A Stagecoach employee who worked in Swindon’s Old Town depot is marking 50 years with the transport provider.

The year 1974 – which saw two general elections, the end of the three-day-week and the UK launch of Lada cars - was also the beginning of Brian Dallaway’s impressive five-decade stint working for the bus company now known as Stagecoach.

Upon leaving secondary education, Brian looked for an apprenticeship in one of several traditional industries and was excited to receive a positive response from Les Carter at Bristol Tramways.

Taken on as the sole apprentice fitter that year, Brian was stationed at the previous bus depot in Old Town and lived in nearby Stratton.

He said: “Back then, technical apprenticeships were really popular and places with well-known companies were always in high demand.

“It was very much a case of learning on the job, and I would spend hours of each day, watching and assisting a bus fitter or mechanic.

“We’d be stripping down an engine or maybe helping rebuild a fuel pump, which had to be carried out in a specialist pump-room."

Bristol Tramways, which later changed its name to Bristol Omnibus, operated a variety of vehicles in the 1970s and 80s, including the Bristol Lodekka FLF, Bristol MW and Bristol RE, which were a mixture of single and double-deckers, with engines at the front or rear of the bus and in those days, most running with on-board conductors.

Brian added: “So many things have changed since those early years, including that we now wear gloves when working on engines and gearboxes. Back then, we’d end each day pretty much covered in oil and muck!”

Alongside the changing face of the bus operator, Brian’s role has also changed over the years, with his current responsibilities including ensuring vehicles leaving the yard each morning to enter service are defect free.

Reflecting on his many years of service, Brian has fond memories of attending national and local bus rallies and being able to make the most of his photography skills to capture the many different buses in operation.

Swindon fleet engineer for Stagecoach West, Iain Forrest, praised the long-serving employee for his decades of dedication.

Mr Forrest said: “It’s relatively unusual nowadays for someone to work for one company for such a long time and Stagecoach is lucky to have kept hold of Brian for 50 years.

“As a depot, we are grateful for his long service and dedication. Thank you, Brian!”