Margate Museum Factsheet No.8

EAST KENT ROAD CAR COMPANYTHE FIRST 25 YEARS 1916-1941

In the early 1900s there were several companies operating buses in Thanet. In 1914, the Margate and Ramsgate licensing authorities granted 20 licences for the summer season, to run between Cliftonville, Margate and Ramsgate.

The East Kent Road Car Company was born out of necessity during the First World War and came into being on 11th August 1916. During the first two years of the war there was a growing shortage of fuel, spare parts, vehicles and crews.

Five bus companies came together in East Kent in order to pool their resources. They included the Thanet based “Margate, Canterbury and District” and “Ramsgate Motor Coaches, Dumpton”. The other three were from Deal, Herne Bay and Folkstone. There were arguments over the company name

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An East Kent bus of 1916

Margate Museum Factsheet No.8

before deciding on “Road Car Company”. It was agreed that the livery would be mainly red with East Kent on both sides of the vehicle and that Canterbury would be the location for the Head Office.

The first two years were a struggle, particularly in Thanet as the licensing authorities insisted on the same number of buses running in the summer and winter.

Between 1917 and 1935, East Kent bought out more than 50 smaller operators. In 1917, East Kent, Maidstone & District or Southdown were serving most of the towns in Southern England. It became necessary to agree each company's boundaries. East Kent's border was fixed on a line east of Faversham, via Ashford to Rye and Hastings.

In 1919 East Kent carried out its first journeys of 50 miles and more. The first express service ran due to a railway strike, which stranded hundreds of visitors in the coastal towns. East Kent ran a service from Folkestone, Deal, the Thanet towns and Herne Bay to London.

In May 1921 the company started its first Margate to London service; this was in partnership with British Electric Traction (BET), which operated motor coaches

in London.

East Kent was finding Thanet a tough nut to crack as it was competing with the Isle of Thanet Electric Tramway’s trams and motor buses. The Tramway company also had the advantage of being supported and subsidised by Margate Borough Council.

In 1928 Southern Railway became a significant shareholder in the East Kent

Road Car Company, allowing the railway to shut some of its branch lines.

East Kent had several sites in Thanet, which included a coach works in Dane Valley, Margate. In 1927 it acquired a site at Westwood and in 1931 the Thanet, Westwood Depot opened and would become the company's largest depot for some time to come.

In 1936, after an enquiry, Margate, Broadstairs and Ramsgate councils decided to abandon the Isle of Thanet trams. East Kent bought the company for £135,000, scrapping the trams and inheriting the buses and St. Peter's depot.

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Leyland Titan 1930

Margate Museum Factsheet No.8

Once war had been declared in September 1939, fuel was quickly rationed, services halved and a maximum speed of 20 mph was imposed for all vehicles in a built up area. The blackout, which was strictly enforced, caused more hardships for the bus crews.

On 27th May 1940 the company received telephone instructions, at 4 am, to have 250 vehicles and drivers ready for urgent use: the Dunkirk Evacuation had started. In less than three hours the buses were standing by, being brought to a central point between Ashford and Canterbury before dispersal to Margate, Ramsgate, Dover and Folkestone with 50 in reserve at Canterbury. The instructions were simple "Send all the vehicles you can, first coaches, then single-deckers and lastly double-deckers". The returning soldiers were taken from the ports to the railheads as quickly as possible. The drivers worked around the clock for several days, just taking quick breaks for meals and sleep. They were joined by clerks, foreman and fitters taking out buses when they could be spared. It was arguably the company's finest hour.

After Dunkirk, 55 of East Kent's vehicles were hired by the army. By the end of 1941, 122 of the company's fleet had been hired to fellow BET vehicle operators around the country.

The company had been started in one World War and celebrated its 25th

Anniversary in another!

This brief history complements the 2007/8 Margate Museum exhibition: Tramways and Buses in Thanet, which runs from June 2007 until May 2008.

Much more information about bus services in Thanet is available from the Museum Research Archive.

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Daimler COG5 ex-Isle of Thanet Tramways