Wigan Album

queen street, i remember a coach firm there named morris's just at the end near chapel lane.

Don Morris, would be the chap who owned it. He used to hire drivers, who would pick workers up for the mills around East Lancs, drop them off then the driver would work a shift in the mill, & bring them home. If you booked a coach off him for a trip (blackpool lights etc), you woud be covered in cotton fluff on your return home ;o)

Rev David, sorry nothing to do with this directly but many amny years ago 1st orrell Scout band were engaged for Warrington walks. This particular year you were to transport the band using one of your coaches which broke down and I drove you back to a Burtonwood hanger for a replacement, they were obviously late and had to drop in half way round ,you always treated the band very well at the afternoon fete my son was a member of the band, happy days

Hi Rev.Long,have you got the reg.right.MJP was not issued after the numbers,only before.

All my documents for the buses, and their adventures, are in the loft, I think - so I can't verify the number - but I'm going on what is visible in the shot of the coach in the Barnsley scrapyard.
Thanks for the memory, orrellite - I dimly recall the incident - but for me to have been the driver probably meant the occasion wasn't Warrington Walking Day itself (the Friday nearest the 1st July), as I would have been walking myself. On the Sundays each side, however, different parishes in outer Warrington held their own Walks.

I can remember years ago in the 1960s, we attended the Salvation Army each Sunday a group of us were picked-up in a bedford coach by Col Foster, in those days the driver didn't need a PSV Licence as long as the were none paying passengers on board, I think it's changed nowdays.

The 1977 Minibus Act designated any passenger carrying vehicle not used for hire or reward as a "minibus". Local Transport Authorities gave out certificates to verify the status of the organisation and its vehicle. Thus I drove, on an ordinary car licence, up to 74-seater 'minibuses'.

Don Morris was the owner together with his brother, there main carriage of passengers was staff mainly to and from the local Mills Preston Bury Bolton Areas, Don unfortunately died in his fifties but was well known character in the Wigan Area in fact as they say daft as a brush, he bought all kinds of older coaches in fact in todays market a complete Vintage Selection

Don and Joe Morris took a great number of buses and coaches to Northern Ireland to be blown up; it was said to be cheaper than having new vehicles blown to smithereens. The fitter at Morris's was I think Arnold Lane; He went to Bolton School as a driver, where he eventually retired.

This is not 631 MJP it is 631 MUP which was new in 1964 to a coach operator called O'Hara of Spennymoor.