The Chequer family with an AEC Regal of Chas. Holt & Sons, Whitworth - Circa 1955

Approx 1955 – The little girl in these photographs is my wife and she is seen with her paternal grandparents, parents and brother on a day out to Llandudno if the destination display is correct.

The coach was operated by Charles Holt and Sons, a family business based in Whitworth near Rochdale. The company held excursion licences from Whitworth and Rochdale with other local pick-up points. These licences were acquired by Yelloway in the early 1960s. Holts continued with a small number of coaches thereafter for private hire operating along with their old established haulage business.

The coach is an AEC Regal and during the period 1952 to 1955 I believe Holts operated five coaches with this chassis which had been fitted with new half-cab bodywork by Thomas Harrington of Hove, Sussex in 1949/1950. (A sixth Regal (OTJ 645) operated from 1953 to 1961 had a full fronted Plaxton body so the coach in the photograph wouldn’t be that vehicle).

The five Harrington bodied AEC Regals were HG 678/818/819 (Rebodied by Harrington in 1949) plus DJ 6879 and JD 1381 (Both rebodied by Harrington in 1950). All were operated until 1955.