Felix Coaches EX6644

Another restored former Great Yarmouth vehicle has come to my attention through the East-Anglia-Buses-Photo Google Group.

© Mick Turpin

It is a former Felix Coaches Crossley SD42/7 with Yeates C35F bodywork.

New to Felix in January 1950, it was last recorded with South Bucks Coaches of Slough in August 1969 and a photo of EX6644 in existence then can be seen here

Mick Turpin came across her whilst visiting the Bounty Country Buses Collection at Nantwich in Cheshire

The collection, which represents a number of independent operators from the 1920's onwards, has been put together by the Emerton family. Mick tells me that a friend of the Emertons owns EX6644.

After some research I have found that it was acquired by Dave Plant of Brerton in Cheshire as a long term project beginning in 1974! Its first outing following restoration was to the Potteries Omnibus Preservation Society's rally earlier this month.

Felix of Great Yarmouth (or Felix Sun Saloon Coaches as they were known as) was owned by W. J. Haylett & Sons with the company being named after the cartoon cat I am led to believe! The fleet was later sold in the 1960s to another local operator Seagull Coaches (subsequently to amalgamate with Caroline Coaches to become Caroline Seagull)

My thanks to Mick Turpin for his help with this and for his consent to use the photograph.