b/w copy neg, trolleybus driver Laurie Herridle and conductor Ralph Straker, a London Transport direct recruit from Barbados, 1957

Ralph Straker, a young black trolleybus conductor recently arrived from the Barbandos posing in uniform in front of his trolleybus, with his driver Laurie Herridle.
In an interview conducted with Ralph, he recalls some of his early experiences:
'I started to work on the trolleybuses. One of the difficulties was if the rods came off you used to have a long bamboo rod under the bus. You had to get that out and hold on to the rod with it to hook it back on to the electric cables that ran overhead but the most difficult part of the job was telling passengers where to get on or where to get off. Coming from Barbados and within three weeks people were asking us for destinations which we ourselves did not know. People on the bus would make you feel ashamed because they would shout out "Conductor you passed Finsbury Park so long…" and then you would have trouble with that passenger. I learnt quickly to say "Your stop next" to avoid having to say destinations.'