John Whitehead was invited to the studios of BBC Radio Berkshire today to talk about his love of buses and introduce the book he co-authored with Ray Smith entitled War & Austerity. Listen to the replay of the Interview by clicking the play button below.    

Reading Corporation Transport 1939-1950: War and Austerity ANOTHER CALAMITY IN READING – FIRE AT THE BUS DEPOT In January 1947, in the midst of some bitter weather and travel difficulties, Reading Corporation Transport took delivery of ten new

READING CORPORATION TRANSPORT 1939 – 1950: WAR AND AUSTERITY WINTER 1946/47 BROUGHT WEATHER MISERY TO READING Snow had begun falling during December 1946 – and continued to fall during the early part of January 1947. It then got very, very cold, with temperatures well below freezing,

Reading’s Municipal Transport 1939-1950: War and Austerity EARLY DAYS OF AUSTERITY – READING IN 1946 Britain might have been on the winning side of the Second World War but there was a price to pay notwithstanding voting in a new government which had declared it would make some

A few fundamental statistics regarding the County Borough of Reading at the time will be of interest to the reader. At the end of 1935, the town’s estimated population was 99,000 (of which roundly 11,400 were children of school age), living in 26,000 dwellings (of which 970 had

In Reading, at the end of 1950, the future for the transport undertaking seemed secure but staff shortages, increasing traffic congestion and falling passenger numbers through-out the next decade would challenge the hopes generated during the early post-war boom years. Looking back, i

Now accepting pre-order copies – War And Austerity launches on Friday 23rd May 2014 – Click Here To Pre Order Your Copy. Reading, county town of Berkshire and 35 miles west of London, was at that time famed for its four ‘B’s – Huntley & Palmers’ biscuits; Sutton’s bulb