British Electric Traction Co Ltd
Other Business Names:
- Brush Electrical Engineering Ltd
- Garcke, Emile O
- Garcke, Sidney
- Tilling, Thomas, Ltd
- Tilling & British Automobile Traction Ltd
- BET Plc
- British Automobile Traction Co Ltd
- Rediffusion Ltd
- Eddison Plant Co Ltd
- Advance Laundries Ltd
Locations city-town / local authority / county1974 / region-state / country:
- London, Greater London, Greater London, Greater London, England
Sectors:
-
Business services
Laundry, dry cleaning, etc, services
-
Publishing & printing
Other printing
-
Business services
Plant & vehicle hire & associated contracting services
-
Transport equipment production
Railway locomotive, rolling stock & components production & repair
-
Transport services
Road passenger transport services inc bus, street tram, coach & horse drawn
-
Transport equipment production
Road tram, trolley bus & components production & repair, exc horse trams
-
Recreation activities
Television & radio broadcasting
Notes:
Formed in the mid 1890s to build and operate electric tram systems. Soon diversified into manufacturing tram equipment with acquisition of Brush Electrical Engineering Ltd in 1901 and later, most importantly, into motor bus operations in 1908 where it emerged as a leader. Emile O Garcke and his son Sidney were important in its establishment and subsequent development. Grew rapidly by acquisition, operating especially through its subsidiary British Automobile Traction Co Ltd. Co-operated closely with its chief rival, Thomas Tilling Ltd, with which it established in the late 1920s Tilling & British Automobile Traction Ltd. Bus interests nationalised in 1940s and late 1960s when proceeds used to acquire a wide portfolio of interests such as broadcasting (including Rediffusion and an interest in Thames Television), plant hire (Eddison Plant Co Ltd), laundry services (inc Advance Laundries Ltd), printing, publishing, etc. 1985 renamed BET Plc. 1996 acquired by Rentokil Plc
Publications:
- A World Transformed, 1898-1948 by Unknown
- BET Buses in the 1960s by Booth, Gavin
- BET Group by Booth, Gavin
- BET. The Sixth Decade, 1946-1956 by Fulford, Roger T B
- Biffa. A pictorial history of Biffa Waste Services dry and liquid waste collection vehicles by Byrne, Timothy
- 'Businessmen, politics and municipal socialism' in J Turner (ed), Businessmen and Politics. Studies of business activity in British politics, 1900-1945 by Roberts, Richard
- Busmen verses Combines by Unknown
- Fifteen Years On. The BET Group, 1956-1971 by Mingay, G E
- Five Decades of BET. The story of the British Electric Traction Co Ltd by Fulford, Roger T B
- 'Sidney Garcke' in G Booth (ed), Characters of the Bus Industry. A tribute to some of the men who have shaped the industry over the 75 years since the Omnibus Society was founded by Bubier, David J
Groups:
Other Business Names:
- Brush Electrical Engineering Ltd
- Garcke, Emile O
- Garcke, Sidney
- Tilling, Thomas, Ltd
- Tilling & British Automobile Traction Ltd
- BET Plc
- British Automobile Traction Co Ltd
- Rediffusion Ltd
- Eddison Plant Co Ltd
- Advance Laundries Ltd
Locations city-town / local authority / county1974 / region-state / country:
- London, Greater London, Greater London, Greater London, England
Sectors:
- Business services Laundry, dry cleaning, etc, services
- Publishing & printing Other printing
- Business services Plant & vehicle hire & associated contracting services
- Transport equipment production Railway locomotive, rolling stock & components production & repair
- Transport services Road passenger transport services inc bus, street tram, coach & horse drawn
- Transport equipment production Road tram, trolley bus & components production & repair, exc horse trams
- Recreation activities Television & radio broadcasting
Notes:
Formed in the mid 1890s to build and operate electric tram systems. Soon diversified into manufacturing tram equipment with acquisition of Brush Electrical Engineering Ltd in 1901 and later, most importantly, into motor bus operations in 1908 where it emerged as a leader. Emile O Garcke and his son Sidney were important in its establishment and subsequent development. Grew rapidly by acquisition, operating especially through its subsidiary British Automobile Traction Co Ltd. Co-operated closely with its chief rival, Thomas Tilling Ltd, with which it established in the late 1920s Tilling & British Automobile Traction Ltd. Bus interests nationalised in 1940s and late 1960s when proceeds used to acquire a wide portfolio of interests such as broadcasting (including Rediffusion and an interest in Thames Television), plant hire (Eddison Plant Co Ltd), laundry services (inc Advance Laundries Ltd), printing, publishing, etc. 1985 renamed BET Plc. 1996 acquired by Rentokil PlcPublications:
- A World Transformed, 1898-1948 by Unknown
- BET Buses in the 1960s by Booth, Gavin
- BET Group by Booth, Gavin
- BET. The Sixth Decade, 1946-1956 by Fulford, Roger T B
- Biffa. A pictorial history of Biffa Waste Services dry and liquid waste collection vehicles by Byrne, Timothy
- 'Businessmen, politics and municipal socialism' in J Turner (ed), Businessmen and Politics. Studies of business activity in British politics, 1900-1945 by Roberts, Richard
- Busmen verses Combines by Unknown
- Fifteen Years On. The BET Group, 1956-1971 by Mingay, G E
- Five Decades of BET. The story of the British Electric Traction Co Ltd by Fulford, Roger T B
- 'Sidney Garcke' in G Booth (ed), Characters of the Bus Industry. A tribute to some of the men who have shaped the industry over the 75 years since the Omnibus Society was founded by Bubier, David J