Silver Queen Motor Omnibus Company, Essex

Last updated 30 August 2024

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Once in a blue moon a very exceptional set of photographs comes to light, and the Classic British Isles Buses Website has pleasure in presenting this Special Vintage Gallery to display just such a collection. As far as is known, these images have never been published as a series before. They were kindly sent to me by Lee Summers in April 2021, and concern the funeral of his great-grandfather Arthur William Shrimpton.

Clacton and District Motor Service Ltd. was formed by William Percy Allen in 1913, and they used the name Silver Queen, although Silver Queen Motor Omnibus Company wasn't officially registered until July 1926. Lee's great- grandfather hadbeen a chauffeur in London, but became manager at Clacton-on-Sea of the bus company, and was also a director and shareholder.

This collection records a moment in the history of a substantial bus and coach company that operated across Essex (and also in Kent and Lincolnshire), but which disappeared completely in 1931.

To open the series, and provide some background to the operator, here is a view of the Silver Queen coach station in Clacton High Street, with the tower of the old town hall in the background. The only positive identification from this picture is the bus on the left, HK 7262, a 1914 Leyland X4 chassis which was acquired by Clacton & District (fleet number L38) as a charabanc in 1920, and rebodied as this open-top double decker around 1922, wearing the trading name Silver Queen. By 1926 it had been sold to a new owner in Birmingham, so this dates the photo to the early/mid 1920s.

A similar Leyland is parked on the right - the company acquired a large number of them in the early 1920s. The single decker in the centre of the picture could be one of nine Tilling-Stevens TS3 saloons purchased from Newcastle- upon-Tyne in 1925. They dated from 1915, originally as open-top double deckers, but had been rebodied as single decks in 1923. We are just coming to the end of the era of the solid rubber tyre, and passengers can soon look forward to a more comfortable ride!

Clacton and District was renamed Silver Queen Motor Omnibus Company in July 1926. In 1930 Eastern National offered to acquire the firm, along with Enterprise Omnibus Co. (Clacton) Ltd., and it was agreed that Silver Queen would take over Enterprise as a wholly-owned subsidiary, Eastern National would then acquire them both. This process was commenced with a view to completion in 1931. Arthur Shrimpton was given the new post of District Traffic Superintendent, Clacton, with Enterprise but, in 1931, he was taken seriously ill and had to give up all work, so was unable to take up the new position.

Accordingly management of the company was taken over by Eastern National in July 1931 and Silver Queen went into liquidation in August (although, for administrative reasons it was not formally wound up until June 1936).

Arthur Shrimpton died in 1933, by which time all Silver Queen activity had passed into the hands of Eastern National. But Arthur had not been forgotten, and it is clear that he was very highly regarded by the bus fraternity in Clacton as his funeral in June 1933 was a spectacular affair. Here we see the funeral procession passing the Eastern National bus station and depot in Rosemary Road, Clacton.

On the left is probably an Eastern National Strachan-bodied piano front lowbridge Leyland TD1 or TD2 Titan (of which the company acquired several in 1930/31) heading for Walton-on-the-Naze. Every vehicle now has pneumatic tyres, thank goodness! As for the vehicles on the right, there's a better view of them in the photo below.

Taken a few moments after the previous picture (we can tell it's later, because the bloke at bottom left is walking away!), we can see more of Arthur's funeral procession, featuring drivers and conductors wearing smart white coats and their badges of office. What a splendid sight.

With more details now visible of the buses on the right, here are some suggestions:

Extreme right: Leyland Lioness. It could be Leyland LC1 Lioness TW 9799 (chassis number 45807) bought new by Silver Queen in June 1927 as their number L1 - their only Lioness. In July 1931 it was transferred to Eastern National as their number 3159, probably becoming their only Lioness too! It was sold in 1935, apparently to Wales.

Middle right: Leyland Tiger TS4, one of only six purchased by Eastern National in 1933/34, numbered 3304-3308 and 3424.

Foreground right: Perhaps a Dennis G, or maybe a Reo?

If you have better ideas (and I'm sure you will!), please let me know.

As a final farewell to Arthur Shrimpton, here's a view of the bus crews providing a guard of honour as the casket emerges from the neo-Norman porch at the Roman Catholic church of Our Lady of Light and St Osyth, in Clacton High Street.

The story of Clacton and District, Silver Queen and the other associated companies is long and complex (the fleet was huge!) so we don't have room for that here, but I'm delighted to publish this memory of Arthur, so thanks very much to Lee for sending the photographs and inspiring this webpage.

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