Photo © Ken Jones. Please do not re-post without permission.

New to Phillips Holywell, Flintshire in July 1949, FDM724 is a Foden PVD6 double-decker with a 56-seater body by Massey Bros of Wigan.
It was used on the Holywell to Mold service, the Courtauld's Flint works service, on schools service and when new on private hire.
It was a rare bus, being one of only 12 PVD6 Fodens bodied by Massey Bros.
P&O Lloyd, Bagillt had a similar vehicle (FDM568) which had the consecutive body number. Phillips ran the Foden until 1970, when it was replaced by a Seddon single decker (XDM 872H).
Tommy Hollis of Hollis Coaches, Queensferry then bought the Foden from Phillips and undertook a full overhaul on the Foden - by then getting on for 25 years old, Tommy entered it in the arduous Historical Commercial Vehicles Society's Manchester - Harrogate Trans-Pennine road run in the early 70s as well as using it on his own school services for a further few years. By the mid to late 70s it stood in a yard in Gwersyllt near Wrexham where sadly it became the victim of vandalism, its fate seemed doomed.
However, a member of the Birmingham and Midland Motor Museum based at Wythall was passing through Gwersyllt and immediately realised the rarity, of which was then, the only Massey bodied Foden PVD6 to have survived, following negotiations with Tommy Hollis, the museum purchased the Foden in 1980 and towed it to Wythall to the SW of Birmingham using their WW2 AEC Matador tow truck. It stood outside at Wythall until 1990 and has since been stored undercover, the years and the elements have taken their toll on the wooden body frame and it still awaits an extensive restoration.
They decided to try to find a new owner and after several years of searching, James Eastwood stepped up to the challenge and FDM moved to its new home in March 2020 although it is currently stored outside.

Photo taken by Ken Jones Gallery, Tuesday 9 September 2025, private site in the Cotswolds

©2025-2026 Ken Jones All Rights Reserved.
You're welcome to print these pages for personal use only or to link to them as long as it's not for financial gain. Photos may not be re-posted anywhere (including facebook, flickr and fotopic sites) without permission. See the Site Map for further details.