Corgi OM41912 Leyland PD3 ‘Queen Mary’ British Shoe Corporation

One of the largest users of Queen Mary’s as staff buses was the British Shoe Corporation in Leicester. In 1966 the then foreman, an ex Southdown employee, recommended that the company purchase excellently maintained buses which had served his previous employer. Leyland Titan PD2/12 KUF 715 became the company’s first staff bus. From 1972 a start was made to replace the original fleet with Queen Marys. The first to arrive were 852, 853, 854 and 857. By the mid 70s an all Mary fleet was operated and towards the end of the decade a newer fleet of 15 Queen Mary’s replaced the original buses.