摘要: |
The history of most major British bus companies is pretty well documented these days, and it is good that we are getting books which fill in the life, the humanity if you like, of operators between the bones of those histories. When commissioned pre-pandemic, this new book was intended to be part of the 2020 celebration of the 90th anniversary of the founding of Eastern National, now First Essex Buses. Sadly some of the celebratory activities did not take place, but at least the book survived unscathed. Unusually it is published by one of the Omnibus Society's local groups, the Eastern & Southern Branch, rather than the society itself or one of its two historical research groups. There is a brief summary of the company's history, reminding us that at one time it had a Midland area, centred on Bedford and Luton, and despite the name originally had equal shareholdings by two of the mainline railway companies, the LMS (London, Midland & Scottish) and LNER (London & North Eastern), the Eastern title being derived from the latter following the division of the National Omnibus & Transport Company in 1930. |