Here’s a TIM from the well-known Newark independent W Gash & Sons. It was issued back in March 1963, when my dad and I went for a Saturday afternoon walk (as we often did). We travelled on one of Gash’s notorious Daimler CVD6s, with the usual melodious engine note, from Nottingham (Huntingdon Street) to Radcliffe by-pass. After this we walked through Radcliffe on Trent itself, on to Shelford, crossed the Trent at Gunthorpe bridge and returned by train from Lowdham on the Nottingham – Lincoln line.
At this time it was possible to travel between Nottingham and Radcliffe by four different operators. Trent were the most frequent, with a regular route 79A to Bingham. This was really a short version of the 79 which ran through to Grantham, operated jointly with Lincolnshire Road Car’s route 33C. Gash ran hourly, and as I have indicated, did not actually go through the village itself, but took the by-pass in keeping with the "Newark Direct" route description. Trent also operated the 73 and 73A to East Bridgford and Shelford rather less frequently, and these were joint with Nottingham independent Skills, who I believe were using Willebrew tickets at the time. I think I am right in saying that none of Barton’s routes passed through Radcliffe. They turned right off the A52 at Holme House for Cotgrave, Cropwell Bishop and various villages in the Vale of Belvoir.
Gash’s service was well respected. The company originated in Elston, but with expansion later moved to its own premises at Bowbridge Road, Newark. The trunk Nottingham – Newark direct service followed the A52 Grantham road to Saxondale Cross Roads before turning left onto the A46 Fosse Way. At this point, there was a bridge under the London and North Western Railway’s Nottingham – Melton Mowbray – Northampton line. It was not until after the second world war that the road here was lowered sufficiently to allow the passage of double deckers. An uncle who was in the RAF, stationed at Syerston, had many a trip back to camp on grossly overloaded Bedford OWBs in blackout conditions after a night out in Nottingham.
My last journey with Gash was in 1976, on a teatime run from Nottingham. Again, it was one of the CVD6s. By this time, Huntingdon Street had closed, and the service started from the new and much abused Broad Marsh bus station. We set off about 80% full, and after picking our way slowly through the rush hour traffic, collected one or two more at Trent Bridge, and a couple of stops in West Bridgford. There was then no more picking up or setting down for over half an hour, until we reached East Stoke. After that we became very much a local service, stopping several times through Farndon and the approaches to Newark. Lovely trip!
I understand that there will be a posting of one of W Gash & Sons Daimler Freelines tomorrow on the Old Bus Photos website.

Photograph and Copy contributed by Stephen Ford