OLD PLYMOUTH . UK
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WHO WAS WHO IN OLD PLYMOUTH

ARTHUR CHARLES TURNER (1888-1953)

Arthur Charles Turner was born in 1888, the youngest son of the Reverend Charles Edgar Turner (1826-1901) and his second wife, Miss Esther Kate Wolferstan, whom he had married at Tavistock Parish Church on January 9th 1883.

In 1904, when 16 years of age, Arthur left school and became an apprentice at the garage belonging to Mr W J Andrew in Plymouth.

Mr Arthur Charles Turner married Miss Maud Harriett Nash at the Anglican Church of Saint Matthias the Apostle on December 28th 1913.

He is reputed to have started Plymouth's first chara-banc tours, Turner's Tours, with a 28-seater Karrier that did 6 miles to the gallon and had a 45 gallon petrol tank.  The depot was at Kirkby Place, North Road.  He had ten char-a-bancs by April 1924, when the Devon Motor Transport Company Limited bought the business and converted the vehicle pictured above into a lorry.

One of the Karrier's was converted into a double-deck bus for use on the DMT's Crownhill and Yelverton service.

Mr Turner acquired numbers 48 and 49 Tavistock Place and number 1 Clarence Street in 1934 and on Monday April 15th 1935 Sir Herbert Austin KBE officially opened Austin House at number 13 Tavistock Road.  The premises managed to survive the Second World War.

In January 1942 the Company were advertising the new Austin 8 horse power saloon priced at £235 15s.  It was in black, of course, but had a brown interior.  The price included purchase tax and delivery.

Messrs A C Turner's Austin House, at the junction
of Tavistock Road and Regent Street, 1951.
©  City of Plymouth Museum and Art Gallery.

Mr Arthur Charles Turner died on Friday July 24th 1953 at his home, Elm Villa, Mannamead Avenue, Plymouth.  He was 65 years of age.  He was survived by his widow, two daughters and a son, Mr Michael Arthur Turner (1925-2001), who was managing director of the business.

The funeral service at the Ancient Parish Church of Saint Edward, King and Martyr, Eggbuckland, on Tuesday July 28th 1953 was conducted by the vicar, the Reverend C S de Cerjat, and Mr Turner was afterwards cremated at Efford Crematorium.  The service was attended by a wide circle of friends from the motor trade throughout Devon and Cornwall including the following members of staff from the business: Messrs F Bowden, S Foster, J Eustace, S Pender, F Holder, K Jackson, G Naylor, P Worrall and J Flood.  Mr Percy Fletcher represented Car Sales (Plymouth) Limited and Messrs R Day, area traffic superintendent, and C R W Web, chief inspector, represented the Western National Omnibus Company Limited.  Even Mr and Mrs N C Born travelled down from Northlew, near Okehampton.

Mrs Maud Harriett Turner died at Elma Vila, Mannamead Avenue, Plymouth, on July 24th 1965.