This simple little postbus registered USG 706R from 1976/77 contains clues to some interesting background information. Assigned to the Edinburgh Postal Board, Operations Division, according to the address printed in black on the side of the bus, the name board positioned in the front of the windscreen would suggest that it is deployed in the little village of Elgol on the shores of Loch Scavaig and home to no more than 150 residents, on the Isle of Skye.
Decorated in the traditional red Royal Mail colour scheme, our 1:76 scale Commer PB also sports a white roof, white bumpers and white wheel rims. The interior is black. According to the printing on the side it is the de luxe version and is also fitted out to carry 11 passengers.
Commer was a British manufacturer formed in 1905 concentrating its production on vans, car derived vans, light commercials right up to military vehicles. It lasted until 1979 by which time the company had been consumed by Chrysler. Another partial takeover by Peugeot ensured the continued presence of the Commer van right up until 1983, due in no small part to its extensive use by the Post Office and then British Telecom.
The Commer was noted for its excellent brakes, cornering and price, which would have been essential for our little example in getting around Skye although comfort was apparently lacking. No doubt the passengers who found the local postbus an essential way of getting about the islands would not have been too bothered about that and it remained a familiar sight especially in rural areas.