Harry Hobbs

This is a photo we have seen before – one of several we have of charabanc trips, taken in Salisbury. On the previous occasion (click here) we named all of the people on the photo. This time we are concentrating on the driver, standing in front of his charge. He was Harry Hobbs.

Harry Hobbs certainly had a varied life.

He was born on 5^th February 1902 in Shoreditch in East London  and named Henry Charles Hobbs. His parents were John and Emily and the family lived in East London at the time of the 1911 census.

Just why or when they moved to Market Lavington, we don’t know but in 1926, when the photo above was taken, Harry lived with his parents John and Emily at the Workman’s Hall in Market Lavington where Emily worked as the caretaker. Harry, by that time, was clearly a bus driver. He worked for Fred Sayer who was running an extensive bus service in Wiltshire and had a large fleet of those early coaches known as charabancs.

In 1932 Harry married Phyllis M Pike, the daughter of a Market Lavington butcher. In 1934, their daughter Patricia was born.

Soon after, Harry had a very serious bus accident. He was not driving but was on a slow moving bus in Market Lavington market place. The driver stopped suddenly and Harry fell, tumbling to the front of the bus. His leg injuries were extensive. He spent months in hospital and was advised he’d never walk again.

His wife’s father – George Pike, the butcher, bought a grocery business, opposite The Green Dragon  for Harry and his family, so that they could have some sort of income.

In the event, Harry recovered and was able to walk. He spent the rest of his working life as a shop keeper, retiring in 1969 .

As well as his shop, Harry was well known as a very active member of the Congregational Church.

 Henry died, suddenly, whilst out for a walk, in 1977.

Tags: bus, charabanc, Easterton, genealogy, Market Lavington, Museum