Charles Dunbar: Road Haulage Papers

The core of the deposit comprises minutes and correspondence of the National Conference of Express Carriers, which Dunbar was instrumental in bringing together in 1937, initially as the National Conference of Parcels Carriers. These papers are Dunbar's files as chairman. The deposit includes research files compiled by Dunbar, chiefly of cuttings of articles from 'Commercial Motor', 'Modern Transport' etc but also including some extra items, such as correspondence, reports and printed ephemera.

Charles Dunbar (1900-1993) began work as an editorial assistant on a London weekly newspaper in 1919 and from 1921-1930 he was circulation and transport manager for an evening newspaper company. He then joined the staff of the Birmingham & Midland Motor Omnibus Company. In 1933 he established his own express parcels delivery company, 'Red Arrow Deliveries' and was the first chairman of the National Conference of Express Carriers. During the Second World War he worked for the Ministry of War Transport and, later, in Belgium for the Inter-Allied European Central Inland Transport Organisation. He became a freelance transport journalist and transport consultant and was the first editor of 'Buses Illustrated'. He published 'The rise of road transport 1919-1939' (1981). In 1968 he was awarded the Crow medal by the Chartered Institute of Transport.

Reference: 'Buses', October 1993.

This collection is available to researchers by appointment at the Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick. See http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/library/mrc/using/

Link to full catalogue: http://mrc-catalogue.warwick.ac.uk/records/DUN

Charles Dunbar initially deposited his papers with the Road Haulage Association in 1992. He requested that they be transferred to the Modern Records Centre and they were transferred to the Centre in December 1994 following his death.