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Papworth Village Flying Pig

Nearly 70 years ago, Ian Burton was occasionally transported to and from school in a Flying Pig coach (Reg.No. BER 783). It also took him on his first ever trip to the theatre, and also once to The Royal Show. He had affection for the vehicle, but its popularity wasn't universal, since it was sometimes used when its larger stablemate was off the Road, causing several passengers to have to stand for the journey between the village of Papworth Everard and Cambridge. A photo of its characteristic front end has very recently come to light.

The little Dennis belonged to Papworth Village Settlement - a charity set up in 1918 specifically for the treatment of tuberculosis. It was garaged in the stable block of Papworth Hall along with its wooden-seated Bedford OWB Utility stablemate. The 'settlement' reference is to the fact that the families of the patients came to live in the village where factories were built for the recovering patients to work under close monitoring. I don't know when the Flying Pig and The Settlement parted company, but it would have been in the late 1950s, shortly after TB was brought under control. The little Pig was maroon in colour and a regular sight in the very special, indeed, unique village.

Papworth Village Flying Pig
BER 783 Reg. No was (Cambridge) 1938. An inspired guess is Albert Hutchinson and (?) Mr Richards, standing beside the Colony’s Dennis Flying Pig which seated c. 21 passengers.

Ian must have had an affection for Dennis vehicles as in later years he drove this Dennis Javelin – quite a contrast!

Papworth Village Flying Pig
Dennis Javelin RBZ 2961


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