[1] The business, at first known as Royal Blue & Branksome Mews, included the hire of every kind of horse-drawn vehicle, as well as coach building, saddlery and blacksmithing.

Elliott soon started a four-in-hand stagecoach service to connect Bournemouth to the railway at Holmsley.

In 1919, the Elliott Brothers took advantage of a railway strike to start a motor coach service from Bournemouth to London.

[6] Until 1928, the express coach service only carried passengers to and from Bournemouth and London, not intermediate points.

In 1928, Royal Blue obtained licences to pick up and set down en route, and started services from Bournemouth and London to many more cities, including Birmingham, Bristol and Plymouth.

The new owners continued the process of acquiring competitors and expanding the route network, particularly in Devon and Cornwall.

[11] World War II brought black-out night driving, fuel shortages and bomb damage to Royal Blue garages.

Fuel shortages meant that in the early post-war years even those who owned cars hesitated to use them for long journeys, and few people went on holiday abroad, so there was a strong demand for long-distance coach travel.