As many viewers and contributors to SCT61 will know, Chris was a devoted bus professional and enthusiast, loving to drive, conduct and ride (almost) anything that was presented to him. Apart from brief RAF National Service duty and a period in the radio control room at the AA, Leeds, buses were Chris’s life.

An early encounter with his beloved Samuel Ledgard in the Ilkley of his formative years obviously made a deep impression on Chris, and their legendary eclectic mix of chassis, bodies and origins gave him lasting pleasure. Their sad demise in 1967 affected him deeply.

His ability to remember details of a particular vehicle’s characteristics, or relating anecdotes about work colleagues or his passengers was legendary and Chris’s talent for embellishing his stories with an accurate regional accent was well known by all who spent time with him.

Chris’s interest in buses was complemented by a love of light opera, organ and choral music. He hated anything vulgar, but loved the double entendres of Les Dawson and Roy Barraclough playing Cissie and Ada, and he would delight in quoting dialogue from Hinge and Bracket radio shows (much to the amusement or bemusement of fellow bus or train passengers).

Many other friends and colleagues will have known Chris far better and for longer than me, so I will close by saying that it was a privilege to have known him back in the 1960s and again when we became reacquainted (thanks to SCT61) some fifteen years ago. His vast experience and endless enthusiasm will be much missed.

Paul Haywood, February 2023 in memory of Chris who died earlier this month aged 86.

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You can see more photos of Chris and also more of his photos on his flickr site.

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