Brewer’s Motor Services and Llynfi Motor Services, ‘The Maesteg Rivals’
The convoluted history of A.E. & F.R. Brewer (Brewer’s Motor Services), Caerau, can only be told together with their rivals, Llynfi Motor Services, due to the extraordinary events of their very bitter challenge.
The brothers Albert and Frederick Brewer (Brewer’s Motor Services), had precedence over William George Thomas (Llynfi Motor Services), as they started their business in 1918, with a dairy at Caerau,and a milk round in Maesteg. During their deliveries,they started giving lifts to people on their horse drawn milk cart, which was modified with running boards to carry passengers.
They soon realised the potential there for a public service, and replaced their horse and cart firstly witha lorry, and later a small bus. Passengers sat at the rear of the bus, whilst the milk was carried in churns at the front.
During the same period, there were no less than twenty other operators running a licensed omnibus service with ‘motor cars’ on the Maesteg to Caerauroute, in direct competition with Brewer’s. Amongst them was D.J. Thomas (Cream Line Services), Maesteg, a brother to W.G. Thomas, of Llynfi Motor Services fame.
W.G. Thomas, drove his brothers’ car initially before settling down to buy a bus of his own in 1924, and inaugurate his own passenger service between Maesteg and Port Talbot, jointly with The South Wales Transport Co. Ltd.
Llynfi Motor Services’ fleet reached its peak in the 1950s, with 37 vehicles, after the company obtained substantial contract work from the newly constructedsteelworks (Abbey Works), in Port Talbot, which eventually became the largest steel producing complex in Europe.
Brewer’s fleet was initially the largest, until the post war period, when Llynfi overtook them with additional vehicles obtained for the steelworks contracts.
Nevertheless, as the Abbey Works contracts dwindled in later years, so did the Llynfi fleet, which was reduced to half its size by mid-1980s, whereas, Brewer’s fleet steadily grew to reach its maximum size of 34 vehicles, in 1987.
For completeness, a record of Brewer’s notablecompetitors on the Caerau-Maesteg route are included, most of which were absorbed by Brewer’s during the World War 2 period.
This publication has been produced to commemorate the 100th anniversary, of the well renowned Maestegomnibus business of Llynfi Motor Services.
Format Softback.
Size 210mm x 150mm
272 pages
337 Photographs and other memorabilia.
Price £22.00
Postage £2.50
ISBN: 978-1-0685699-0-6
Apologies for the delayed reply, but just had to let you know that my book arrived very promptly on Monday.
ReplyDeleteA lovely book, and many thanks to you for yet another fine piece of work on your part. I'm sure that it will put smiles on the faces of all who read it, and it is a fine tribute to two such interesting operators.
It took me back to 1968, when, as teenagers, my good friend and I embarked on a trip to my grandparents in Carmarthen, using his car, and spending a few days staying in B + B's en route at interesting locations. I fondly recall the well loaded Brewer's buses with conductors on board, going from Maesteg to Caerau on what must have been a very frequent service. Once again, many thanks for a wonderful publication.
Mike Ansell.