Mortons Media Group Definitive History of Shergold and Whites Silver Star of Porton Down

Silver Star Motor Services was formed in September 1923, when partners, Eddie Shergold and Ben White purchased in September 1923 a new Ford T chassis with canvas-hooded 14-seat body registration No HR9447.The partners commenced a regular service between Allington (the original base) and the Porton Camps, via Winterbourne Gunner, Winterbourne Dauntsey and Winterbourne Earls to Salisbury.Wilts & Dorset had begun operations in 1915 and Silver Star’s arrival in the Bourne Valley proved to be the start of a long rivalry between the two competing operators. The silver Star fleet grew steadily and by 1905 it had five vehicles based at their new Porton Camp depot. The fleet included a Rolls Royce chasis sporting a highly polished aluminium body. So pleased were the partners with this 20 seater vehicle they added a further Rolls Royce chasied vehicle but this time with a six wheeled version. Following the implementation of the 1930 Road Traffic Act, Silver Star applied for licences to operate daily stage carriage services from Allington to Salisbury via Porton Camp; from Salisbury to Sling, via Amesbury and Bulford Camp, and from Salisbury to Andover, via Amesbury, Bulford Camp, Tidworth and Ludgershall, as well as tours and excursions licences from Porton Camp and Salisbury. When the application were heard, the Traffic Commissioners granted licences for all the stage carriage services except the Salisbury to Andover route. The tours and excursions licence from Salisbury was also refused, however in 1933 additional excursion licences were granted from Bulford Camp, after Silver Star had taken over the licences of Hawkins of Durrington and others based there. The lucrative military band transportation work in the 1930s led Silver Star to eventually develop a considerable volume of work transporting service personnel the length and breadth of the country, in addition to their stage carriage work.The following years saw many ups and downs, as readers will learn, until Silver Star closed in 1963 being taken over by Wilts & Dorset. Autorid: Peter Cook