SKELTON - IN - CLEVELAND IN HISTORY

Hemingway's Bus, [Lancia model] High St, Skelton.

I obtained details about the first buses in Skelton from a 1988 booklet "Call to Mind - More Local voices" and have since received the following corrections. Reference your notes for 1912 to 1926. The description "green Safeways vying with yellow Hemingways" cannot be correct. Hemingways had been purchased by United on 21st November 1925 and Safeway did not come into East Cleveland until 1929. It is not at all definite that Hemingway's buses were yellow and is much more likely that it is the United buses [which were yellow, as motor tax records make clear, and did compete with Safeway in the period April 1929 to October 1930] which were being remembered here. United did not have the total monopoly in the district until 1937, which rather stretches the word "soon". I would want to give similar consideration to your statement that the first bus service in Skelton was operating between Middlesbrough and Loftus in 1921. This seems too early. Licensing records indicate that Hemingway probably commenced to run Redcar to Loftus in February 1923 and Middlesbrough to Loftus on 31st May 1924. Meanwhile the Loftus Motor Service consortium led by G F Sissons had commenced Middlesbrough to Loftus on 31st May 1924. All these would, of course, run through Skelton. Philip Battersby. Middlesbrough.

The above picture of Skelton High Street is off a postcard. The postmark on the George V, one halfpenny stamp looks like 10th September 1914. We had been at war with Germany since the 4th August 1914. I have enlarged the photograph to show the soldier making his way across the field in the foreground. The trade directory of 1909 shows the Wharton Hall was a drill hall for the Territorial Force Batallion, 4th Yorkshire Regiment. Compliments for a wonderful site. I started to collect postcards of Skelton and recently came across this one. I have not seen this in any books. Please feel free to add to your collection. Could be 1914. Regards. Eugenie Noonan.