Wallasey Corporation Motor Buses

[bigbazza]

Does anyone have the definitive answer to the question of how the paint colour for Wallasey Corporation Motor Buses was known as sea green when to all intents and purposes they were painted yellow!

The story I was told as a child was that a meeting took place to decide the colour and no one could make up their mind.  Someone said, "see Greene", meaning the general manager who wasn't present at the meeting.  This was taken literally as sea green by someone else at the meeting and a decision was made to paint the buses that colour without any recourse to Mr. Greene.

I know there was a general manager named R.R. Greene but I don't know if there is any truth in this old chestnut of a story!

Was the meeting minuted?  Can the minutes be read any where?  What year did it happen?  Can anyone tell me, please!

Baz.

[andycand]

Hi Baz

It is a story that is often quoted but whether anyone has actually tried to prove or disprove it, I don't know.

A book called The Wallasey Bus by TB Maund mentions the story but goes on to say that the buses were painted a pale shade of yellowish green usually referred to locally as 'sea green' but the colours were officially 'primrose green and cream' The book also states that the buses were painted in the same colour scheme as the earlier trams so you may need to go back to the introduction of trams to find information regarding the choice of colours.

For any council records check the Wirral Archives or Wallasey Library.

Andy

[bigbazza]

Hi Andy,

Thanks for your reply. Since my original message I have done my own research, as follows;

Wallasey Council/Corporation Tramways existed between 1902 and 1933 when they were superceded by Wallasey Corporation Motor Buses. Major Robert Roughley Greene was general manager from inception to 1923.

The trams were built by Brush & Co of Loughborough and when, at inception a representative of Brush & Co enquired of a representative of Wallasey Council what colour the trams should be painted, the answer came, "see Greene". Taken literally, the Brush & Co rep. reported back that the trams were to be painted sea green. The trams were indeed painted a "muddy" green & cream.

The motor buses were gradually introduced as early as 1920 (during R.R. Greene's time in office) until, in 1933 they took over completely from the tram system. As far as I have been able to ascertain the buses have always been painted primrose yellow and cream and have nothing to do with the see greene/sea green story - which actually dates back to the inception of the TRAMS in 1902!

Acknowledgements; historyofwallasey website and the very kind people at Birkenhead Transport Museum.

Regards, Baz.