Geoffrey Hilditch OBE, FIMechE.
was Manager of the buses in Halifax & General Manager of Halifax Passenger Transport [1963].
His daughter, Diana Scorer, has added the following biographical information about her father
Geoffrey Graham Hilditch was born in Disley, Cheshire [27 February 1926], the only child of Thomas Hilditch, a colourist in the textile trade, and Florence (née Pill).
In 1931, the family returned to Delph, close to Thomas's family home in Denshaw, where Geoffrey attended the local primary schools. After a downturn in the cotton industry, the family took over a corner shop at 18 Middleton Road, Oldham in 1939, which they kept throughout the war. Geoffrey attended Hume Grammar school, Oldham throughout his secondary school career. He loved buses and trains, was ambitious, and wanted to see his name on the side of a tram, as the manager.
In 1942, aged 16, Geoffrey began working for the London & North Eastern Railway (LNER) at Gorton Tank works as a premium engineering apprentice.
In 1946, realising the days of steam were over, he began working for Seddons Commercial Vehicles in Oldham as an engineer.
In 1948, the family sold the shop and moved to a house at 252 Abbeyhills Road, Oldham.
In 1950, Geoffrey was appointed as an engineer for Leeds City Corporation buses, where he first worked on designing their last tram (a vehicle now preserved at Crich Tramway Village in Derbyshire).
In 1951, Geoffrey married Muriel Butterfield, daughter of George Henry Butterfield and Doris, (née Laycock) of 12 Sunnyside Terrace, Sowerby Bridge. They were married at Christchurch, Sowerby Bridge.
Muriel's father George Henry Butterfield [1898-1978] was the eldest son of Henry Stark of Norland Hall, and indeed GHB was born at Norland Hall – the one shipped off to the States. The family had quite a few interesting ghost stories about living there. Because his parents were unmarried at the time of his birth, GHB retained his mother's maiden name of Butterfield, despite the subsequent pleas of his father to change it following their marriage.There was never any doubt of his parentage as all his Stark siblings knew
In 1955, Geoffrey was appointed as Engineer for Halifax Passenger Transport Department, based at Skircoat Road bus garage, Halifax, and Geoffrey & Muriel moved to 1 Cliff Gardens, Pye Nest, Halifax. They had two children, a boy and a girl, both born in Halifax.
In 1958, Geoffrey was appointed Deputy Manager for Plymouth City Transport Department, and the family moved to a new house at 139 Springfield Road, Elburton, near Plymouth.
Just 18 months later, 1st January 1960, Geoffrey, then aged only 33, was appointed General Manager at Great Yarmouth. At the time he was the youngest General Manager in the bus industry in the country.
The family moved to live at 176, Lowestoft Road, Gorleston.
In 1963, Geoffrey was appointed as General Manager of Halifax Corporation Passenger Transport Department. The family returned to their roots in Halifax, and after a short stint staying at Savile Close on Savile Park Road, Halifax, moved into the manager's house, built onto the bus depot, at 139 Skircoat Road, Halifax. During this period Geoffrey oversaw the expansion of the bus fleet.
The new Transport Act of 1974 saw Halifax buses being merged with those of Leeds, Bradford, Huddersfield and Wakefield, under a new Passenger Transport Executive (PTE) based at Wakefield.
Geoffrey was appointed as engineering director of the new PTE but missed his role of General manager, so in 1976 he was successful in his application to become the General Manager of Leicester City Corporation Transport Department. Whilst there, Geoffrey began the first bus service aimed especially for those with mobility problems, and he advised in the accessibility and wheelchair aspects of the bus design by Sir Douglas Bader, the air ace. For this work Geoffrey was awarded the OBE in 1982, for services to the bus industry.
Geoffrey subsequently became an adviser to the Ministry of Transport regarding bus legislation, and advised also many different bus companies. He was especially instrumental in saving the British commercial vehicle company Dennis by encouraging the development of a new bus, the Dennis Dominator, the success of which saved Dennis from closure. Geoffrey was the author of a number of books on buses, including Looking at Buses & A Further Look at Buses (both written whilst he was working in Halifax); Steel Wheels & Rubber Tyres (4 volumes, covering his work in the bus and train industry), and a book about the history of Halifax Passenger Transport 1897 to 1973.
In 19??, he was voted the 5th most influential person ever in the bus industry.
He died at his home in Paignton, Devon 20th June 2014, and is buried with Muriel at Christchurch, Denshaw churchyard, close to the grave of his parents and other ancestors
This & associated entries use material contributed by Diana Scorer
Page Ref: MMH3132
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