On the Duck tour we had some nice stories including a reminder of how in 1952, a number 78 double-decker bus was unlucky enough to be on the bridge when it opened. Back then, the lights would change to red, the gateman would ring bells to encourage the pedestrians to move off the bridge quickly and close the gates, and the head watchman would order the bridge to lift when it was clear. On this day in December, there was a relief watchman, and something went wrong. Albert Gunter, the driver, saw that the road ahead appeared to be sinking. In fact, his bus was perched on the end of an opening bascule, which was giving the illusion of a sinking road ahead. He realised that he would not be able to stop in time to prevent going into the water, and making a split second decision, decided he would go for it. He accelerated and jumped the three feet gap, landing on the north bascule, which had not started to rise. None of his dozen passengers were seriously hurt, and he received £10 for his bravery. He also appeared later on the TV programme What's my line?
2 comments:
My Mum told me about this event back in the sixties (when I was a boy) she told me that a tourist had photographed (from the river) the bus going over the gap. the said picture was apparently sold to the Daily Express, but I have not been able to find proof of that
I did see a photo of that years ago which was amazing. Such a shame it can't seem to be found now.
Post a Comment