A Busman's Day in 1947

Click on the picture to view the film

Regular contributor Syd Eade has drawn my attention to a film appearing on the University of East Anglia's Film Archive website showing Eastern Counties Omnibus Company activities during 1947.

Entitled A Busman's Day, it begins by showing the Social Club Committee sitting around a table having a discussion and includes some close up shots of some of its members.

People catch a bus at a suburban stop (by a public house) and there are shots taken through the window as they drive towards the bus station at Surrey Street. We see the bus arrive here with other buses in view. One bus is started using a starter handle. Another is a self-starter. Mechanics work in the garage and a selection of destination boards are shown.

The next sequence shows the buses and busmen at Thorpe Station, which was a major terminal at the time. There are scenes from Orford Place, showing the busmen outside their social club and buses passing through.

In the social club, the takings of the savings club are counted. There is a shot of the ledger showing proposed payouts for holidays in 1948.

The film ends by showing the large crowds of people waiting to catch a bus at the Surrey Street Bus Station on August Bank Holiday Monday.