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Interview with Jack Edmonds mainly about working as a coach driver and tour operator in the Isle of Man, 1957-1972

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Date(s): 1998, 1999

Creator(s): Manx Heritage Foundation

Scope & Content: Track 1: Jack Edmonds talks to John Beckerson about working as a coach driver and tour operator in the Isle of Man. He talks about principal bus groups in England who had express licenses to Blackpool; flying to the Isle of Man; coach transfer of passengers from Ronaldsway airport to their hotel accommodation; coach tour excursions; arranging their hotel accommodation; Doric hotel on Queen’s Promenade run by Edna Harrison; arranging holidays for bus companies across Britain; arranging a profitable holiday package; British coach companies he worked with; tourist board; persuading coach tours to include a week’s holiday in the Isle of Man; making deals with hoteliers in the Isle of Man, including the Doric, the Villiers, the Hydro and the Caledonia; hotel entertainment; tours to Peel and Port Erin; evening mystery tours; providing services for conferences; opening his travel shops; employing a team of drivers; buying his coaches; borrowing money; inclusive tours; training the drivers; Manx and English hotels; below standard accommodation in the Isle of Man; hospitality and friendliness on the Isle of Man; diminishing numbers of visitors; coach competitors; choosing hotels; tipping the hotel staff; tourism dwindling in the 1960s; paying hoteliers a week in arrears; booking hundreds of hotel rooms in the height of the season.

Track 2: Jack continues to talk about type of people that came on his coach trips; dealing with complaints; his working day; hiring out working trucks; cleaning coaches; customers buying bags of fruit and littering the ashtrays; general office work; executive at Summer Hill and office employees; number of drivers; travel agencies; company revenue; providing coaches for BBC visit; his favourite aspects of the job; stories of individual trips; legislation on public service vehicles; changes to the Isle of Man coach trade since the 1960s.

Administration / Biographical History: John ('Jack') Frederick Edmonds was born 26 April 1920. John Beckerson, researcher, born 1974.

Language: English

Extent: 57 min. 28 sec.

Item name: cassette tape

Collection: Sound Archive

Level: ITEM

ID number: SA 2019-0001/46

Access conditions: All reasonable attempt has been made by Manx National Heritage to trace and request permission (where needed) from the copyright holder(s) in this sound recording. If however you think you are a rights holder then please contact Manx National Heritage.

Subject tags : #UOSH, #UOSHHolidays

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