We’re delighted to share the great news that the Friends of King Alfred Buses will once again be taking part in Heritage Open Days, the running days will be 11th and 12th September. More information to follow soon!
Today to celebrate the news we have a very special blog post for you. Written by new HisBites volunteer, Lydia Ackrell, Lydia was inspired to create this excellent article after listening to the ‘Bring Back Our Buses! The Story of King Alfred Buses’ podcast, first released on 14th September 2020. If you haven’t yet listened to it, it is available here.
You can find more about Lydia here. We can’t wait for Lydia to write more articles for us, but for now we hope you enjoy this one.
‘It was always assumed back in the 1920s that the daughter would just get married and go and do her own thing. Whereas the sons were going to take over the business’
In a world where a woman can be anything she wants to be, for many, it is difficult to remember a time when views, such as the above, were a reality. Taken from the podcast ‘Bring Back Our Buses! The Story of King Alfred Buses’, this quote highlights a different time, when domesticity was a factor which defined experiences and opportunities for women. However, the variety of career options available to the women of today show that the roles and expectations of women have changed as now they are able to pursue great careers in almost anything they choose. Yet, what encouraged this change?
The new employment opportunities the Second World War provided some women are significant when answering this question. With men being called up to do their bit for the War, women who were unmarried and of an employable age were encouraged to fill the roles previously belonging to these men. One role which became available was that of a bus conductress and one bus company who strongly embraced this change to their workforce was King Alfred Motor Services.
Created in 1915, King Alfred Motor Services was the most significant independent privately owned bus company in Winchester during the twentieth century with bus routes stretching across Hampshire. Like other industries across the country, King Alfred Motor Services saw the departure of many of their male staff to help support the war, leaving many buses without conductors. Thus, women were employed to fill these positions.
The first four women to be employed by King Alfred Motor Services as bus conductresses were Miss Kath Dunbar, Miss Ivy Whiting, Miss Cobb and Miss Barbara House (also known as ‘Ginge’) (see Figure 1). These four conductresses were expected to do the same jobs as their male colleagues. Starting in the early morning or working through to the night, these women were responsible for keeping order on the bus and collecting fares. The company provided their uniform and there is no evidence to suggest that their weekly wage differed from their male colleagues. The only difference between a conductor and conductress was the cut of their uniforms and the hats they wore. Otherwise, they were treated and expected to act as equals. Thus, despite working in what was considered to be a man’s role during this period, these women were very much welcomed by King Alfred Motor Services as they positively changed the dynamic of the workforce and, as a result, became valuable members of the company, staying on for up to 30 years! Therefore, the Second World War acted as an agent which encouraged this positive change for these women. It allowed them to experience something which was very different to the lives they had become accustomed to, paving the way for others to join.
Figure 1: The First Four King Alfred Bus Conductresses.
In 1944, Janet White joined King Alfred and worked as a bus conductress until 1945. Around the same time, another two ladies joined King Alfred Buses and both stayed within their role as a bus conductress for thirty years. These women were Cathy Turner and May Boyce (known as ‘Blondie’ – Figure 2). Recounting her own experience as a bus conductress, Mary Curry who joined King Alfred in 1961, remembered how ‘Blondie’ was well known on the buses and throughout Winchester. She explained how, after having taken all the fares, ‘Blondie’ would be found sat at the back of the bus knitting. The story goes that ‘Blondie’ is said to have knitted thousands of items and all the staff children would be found wearing something she had knitted! It is recollections like these which hold great significance. Not only do they highlight how important and valuable these women were to the buses, they also show how every conductress brought her own individual character and personality to their role. Another shining personality was Noreen Bell. Working as a conductress for King Alfred for around twenty years, she never was seen wearing her uniform. Instead, she adopted for something different and clothes which complemented contemporary fashion. As she worked for King Alfred during the 1960s, Noreen Bell opted for bright coloured tops matched with miniskirts. However, although this may be surprising to the modern reader, this was permitted, showing that King Alfred was a very flexible company who really appreciated their hardworking staff.
Figure 2: Conductresses May Boyce (‘Blondie’ – left) and Elizabeth Welsh (right).
Despite King Alfred Buses being taken over on 28th April 1973, it was their hardworking bus conductresses who continued to work for other bus companies and become some of the first female bus drivers in Winchester. Mary Gardiner, who originally worked as a King Alfred bus conductress, continued to work as a bus driver for other companies within Hampshire once King Alfred Motor Services had been taken over. Similarly, Mary Curry who joined King Alfred in 1961 as a bus conductress became a bus driver in 1974 and retired from this role in 2007. However, she did not stop there as Mary Curry continued to work for the buses until 2019.
These women were pioneers. Although not the first bus conductresses in the country, they were for the King Alfred buses, a change which would not have happened without the pressures of the War. They stepped up and took on roles, originally designed for men, with grace and individuality, maintaining long standing careers during a time when societal pressures overwhelmingly placed a woman’s role within the home. Their strong personalities and work ethic worked to enforce women in the workplace and their influence and importance cannot be overstated. Thus, we are delighted to share and celebrate their history and their contribution to today’s world.
Photos taken from: Freeman, J.D.F., Robert E. Jowitt and R.J. Murphy. King Alfred Motor Services: The Story of a Winchester Family Business. Southampton: Kingfisher Railway Productions, 1984. (Still available from the Friends of King Alfred Buses).
Credit: We are hugely grateful to James Freeman and Mary Curry for their time, the photographs and for sharing so many memories and history with us.