Obituary ~ John Shreeve

Three of  the Belle Coaches fleet at Beach Coach Station on a 
wet day in October 2006

Mr John Shreeve, a director of BR Shreeve & Sons (trading as Belle Coaches) for more than fifty years, has died after a long battle with cancer

Belle Coaches have been operating continuously in the Lowestoft area since the early 1920's. Mr Benjamin Robert Shreeve started the business in partnership with Mr Charles Day running a bus service between Lowestoft and Oulton Broad using 14 seater Model T Ford charabancs. The partnership was later dissolved with Mr Shreeve forming his own company.

By the 1950's, Mr Shreeve's three sons, including John, were all working in the business which enjoyed rapid expansion following local operator acquisitions. In 1959 a Saxmundham company was purchased and, soon after, a new operating base was established at Leiston under the control of John Shreeve. This was primarily to serve the United States Air Force bases at Bentwaters and Woodbridge.

John continued to run the Leiston part of the business for many years until handing over responsibilities to his son Ken