The late George Garston - Crosville Memories

The late and great George Garston

The original article of George Garston’s memories appeared in the ‘Crosville Memories’ book produced by Graham Turner, Andrew Cudbertson and Andy Hamer on behalf of the CRSSA (Crosville Retired Salaried Staff Association) in 2015 to mark its 50th anniversary. A limited number of the book was produced by the CRRSA for its members, friends and family which capturing cherished memories from eighteen of the association’s members.   I was very privileged to be one of those eighteen members of the association that contributed to this wonderful book which will be cherished always.

I felt extremely honoured and very privileged when approached recently by Lynn Smith, the daughter of the late and great George Garston with the view of adding her dear Dad’s memories onto this very website.  

The original article has now been expanded from its original form to include more photographs, many very personal from Lynn of her very dear father.  I feel exceptionally honoured in developing what you now see below with Lynn, summarising the long service of the late and great man himself.

For those visiting this website from a non bus industry/Crosville background, George Garston was a long serving Crosville man and a Crosville legend to be precise and an absolutely true gentleman.  He was one of the most respected and best engineers you would ever find and an inspiration to all who knew him.  George was highly respected by staff on all levels of the bus and coach industry inducing that of Crosville, from front line staff to the most senior of management.

For years through my own keen interest in Crosville, growing up travelling on the ‘green’ buses and then working for Crosville Wales myself and then through my own career in the bus industry, I’d heard of George.  I was finally fortunate to meet and become friends with the great man himself in 2005 when I became a member myself of the CRSSA, travelling to events with my other dear friends from the days of Crosville, the late Glyn Jones, another highly respected area engineer; Sulwen Jones from the former Pwllheli depot and Emyr Jones, yet again an amazing engineer.

George was born on 12 January 1927, starting his career with Crosville Motor Services as a young engineering apprentice on 16 January 1941, having just turned 14 years old. George’s mother and father also worked for Crosville at the company’s Sealand Road site.  Lynn recalls that her gran (George’s mum) worked in the canteen which her grandad (George’s dad) worked at the gatehouse after he retired from the railway. 

During George’s own career with the Crosville he worked through the ranks over the years to Area Engineer no less before his full time retirement in 1985 having worked for the company for an impressive 44 years.  The term full time retirement is used here as George continued working for many years beyond his retirement in the bus and coach industry, being recognised for 60 years of service in 2001.

George became the president of the CRSSA in 2016 at the age of 89, 75 years from the day he started with the Crosville Motor Services.

At CRSSA events, George was inseparable from his close and very dear friend Glyn Jones, who was another Crosville legend and true gentleman.

Sadly George passed away on 1 November 2017 at the age of 90 years old, but he will never be forgotten.

I would like to thank the Crosville Retired Salaried Staff Association for their kindness in allowing us to be able to use the original article that was produced for the Crosville Memories book below, in brining it to a much wider audience through this website.  In particular I would like to thank Graham Turner, a dear friend of mine of many years and Secretary of the CRSSA and long time Crosville man himself for agreeing to this.

My most grateful thanks go of course to Lynn, George’s daughter for getting in touch with me in the first instance with her decision to further remember her dear Dad, his important legacy and wider opportunity for us all to pay our respects to the great man himself through this website no less.  I feel very privileged and honoured indeed and something I cherish immensely.  Thank you Lynn.

We remember George with the greatest of respect.  Sadly Glyn Jones also passed away on 18 August 2024.  We therefore remember both great friends with much fondness.

04, October 2025.

Richard Lloyd Jones FCILT FCMI CMgr FIOM

(Former Crosville Wales employee/CRSSA member)

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75 Years association with Crosville

Crosville took me on as an engineering apprentice on the 16th January 1941 just two days after my 14th birthday.

It was the apprenticeship I always wanted, living in Vernon Road Chester so close to the Crosville engineering buildings in Sealand Road and Walls Avenue/Crane Street. 

A young George Garston is seen here undertaking an inspection of Crosville’s AEC Matidor which was based in Sealand Road.

My apprenticeship lasted a full six years, because conscription came in the middle of it. I did two years in the Army serving in the South Lancashire Infantry Regiment before returning to my job, though I needed to do a further six months before I could move up from an apprentice wage to skilled worker rate.  

In those days, the Sealand Road site was used for bodywork and painting, whereas major overhauls, stores and general repair work were carried out in what later became the Head Office in Crane Wharf, and in premises on the other side of the road between Walls Avenue and Crane Street. 

Vehicles for major overhaul were taken into the erecting shop in Walls Avenue where everything would be stripped down. We would put the bus on stanchions or trestles as we called them; take the engines and gearboxes out and leave just the body standing on the four trestles. The parts were all steam washed and taken into a tank to remove all the grease and carbon. Finally, they were swilled clean and taken over the road to the riverside buildings. There they were completely overhauled and put back as engines and gearboxes before being brought back to the erecting shop.

It was all done in one week. We could strip the bus down on the first morning  and then get on with other things like cleaning our tools before around Wednesday midday. Then it would be a race, one crew against another. You would  get all your bits and pieces back and you would have the vehicle re-assembled by dinnertime on Friday. We had a tester called Archie Randall who would take the vehicle out on the Friday afternoon and check the vehicle thoroughly. After Archie retired he was succeeded by Harry Brown. 

I reported to the works superintendent, Trevor Harper. I didn't see the Chief Engineer very often, he had a sidekick, Whitham, and they always went round the works together. 

There were four other apprentices but after finishing they all went their different ways. Gordon Jones was one, and he ended up chief engineer over in Yorkshire.  There was a similar sort of system over at North Western and that's where Ron Holding would have trained before he came over to Crosville.

At Sealand Road, before all engineering was consolidated onto a single site there, there were bays used by Vickers Armstrongs for maintaining aircraft parts. They used their own staff and rented the bays. 

The remaining bays were for Crosville for bodywork and paint preparation.

We could get three vehicles in one bay because of the length of the bays; there were doors that dropped down between each vehicle, because you could have black painting on one vehicle, green on the next and red on the last.  The extractor fans were the same; they had to be kept clean all the time.

After being an apprentice, I was a fitter. Whilst some engineers specialised on gearboxes and some on differentials, I trained on a more wide ranging set of skills to pick up all the various trades. I worked my way up as first chargehand, then shop foreman. Eventually I went to Chester Depot in charge of engineering, covering not only Chester but Mold and Flint. 

I enjoyed my time at Chester Depot or "The Rink".  The passageway at the back of the depot was a popular spot with kids from Victoria Road School, who cut through to reach Tremlett's, the sweet shop. Two of our lads at Sealand Road who worked in accounts took over the shop. 

When I first started there we used to have all the buses queuing up on the main road to get into the depot but I wouldn't have any of that. I reversed it so they had to go around Delamere Street and then through Victoria Road to reverse the motion. 

Then we took over Northwich and Macclesfield depots from North Western Road Car and I became an area engineer with responsibility for those depots. It was difficult at first as they had to turn red systems into green ones. But they all worked hard and for example the lads at Macclesfield got to know me and worked well with me. I would make sure that if someone in one depot was in trouble then another depot help them out. So the ex North Western depots began to integrate with the Crosville ones.

I worked well with divisional managers like Walter Edwards and Harold Ffoulkes. Harold was my mate; he knew nothing about engineering because he was on the operating side, but we worked well together and our families were great friends.

Dic Jones has been a lifelong friend. He lived in Vernon Road next door but one to us. The street was very well situated - you could leave home and go down a passageway to Sealand Road, then loosen the railings at the back of the paintshop and then you were in work! 

My daughter Lynn also worked for the company in the 1980s, so Crosville has played a huge part in our family life, continuing right through to today with my role as President of the Retired Salaried Staff Association, a full 75 years from the day I nervously entered the works as a very young apprentice.

Photograph of Crane Wharf

These are the works on Crane Street, later Head Office. The foreman's office was in the middle section there.

You can see work on the brake drum. These would have scores all the way round them and you would get a collection of sludge building up so the brakes would be grinding. We would have to take the drum off and re-skim it then put a thicker liner on the brake shoes. Bill Jones was the foreman in his office at the back. The stores known as the cowsheds were over on the right containing all sorts of miscellaneous parts. Beyond them is another set of windows and then you're looking onto the river.

The divisional offices were in office space at the back. At that time the company head office was in a separate building, Crane House, before moving into these premises when the engineering move to Sealand Road took place.

The Erecting Shop

Note the Douglas truck over to the left. Maud Parker seen at the wheel drove it around the works. Basically it carries a table, suitable shaped for bits and pieces and hydraulically lifted up so that it could move from one area to another as the need arose. The other lady is Mrs Whitehouse who was a supervisor. In the foreground are four-cylinder petrol engines. It looks like the vehicle behind the ladies is N 48 a Leyland Cub. Behind it is a KA a double-decker with a six cylinder diesel engine.

Erecting Shop with Blackouts

This one is taken in the Crane Street erecting shop looking towards Crane Wharf. Over on the left you have a gas trailer, and over on the right with me is Works Supt Trevor Harper in a bowler hat. We've got a petrol engine behind and with us is Jack Fellowes. In the middle is an apprentice from Denbigh. If you look at the roof you can see the blackout blinds.

On the following photograph, you can see a Dennis Tipper over to the left, which was a sort of delivery truck. Behind it is a vehicle without an engine, they were all in the paint shop with the engines being overhauled elsewhere. This is a clearer shot of the blackout blinds.

My own Bristol single decker

Above is the bus I once owned, here taken at Sealand Road in front of the joiners shop run by Jack Mills. Unfortunately I had to sell it, not because of the cost of maintenance but it was the cost of renting space. I was being charged £20 a week.

General Manager David Meredith seen here with the Traffic Commissioner Mr Roy Hutchings at a Safe Driving function. Over to the right next to me is Fred Dixon. And the rest are Chester drivers receiving their Awards.

On the extreme left of the police visit is Tony Long and next on the left at the front is the chief engineer. At the back is John Hargreaves, General Manager, who went on to greater glories. I got on well with John.

I am not sure of the event, but from left to right are Peter Jenner, Fred Leese, Fred Dixon, Bertie Boys, Walter Edwards, Traffic Manager Algie Elwin and myself. It was probably taken at the Mollington Banastre.

Finally, here is my good friend Harold Ffoulkes, centre, looking typically jovial, with me on the left and Joe Jones on the right. This was not Joe Jones the superintendent at a Flint but Joe Jones the superintendent's assistant, also based at Flint!

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Additional photographs

These are images over and above those seen in the original article that appeared in the CRSSA book.

Crosville Motor Services senior management are seen here.  George can be seen standing to the right.

Crosville Motor Services senior management are seen here with one of two Royal Doyen coaches behind, branded in the Euro Lynx livery in preparation of its European programme.  George can be seen on the far left.

Further photographs from Lynn 

The following further images have been provided by Lynn, George’s daughter and are so very special, precious and personal.

A Crosville Motor Services staff gathering.

George is seen here in deep conversation at a Crosville staff management gathering.

George is seen here with David Williams next to him.

Lynn recalls that her Dad George is seen here with his secretary Phylis Williams acting as a customer on the right hand side of the photo.  Her husband Richard (Dick Williams) was a driver at Crosville’s Chester depot.

A gathering of Crosville Motor Services management with a number of well known faces in the photograph.  George can be seen standing on the right of the image.

George is seen here alongside Mr David Meredith, Crosville’s managing director and then on the left the late Mrs Marjorie Garston, George’s dear wife, both presented with gifts by the company in recognition of George’s valued contributions to the company.

Mr Ron Holding is seen here on the left, Crosville’s Chief Engineer, with George to his right and then Mr Ted Green.  Mr Green was ex VOSA, laterally becoming the Engineering Director at Crosville Wales Ltd. 

Long service to Crosville

George was recognised on a number of occasions for his long and valued service with Crosville Motor Services.  This included receiving a lovely watch on obtaining 35 years of service and then a beautiful silver cutlery set on obtaining 60 years of valuable service in 2001.

The beautiful watch presented to George by Crosville Motor Services in recognition of his 35 years service with the company.

The personal engraving seen on the back of the beautiful watch George received by Crosville Motor Services in recognition of his 35 years valuable service to the com

The engraving states
‘Presented to G. GARSTON
by
CROSVILLE MOTOR
SERVICES LIMITED
in appreciation of
35 years valued service’.

A special evening was held at the Village Hotel in Bromborough in 2001 to recognise the long service of dedicated staff at the Chester and Birkenhead depots of what was now First Bus, the successor company to Crosville Motor Services.  George was very much included in this celebration for his own dedication and service through a special award.

This photo is of George being presented with a beautiful silver cutlery set in recognition of his 60 years service in 2001.  Pictured with George is Pat Reeson, a long standing Crosville man and manager at First Bus’ Crosville Chester depot by then.  Also in the photograph is on the right is Ian Mackintosh, managing director of First Bus.

The engraving on the silver cutlery box, with the words: ‘Presented to GEORGE GARSTON in Appreciation of 60 Years Valued service.  By First Crosville 2001.

The beautiful silver cutlery set.

An article that appeared in the newspaper recognising the dedication of valued staff at the special evening held at the Village Hotel, Bromborough in 2001.

A further article that appeared in newspapers at the time recognising George’s remarkable 60 years service.

George’s inspirational way

George was so inspirational to so many people who got the privilege to know him.  

Below is an extract of a press clipping, kindly provided by Kevin Jones, of his visit to Crosville as a 14 year old boy, meeting George, the great man himself.  Kevin’s comments summarises George perfectly.

Kevin recalls, “I was 14 when I won a Cheshire County Council competition with the prize being a trip round Sealand Rd Works. Mr Garston was my host and what a day it was. We took out a brand new coach seated EOG up to Garden City and back, I got a full tour and enjoyed lunch in the canteen. 40 years on I remember it like yesterday”.

Memories of George from the Crosville family

Here we have memories shared by friends and colleagues who worked with George at Crosville.  It is very clear the respect so many had for George.

“I was appointed Divisional Manager, Cheshire South East in Crewe in 1974 with George as the Area Engineer. Nothing was ever too much trouble to him.  We had the traditional Crosville depot at Crewe and the ex North Western ones at Macclesfield, Northwich and Biddulph which was shared with Potteries. Tasked with bringing the ex-North Western depots into the Crosville family was, at times a bit like trying to mix oil and water but George's tremendous ability to respect everyone as a fellow human being not just an employee was an exceptional asset. I can't recall ever worrying about being short of buses for engineering reasons as he was always there, seemingly 24 hours a day sometimes, patiently ensuring we got the buses on the road and passengers satisfied. I was blessed to have him as a colleague and to call him a friend for the rest of his life. This article has brought back so many happy memories”. - Tony Keegan.

“When I started in Chester depot in 1991 George was doing a school run am/pm.  We had many conversations about old Crosville.  Lovely guy, perfect gentleman.” - Charlie Williams.

“I had the privilege of knowing George during my time at Crewe and Chester depots. He was one of the nicest people you'd ever meet.” - Robert Hardy.

“George was my area engineer when I worked at macclesfield depot what a nice gentleman he was.” - Fred Meikle.

The Crosville Salaried Staff Association (CRSSA)

The CRSSA began in 1965 and included W. J. Crossland-Taylor as one of its three vice presidents, whose father had founded Crosville back in 1906.  Members of the association originally consisted of salaried officials who had retired from the company.

George was an active member of the CRSSA and became its president, 75 years from the day he started with Crosville Motor Services.

For the association's summer outing in 2008, preserved CRG163 was used as the main transport. On the day however one of the air valves underneath wasn’t performing as it should.  Whilst standing next to CRG163 George diagnosed the issue, pinpointing the valve concerned simply by listening to the vehicle idling.  What an engineer!

Here is an image of retired Crosville Motor Services management from the CRSSA on the day.  George can be seen on the right.

At CRSSA gatherings, George was inseparable from his long time Crosville friend and respected fellow engineer, Glyn Jones.  Both gentlemen were highly respected by the Crosville family and everyone who knew them.  The images below were taken at the CRSSA’s September 2016 gathering.

A wonderful image of George and Glyn, side by side.

Two long standing and highly respected friends from Crosville.  George and his dear friend Glyn Jones at a CRSSA gathering in September 2016.

Thank you

Our grateful thanks go to Lynn Smith (Garston), George’s daughter, for sharing such valuable memories of her dear father.

In Memory

In Memory of our dear friend George Garston.

A true gentleman and inspiration to so many over the years.