'The Monkey Bus... it’s the funniest thing!'

The latest supporter to star in United Review’s handshake illustration), Maureen Pelham, is a regular on the ‘Monkey Bus’ coach. Organised by the United We Stand fanzine, it ferries dedicated Reds to away games all over the country.

 

Maureen has watched United since the 1950s, when she was first taken to Old Trafford by her City-supporting father, who worked in nearby Trafford Park. During the decades since, she has travelled all over the world to watch the Reds – to Tokyo, America, Moscow, Kyiv and many more places – often with her longtime Monkey Bus companion, Gill.

But Maureen suffered a great loss last year, when her husband, David, passed away. And while anyone that has travelled on the Monkey Bus knows that fun and a good time is the clear order of the day, Pelham says that the subtle support and friendship she has received has been vital.

 

“When my husband died, at first I didn’t do anything,” she admits. “When my husband died, Steve Black, who runs the coach, he got on to me straight away and said: ‘I’ll make sure you get on the coach and get home,’ because he lives not too far away from where I live.

 

“They’ve been absolutely great with me. They don’t need to be, do they? Because people die. But they’ve been great. They make sure we get a good seat and everything; I can’t fault it. I think if I wasn’t doing this and going to all the games, I wouldn’t be as happy as I am. But you’ve got to get through life, haven’t you?”

However, the Reds have been a constant companion throughout Maureen’s life, long before United We Stand or the Monkey Bus existed.

 

“I started going to Old Trafford regularly in the 1959 season. I saw us play a friendly against Real Madrid at Old Trafford, among several other games. My dad supported City, but I think he took me out of the way because I was naughty or something!

 

“Then I went to Loreto [College] in Manchester, and loads of people supported United there. That made me twice as keen. I’d always pass the stadium but I was a bit too young to think: ‘I should go.’ But when I started there and they said they were going, that’s when I started. City does not do it for me, at all!”

During our chat, Maureen recalls attending the 1963 FA Cup final, and even travelling to Madrid for the second leg of the 1968 European Cup semi-final at the Bernabeu.

 

“From then on I went everywhere – home, away, Europe... but my children were born in 1976 and 1978, so I couldn’t really go for a couple of years, and I hated that! My husband was not interested. Honestly, he was so good – he let me do anything and go everywhere! Not that I did anything bad, of course! I began to go to Europe, including all the Champions League matches. We loved to go to Moscow [in 2008], and saw all the away matches that led up to the final. 

 

“For the past 10 years or more, my friend and I, Gill, have been going on the Monkey Bus. We’ve had such wonderful times. It’s the funniest thing. Quite often we are the only females, but it’s dead funny. I think they let us go with them because, if the police were to get on and see us, they’d think: there can’t be much going on here, with these two golden oldies! But they are the best people, they really are.”

Maureen has seen almost all of the most glorious nights in Manchester United’s modern history but, strikingly, it’s the travel, the camaraderie and the laughs that she seems to hold dearest. And those same things are helping her now, during the challenging period since David passed away.

 

“I can only say that I have loved my life following Manchester United,” she smiles. “ And that’s how I’m getting through this now. I’m just going to go to everything!”