Tommy's Bus, aka Burrows and Sons, Wombwell

Wombwell is a former mining town just outside of Barnsley in South Yorkshire and the author enthusiastically describes what follows as 'one of the industrial romances of post-war Wombwell'! From filling station and garage beginnings a young Thomas Burrows bought a bus in 1921 to fulfil a colliery contract, then bought another in 1923 for a 5 mile stage carriage run into Barnsley. When competition appeared, the bold entrepreneur embraced it and expanded so that by the 1930s his route had become a meandering 43 mile interurban journey from Rawmarsh to Leeds. After the WWII Tommy kept building the business and diversified into excursion work, but in 1965 he died and the route subsequently went to Yorkshire Traction. The rump that was left comprised work and school contracts, excursions and private hires and continued in this fashion until the business gave up and closed in 1974. The book contains a brief company history, route details and lots of period photographs from various collections of the vehicles used.