CWK205 (2009)

Does anyone on this Forum remember "CCT" Driver Samuel "Sid" Bates at all ???
Sid started his career with Coventry Transport as a Conductor in 1939 and he did this job up until he went in the Army and i remember him telling me that he went to Burma. After a number of years in the Army, Sid went back to work on the Buses and became a Driver for Coventry Transport in 1946, being based at Foleshill Depot and later at Sandy Lane Garage. He absolutely loved his work and did it up until the day he retired in 1978 and in all his 31 and a Half Years behind the Wheel, he never got so much as a single scratch on any Bus that he drove and his "Safe Driving" Medals that i've got here are proof of that !!! Sid told me that he had the same Conductor with him for years, who he thought of as being more like his Son than a Work Colleague and his name was Peter ??? I don't know what his surname was, but i do know that he was a Diobetic, who after finishing his shift at Sandy Lane Garage oneday (while Sid was off Work on Holiday !), walked up over the Railway Bridge in Sandy Lane and collapsed in the bushes by the Toilet Block that once stood there and sadly died ! Sid never really got over this loss and i know that he did end up working with a number of differant Conductor's afterwards, which included a Clippy working on his Bus oneday, that he wasn't too happy with when he got up to Radford Terminus ? Despite him being of a mild and gentle manner, he soon put her in her place when she stayed sitting on her backside and wouldn't get up to go and help watch him back when he was reversing !!!
Sid himself always had a story to tell, which i will post some on this Forum sometime soon, but it would be nice to know if any other Forum Members remember him at all ? He sadly Died in January 1990, but i still have some things of his that were given to me by his Wife (also now sadly deceased) and also plenty of happy memories of Sid aswell, which i will never forget !!!

MY LATE FATHER AND SID BOTH STARTED WORK WITH COVENTRY TRANSPORT ON THE SAME DAY IN 1939. WHEN MY FATHER RETIRED IN 1966,SID AND DAD KEPT IN TOUCH AS THEY ONLY LIVED A SHORT DISTANCE APART. SIDS CONDUCTOR WAS PETE KENNING,AND HIS MOTHER WORKED AT SANDY LANE GARAGE CANTEEN AS SUPERVISOR. I WENT TO SCHOOL WITH PETERS BROTHER BRIAN.

It will be 20 years ago next month since Sid died and i've always regretted not asking him during out little chats over the garden fence (or in his Lounge !), more about his Conductor and what his last name was ? Finally after all this time now i have found out, so thanks everso much for that Colin !!! Things like this make me realise what a small world it actually is, as i didn't realise that You and your Dad both knew him, but i'm so glad that you did !!! He really loved his job and he told me once, that he was so happy to have been based at Sandy Lane Garage !!! His time after he came off the Buses was spent Gardening, something which he was very good at and his Vegetable patch would have made someone like Alan Titchmarsh pipe up and say "WOW" !!!

Here's some photo's of Sid, one showing him in his Military uniform and the other two show him pictured in his back garden in his Bus Drivers uniform, either before or just after Work ??? Also pictured are his "Safe Driving" medals !!!

This is one of the photo's again of Sid in his back Garden and because of my unfortunate photo sizing problem, you will now be able to see every little detail of what is actually a very small photo !!! (so this problem does have its advantages i suppose ???LOL).