Samuel Eynon & Sons
‛The HERO’
Trimsaran, Carmarthenshire.
The name of Samuel Eynon
& Sons, Trimsaran, was synonymous with a high quality reputable omnibus
service in the Gwendraeth Valley district of east Carmarthenshire, South Wales.
Founder of the business,
Samuel Eynon, first became involved with public transport in 1917 when he
purchased his first motor car a second-hand American ‘Studebaker’, which he
used initially as an un-licenced ‘taxi’ to ferry local Trimsaran people into
the nearby town of Llanelli. Retaining his job as an engine winder-man at the
Trimsaran Colliery, other members of his large family assisted with the
driving. The Colliery manager arranged their shifts so that there was always
one family member available to drive the ‘taxi’ and later the first omnibus.
It can truly be said that
Samuel Eynon was the ‘Pioneer’ of road passenger transport in the village of
Trimsaran, and was called ‘The Hero’ for inaugurating the community’s first omnibus
service, a logo he applied to his first charabanc in 1920.
His three sons and two
daughters joined the expanding business when they came of age and together they
literally fought off other ambitious competitors on the Trimsaran – Llanelli
road.
Eynon’s built up a
tremendous reputation throughout their existence, management and staff alike treated
their customers like family or friends in the close-knit Gwendraeth Valley
community.
However, de-regulation brought
about by the Tory Government was the final straw for the already financially
unstable company. Immediately after de-regulation in August 1986, the South
Wales Transport Company vigorously challenged them on their lucrative Trimsaran
and Carway routes with brand new Mercedes-Benz minibuses, charging lower fares
and running just 5 minutes in front of Eynon’s.
Sadly, this brought the
company to its knees, and the well-renowned and much loved company, with a name
that had become a household word in the east Carmarthenshire (east Dyfed)
communities, was sold to another Carmarthenshire (Dyfed) independent operator
Davies Brothers of Pencader in June 1988, ending a fine story of enterprise and
achievement.
This limited edition 240
page book is illustrated with over 300 photographs and other informative memorabilia
covering the period, and has been produced to celebrate the 100th
anniversary of the company, which was at one time Carmarthenshire’s largest
independent PCV operator operating 35 vehicles. It’s a fitting tribute to the
Eynon family and their devoted staff, and a succinct history of the business
which has previously never been told.
Following on from my previous review of Vernon’s book on S.W.T.100 I thought I would share my thoughts again on his latest work, that of Samuel Eynon of Trimsaran a.k.a. ‘The Hero’.
ReplyDeleteThose of you who bought Vernon’s first book on James of Ammanford will be equally familiar with the A5 format of ‘The Hero’.
I previously described Vernon’s James of Ammanford as a tremendous effort and his latest offering deserves no less of a credit as it is a truly magnificent historical tome about a fascinating company. Everything you need to know has not been left out. The attention to detail is incredible which goes into every single aspect of this interesting operator and has been meticulously researched.
Vernon’s historical knowledge on P.S.V. operator’s , specifically South Wales, is nothing short of exemplary and this is even more evident in this most enjoyable read.
What really makes this book stand out, however, is the sheer number of high quality photographs along with very detailed captions appearing in chronological order as purchased by the operator. Most of the images are colour and have been captured by the author himself.
I will sum up this review in duly commending Vernon as he has excelled himself yet again on this wonderful book. Should you decide to purchase ‘The Hero’ you definitely won’t be disappointed.
Make no mistake, this is a significant historical reference work about a much loved and respected bus and coach operator in the Gwendraeth Valley.
Andrew Cox
Excellent book, highly recommended.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much Vernon for such an excellent publication. This book is absolutely brilliant, and if my father Jim,(James Maurice Eynon) was still alive he would be carrying the book around with him wherever he went.
ReplyDeleteHe would have been so delighted.