For seventy-seven years, vehicles from the Smiths Imperial coach fleet were a familiar sight on Birmingham roads and at holiday resorts around the British coast. Having a substantial garage and workshops and at one time its own coach building subsidiary, Smiths were always highly respected in the world of buses and coaches. Roger Smith, third generation Chairman of the Company, at the age of 54 decided to take things a little easier and accordingly closed the doors at the Stratford Road Garage for the last time on 31st December, 2001. With access to the Company's extensive photo archives and assistance from Andrew Roberts, a superb collection of photographs has been assembled, tracing the Company's history which is inextricably linked with the social history of Birmingham. A fleet list with details of every vehicle ever operated completes the story.