On This Day — 24 July 1942
Complaints of Overcrowded Wembury Buses
In wartime Plymouth, pressure on local transport was keenly felt. A letter to the Western Morning News highlighted severe overcrowding on the 8 a.m. bus from Wembury, with 24 passengers forced to stand and others left behind when the vehicle could take no more. The writer, S. W. Digby of Knighton Hill, also noted the long gap until the next service at 2 p.m., leaving villagers stranded for hours.
He suggested that a mid-morning bus around 10 o’clock should be introduced, perhaps by diverting a Corporation city bus or an Elburton service, to ease the strain. The letter reflected both the wartime mobility challenges and the reliance of rural communities like Wembury on limited bus connections into Plymouth.
Even today, the complaint rings familiar. Rural transport often leaves residents with long waits and overcrowded services, reminding us that the issues raised in 1942 remain part of the conversation about access and mobility in villages like Wembury.
Source: Western Morning News, 24 July 1942.