Dear Messenger,
Reading the article in the October 2008 edition of the Messenger about a day trip to Cleethorpes brought back very fond memories of such trips when I was young. In the late 1940's and early 1950's many trips were run by working mens' clubs all around Sheffield. Pitsmoor Club was one of the trips I looked forward to as well as the Sheffield Transport Trip which used dozens of single decker Sheffield Transport buses to cart 100's of kids to Cleethorpes. We always referred to these buses as being “Charabanc's”. They used to set off from Pond Street and parked in a huge car park at the side of the Cleethorpes railway station on arrival. We had to remember the number of the bus we came on and be back at the car park by 5pm.
Spending money for the day was usually 5/- (50p) from parents and relatives, with 2/6d (25p) thrown in by the organisers along with a book of tickets which gave us free rides on the fun fair amusements. Wonderland, a small funfair, was the target on arrival, I think this has now gone and been replaced by a market. It would seem nothing has changed as far as the modern trip went, I could quite easily have been reading a report of one of our trips.
Gordon Lawton, Renmark South Australia
PS I have included a photo of a bunch of a sampling of children going to Cleethorpes with Sheffield Transport in August 1949. My sister and I are in the middle front row.