A-Z Of National Bus Company Subsidiaries: Black & White 

I remember Black & White services calling in Warwick Square en route to Cheltenham when I was young. By chance in 1986 I joined Midland Red South, Leamington as a driver, when it was still part of NBC. I was there through the Western Travel era & Stagecoach takeover leaving in 2003. Nice video, good to be reminded of the past.

Hi i'm viatron from Sheffield again, I still remember one thing about the daimler roadliner coaches of the 1960s via having a Cummins V6 diesel engine & a semi-automatic gearbox mounted at the rear subjected to the very unique A.E.C. SABRE version which had an E.C.W. coach body but with Plaxton Panorama windscreen & rear window & mainly had a British Leyland L badge at the front instead of an A.E.C. Blue triangle. With other types of long distance coaches such as the Plaxton Paramount coach body & high floor over both engine and gearbox, plus luggage storage underneath it on the 1980s Leyland Tiger versions fitted with Leyland TL11 diesel engine. So thanks for your co-operation on this very historical old 1960s underfloor engined coaches subject from David Viatron Esquire of crookes in Sheffield. So see you all on a nother trip into the past bus video what includes the home made B.M.M.O. C-series coaches from 1945 to 1968.

Old Yellow Bus GRU-V at the end there, ridden on that many a time no doubt, going to and from school in Bournemouth

Love the TVS ident theme by the way, brings back memories when all local ITV stations had their own identity.

Cheltenham was for along time a Mecca for bus/coach enthusiasts I believe it was a major hub. Enjoying your videos all the best 😊😊

Ian Allan Black and White Glory Days seems to be about the only specialist book on this. Old NatEx timetables (which I had lots but had to go) might have some details and I think there was another sold biannual publication (sort of abc (not ian allan) Coach Guide ). The entire National Travel concept gave loads of theoritical problems, helped at first with the Road Service Licence regieme which sort of kept most historical companies intact , but there was still the overlap in operations and marketing on National Holidays too. With Royal Blue under Western National Ownership (as it had been under Tilling too), Devon General having Grey Cars - but that seemed to fade away once WNOC and DG had common management. I remember the Greenslades garage in Exeter, I never knew as such what Bristol did but I think Bristol Greyhound was related, add in the Coach operations of Red and White / National Welsh - inc one in Jones name (two?), South Wales and the south west was full of the national white. The Hants and Dorset ( which I think had originally acquired Royal Blue - the facts elude my memory ) holding Shamrock and Rambler. South Midland was mainly coaching business placed into City Of Oxford, and Thames Valley had its local express services - I dont recall much if any with Aldershot and District.

Interesting history. I remember going to Cheltenham coach station in the late 1960s with my Dad, a Bristolian and lifelong Bristol fanatic, to watch the afternoon departures. It was quite a sight, and smell, to see all the different liveries as they pulled out one after the other.

nice one Jake

Did "Black and White" have any connection to "Red and White" who operated in the Gloucester area? It always intrigued me that Stagecoach nabbed Gloucester buses yet First bus nabbed Hereford/Midland Red West. I remember (standing at Gloucester bus station in the early 90's waiting for the 38 to Hereford) thinking the stripey, pointy arrow livery really didn't fit well on the double deckers.

Great video. Before, I was never sure whether Black & White was a company in its own right under the NBC or just the name given to Bristol Omnibus', and latterly Cheltenham & Gloucester Omnibus Company's, regional express services, like Midland Express was to Midland Red and City Link was to Oxford Bus Company.

Black and White was founded by a Mr George Readings. After the war in 1918 and probably with his de-mob money he started running buses in Surrey. After a brief sojourn in Ireland he settled in Cheltenham and in 1926 began a service from that town to London. The company was sold to the BMMO in 1930, and the Bristol tramways and COMS did became part owners in 1930 after the Midland Red sold over half the company. The Black and White colours were applied to every aspect of the operation which became centred on the coach station at St. Margaret’s Road in Cheltenham. Black and White must have surely led the way in long-distance coach travel with their vehicles; they had toilets at the rear, leaded-light windows and vases of flowers! The coach station frontage was black and white, the cafe’s external decoration, the enquiry office, the toilets , the signage everywhere! The total image was B and W. I remember it well, and one could travel from Portsmouth to Cheltenham on a Plaxton bodied RELH in 1974 and return the same day. Arrive 13.50 and depart again at 14.30.

Where was the National Travel South West Garage in Torquay - Devon General was Newton Road (inc works) and there was another sort of coach station that I thought was Grey Cars on a hill with upper and lower entrances from memory.