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After leaving the RAF as a Leading Aircraft Man (LAC),
Douglas Astbury Rollason started a taxi company from his home in Walmley Road
in 1948. His first cars were American (Buick, Chevrolet & Railton) and you
can imagine the sight they must have been in post war austere Sutton Coldfield!
Douglas also became managing director of Black and White Cars in
Birmingham, who were Birmingham's first radio controlled taxi fleet. The fleet
were unique in Birmingham by way of their colours, black with white bonnets and
white boots lids. At one of the 50s BIF exhibitions at Castle Bromwich they
exhibited their new Pye radio installation, setting up a base station at the
exhibition.
The taxi business was very much a family business and Douglas's wife, always immaculately
turned out in a black chauffeurs uniform, took care of the local work.
Douglas was a skilled mechanic and did all his own maintenance on the cars.
Douglas's son, Nigel, went to school at John Wilmot in Falcon Lodge and went on
to do an apprenticeship at the BSA. A love of motorcycles rather than cars took
Nigel into motorcycle racing and he was very successful becoming the only man
alive to win on both two and three wheels on the TT course at the Isle of Man.
The taxi business closed around 1983 when Douglas retired.
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