John Whitehead was born in Hammersmith and brought up in north-west London before moving to Reading in 1952, where he was educated at Presentation College. Now retired, he spent his working life as a quantity surveyor. He has had a lifetime’s interest in buses, a hobby which took him into editing several enthusiast publications, including ‘Trolleybus’ and ‘AEC Society Gazette’ and editing titles for ‘Trolleybooks’. He also developed a huge passion for the preservation and restoration of vintage and historic buses and trolleybuses, and for Reading’s social history and the part played by its public transport. He is a member of the History of Reading Society, and is also interested in genealogy.