Pauldens bus crash

[foundryman]

Can anyone tell me when[date] the bus ran into the ruins of Pauldens on Stretford Rd?? My Dad was on the bus and I would like to know more about it.

[foundryman]

It probably was Cambridge St. [ memory gets fogged nowadays] The bus apparently went into the burnt out basement and a number of folk were injured, including my Dad.. Thanks for the reply and the added link. D.

[gary baldy]

I'm not old enough to remember but my nan worked at Pauldens. The hole was very big and a bus did go down it. You are right it was the basement of the old store. The hole was there until the mid 90's. My university building was built on the site but i remember the hole very well.
I'm guessing it was early 60's. Manchester used to very smoggy and by all accounts the bus just took the corner too widely and didnt see the hole.
I'll find out more tomorrow from my dad and see if i can add anything.

[Englishbird]

I'm afraid I can't find anything about it online, came accross this site tho, it may be worth emailing the journalist, good luck x

http://www.manchesteronline.co.uk/ewm/newsletter/ewm346.html

[Dolly1308]

I don't remember the date but my husband tells me his sister-in-law's brother was on the Bus which crashed into Pauldens and severely injured his leg .By the way Englishbird thanks for that link to the Buses ,we used to live in Manchester (40 years ago) and my husband was a Bus Conductor at Parrswood Depot .Very nostalgic ! Sorry foundryman for hijacking your link !!

[gary baldy]

My dad tells me it was early 60's possibly 1963 but he was guessing. It was a number 42 - which was based at Parrswood depot coincedently so Dolly's husband would know the route very well. There was no one killed but a lot of serious injuries because as i said the hole was quite big. He thinks it was at night and it was indeed foggy and the driver just misjudged it.
There are photos of the incident which i will try to track down.

[foundryman]

thx Gary Baldy, you have the bit in your teeth on this ..Bravo ! Hope you can come up with the pic's. I would still like the date so that I can buy the paper. The info would be great for the family tree. Thx also Dolly, glad you got something from the thread, no worries about the hijack, lol

[Dolly1308]

Hi just talked to my brother in Manchester who also was Bus Conductor ,he said it was a Princess Rd.Depot.bus and was definitely not a 42 bus ! He said they weren't that daft at Parrswood ( matter of opinion eh ).Pauldens relocated to the City Centre opposite Lewis's ,taken over by C& A who thenwere taken over by Debenhams which I believe is still there .By the way we now live in Australia so I am always interested in news of home .

[gary baldy]

Ha ha Doly - you made me laugh! To be honest i doubted my dad aswell (it was 40 years ago so you can forgive him) because the 42 goes straight down Wilmslow Road and didnt turn on to Cavendish Street. It makes more sense if it was heading towards Hulme and Moss Side (and the Princess Road depot) and was turning right onto Cavendish and misjudged the turn and fell down the hole! Where did your dad live foundryman?
Dolly - Debenhams is still there but both C&A and Littlewoods have gone. Manchester has changed a lot recently and there arent many empty sites like Pauldens anymore (they have all got skyscrapers on them!)

[foundryman]

Hi Gary, my Dad lived in Wythenshawe then. so he could have been going home via Didsbury maybe. I do know that he was hurt in the crash. I have just got back from working in the Deansgate area today and it is as you say, all glass and steel skyscrapers. Many weird designs, some with greast water features. Certainly not the Manchester I grew up in where thick smog and black hankies were ther norm...How did we manage without MacDonalds and Starbucks !!

[BillyBB]

Here's a picture of the bus in a hole. No 103

http://www.manchesteronline.co.uk/photosales/buythisphoto.html?photo_id=930

[foundryman]

What a great response to my question! I never expected any one to remember it from sofar back. Many thanks to Billy BB for the photo, this was a real bonus. My Dad was Cyril Timperley and I believe he hurt his leg and lost part of an ear in this incident. I will put all this info into my archive for the family tree, including the bus photo. Once again many thanks to all who contributed. If there is any more info out there please don't hesitaye to get in touch. God bless. Dave.

[biggles2000]

I know the driver, we are related. The crash involved a bus, a car and a set of traffic lights. Who ran the lights is not clear, but the car hit the bus and pushed it into the Pauldens basement hole on Cambridge street. It was indisputably the 103 as the pictures shows.

[DamnedIfYouDo]

According to Frank on this website, http://www.toms-travels.net/?p=18107, the 103 bus to Wythenshawe went through the Pauldens hoardings on Christmas Eve 1957.