SUFFOLK INDEPENDENTS ON LOAN TO EASTERN COUNTIES.

 During the period of 1974-1975 Eastern Counties suffered from extreme vehicle shortages with lack of staff and buses of the road waiting to be repaired with Eastern Counties borrowing buses from a range of East Anglian Independents, some were driven by Eastern Counties staff, others came with the staff and bus or coach, this included Norfolk operators, Cullings, Red Car,Semmence, Eastons Starlings,Smith, Neave, Bridges, Sovereign, Keymers, Mascot Seagull and Carters amongst many including Great Yarmouth Corporation , however on this blog we concentrate on the Suffolk Independents, all these great photos were taken by the late Philip Back and are copyright of the ETCS.  The first shows a Beestons of Hadleigh UWW 173F a Bedford Vam/Duple on Norwich Bus Station, followed by Partridge & Son of Hadleigh JNN 128D also a Bedford Vam/Duple  still in Barton livery alongside Eastern Counties Bristol Lodekka LFS 120 FPW 320C, which presumably were bought along with 4 others for Eastern Counties to loan as when the loan period was over they passed on to other operators in 1975. On loan from Theobalds of Long Melford was this fine AEC Regent V with Metro Cammell body LJX 16 which came from Halifax and had a productive career with Theobalds. These have all been spruced up digitally and show a particularly difficult period for Eastern Counties and other NBC companies.