in
1913. Though the First Word War stopped expansion, in 1920 the coastal
runs were resumed and Ledgard grew, purchasing many local bus operators.
After Samuel's death in 1952, his son started a new policy of buying
mainly second-hand buses - in the next 15 years only 13 new vehicles
were bought, but over 170 second-hand ones joined the fleet.
Focusing on the 1950s and '60s, this nostalgic look at the iconic
Ledgard takes the reader on a trip down memory lane. Starting with a
brief history of the buses themselves and their routes, it then goes on
to examine the fleet, covering not only buses from London's Daimler
fleet which ran on all but two of the double-decker routes, but also the
single deckers and low-bridge double deckers.
Using a variety of images, with illustrative captions, this book not
only rekindles memories for those fortunate enough to have known
Ledgards but also gives an insight into these charming vehicles for the
many others who were never able to experience Ledgards firsthand.
