THE M & D AND EAST KENT BUS CLUB
THE EARLY YEARS OF THE CLUB
by Don Vincent
During 1948/9 Donald Alan Vincent was a member of the Meccano Guild and with pocket money purchased a monthly copy of the "Meccano Magazine" at a local station bookstall, on standing order. As money allowed, he would occasionally also buy an Ian Allan periodical called "Trains Illustrated". Through this, he later joined the Ian Allan Loco-Spotters' Club and later still, the Ian Allan Bus Spotters Club.
However, during 1950 an advertisement in Meccano Magazine enticed him to send off for membership of a new club called "The Spotters Guild" (the use of the word guild was a direct influence from the Hornby Railway Co. "Meccano Guild"). Visits were organised to many railway locomotive sheds with official permits by Hugh B Meyer, Morden, Surrey, its Honorary Secretary.
Ian Allan "ABC" booklets were gradually published on bus and coach operators, following on from the established railway regional ABCs covering locomotive listings. First was London Transport, including trams, trolleybuses and Underground railways, then Southdown, East Kent and Maidstone & District.
In 1951 Don Vincent had met over sixteen boys who were equally interested in buses and coaches as they were in trains and railway subjects. Ian Allan had formed a London Bus Group and at central London meetings Don met Prince J Marshall and several others who encouraged his PSV interest. This led to enrolment into The Omnibus Society with central London meetings and regional operator visits, usually by coaches on private hire.
In July 1952, Don and a friend visited Tunbridge Wells and made notes at the M&D garage of the day's observations. In August, Don wrote out four copies of a tiny news-sheet by hand. In October 1952 he formed The M&D and East Kent Bus Spotters' Club and four of the 16 boys from 1951 became members 1-4, with Don as Honorary Secretary and Editor. During 1953 meetings were held in the Bexley, Kent home of his parents and soon four members became twelve, twelve became twenty and the News-Sheet was duplicated after Don's father assisted by buying a portable typewriter on hire purchase (credit terms) for the fledgling Club. No-one, including Don or his parents, thought it would either grow, develop or remain. However, the boys were basically happy and the word "enthusiasm" largely covered all of their very modest activities.
Alongside all the previous railway interest had also been a parallel series of events where the Vincent family had gone on various outings and day trips to Kent and Sussex coastal resorts by coach. This was to have a lasting impression on Don's future hobby interests.
A series of advertisements for the young Club in 1954 rapidly took membership into three figures and correspondence with the Maidstone & District and East Kent companies improved aspects of the Club's monthly News-Sheets. Initial local area groups were started in Maidstone and Hastings.
Don was away on National Service between April 1955 and April 1957. However, his Army duties at Chester from July 1956 gradually allowed time to prepare and type the monthly draft for the Club News-Sheet (from notes received by post) and to mail the final copy to a company in Dartford who prepared a stencil and duplicated the News-Sheet.
Ian Reid, member no. 1, who lived in Bexleyheath, kept the Club ticking over and sent out the News-Sheet from Dartford. In November 1957 a decision was made to delete the word "Spotters" from the Club's title. The Honorary Secretary was over 22 years old and the Southdown club had already changed their title for similar reasons from "Spotters' Club" to "Enthusiasts' Club".
Whilst he was stationed in Chester, Don made a number of semi-social visits to the organisers of the new Ribble Enthusiasts' Club in Liverpool.
On his return south, Don joined the PSV Circle and then assisted with the formation of an Eastern National Enthusiasts' Group based at Seven Kings, Ilford with Alan Osborne. The ENOC group followed a successful Medway Group (with considerable input and enthusiasm from Gillingham members, including Brian Baldry and Len Randall with Brian Smith and Philip Gates. Coach tours around M&D garages were inaugurated by Brian Baldry and subsequently to East Kent. Brighton for the annual Coach Rally was another addition to the Club's tour and group excursion programme.
1960 saw the acquisition of GKE 68, a 1939 Bristol K5G ex-Chatham double-decker by Brian Smith and the Club assisted financially through joint funding of operations by Brian Baldry and Don Vincent.
Don married in 1965 and moved to Stoke Newington. This gradually led to a handing over of secretarial duties to Paul Hollingsbee in Maidstone. Don's employers at Kings Cross allowed for the Club News-Sheet to be duplicated from 1959 to 1966 at cost price (these were coded JWP - joint Westinghouse production or joint Works production) and then posted to members from London instead of Bexley or Dartford.
Later the Club acquired its first duplicator, at Maidstone, partly because Don was to change employment with a publishing group who were planning a move to Hampshire in 1967.
Thus Paul Hollingsbee became the enthusiastic and capable vital link as Secretary and News-Sheet Editor with all Club administration transferring to Maidstone.