1960s: Bus driver delivers mum in labour to front door

Jump to: navigation, search

When heavily pregnant Janet Gee’s waters broke on the bus back from hospital, the driver did not hesitate. Passengers were put on hold as he declared an emergency and drove straight to her front door – as husband Ron, of Spondon, recalls 44 years on.

Janet and Ron Gee with their daughter Judith and Janet's mother, Christiana, in 1965

MY wife and I read with interest the recent story about the bus driver who delivered a passenger right to his front door because he had a broken leg.

We had a similar experience on April 19, 1962. My wife was 19 days overdue with our first child and we had been summoned to go to the Ashgate Maternity Hospital at Chesterfield for an afternoon appointment.

At the time, we lived in a village about four-and-a-half miles north of Chesterfield.

From our house we had to walk (my wife waddled) half a mile to the bus stop, situated on the A61. After alighting outside the Royal Infirmary, we had to walk about another half mile to the maternity hospital.

On arrival, we were seen by a consultant who then told us to go back home and come back after the Easter holidays if nothing had happened in the meantime.

Back we walked to the bus stop to go home. The bus duly arrived and, to our surprise, we knew both the conductress and the driver.

Rosie, the conductress, recognised us immediately and asked the passengers sitting on the side seat if they would mind moving so that my wife would have plenty of room to sit comfortably.

The bus had travelled about a mile when my wife suddenly announced that the baby was on its way. Rosie went down the aisle of the bus, opened the small sliding window at the back of the bus driver’s cab and explained the situation to him.

After a few seconds of conversation, Rosie announced to the passengers that the bus would not be stopping until it reached Unstone.

At each of the scheduled stops, the bus slowed down and Rosie hung out of the bus and shouted to the waiting people that they had an emergency on the bus and would come back for them later.

In those days, the buses only ran between Chesterfield and Sheffield every half hour.

On arriving at Unstone, Bill drove the bus off the main road, down the narrow road into our village and dropped us off outside our door.

The bus then went back to pick up all the bemused passengers that had been left at the various stops.

We were told later that not a single passenger had complained about their delay.

On arrival at home and, after a light lunch, my wife insisted that the house had to be cleaned from top to bottom, only stopping occasionally for a spot of back massage.

At 5.30pm that day, she told me to get the midwife and, at 9.25pm, our daughter was delivered safely.

The very next day, Rosie and Bill were on the same shift and had somehow found out that my wife had given birth to a daughter. They put a notice up in the bus announcing the safe arrival.

Pages linking here