Charles Henry Stafford
Charles Henry Stafford (1890-1951)
1951 Obituary [1]
"CHARLES HENRY STAFFORD was connected with passenger transport services throughout his professional career and at the time of his death, which occurred on 30th March 1951; was holding the appointment of transport general manager and engineer to the Corporation of Leicester.
He was born in 1890 and served his apprenticeship with Messrs. Belliss and Morcom, Ltd., Birmingham, electrical engineers, from 1907 to 1912. During this period he studied engineering at the Birmingham Municipal Technical School and also attended lectures at the University. He then obtained his first appointment as power station engineer to the Reading Corporation Tramways, becoming assistant engineer and draughtsman a year later. In this capacity he was responsible for the supervision of extensions and improvements to the plant, and for the design and construction of the original fleet of motor 'buses, in addition to the erection of the garage.
From 1914 to 1919 he served overseas in the Royal Flying Corps with the rank of flying officer. He was made deputy manager and chief assistant engineer in 1923. After holding this position for seven years he went to Burnley to become general manager and engineer for the Corporation's passenger transport service. Three years later his responsibilities were considerably increased by the inclusion of the boroughs of Colne and Nelson in the undertaking, the total population served being a quarter of a million. He relinquished this position in 1939 on taking up his final appointment at Leicester. Mr. Stafford had been an Associate Member of the Institution of Automobile Engineers since 1936."