When one-man buses came to Clarence Pier

Dating from 1959, here we see a Leyland Tiger Cub driver only operated at Clarence Pier. Picture: Gosport Railway Society

Who remembers the single-deck one-man operated buses introduced to the CPPTD fleet in 1959?

Barry Cox told me: ‘This bus was one of the first one-man operated buses in Portsmouth. It was delivered in September 1959 but because of a dispute with the union over the terms for drivers, none of the batch of 10 entered service until April 1960 – they just sat in Eastney depot idle for that time. An unusual fact is that this batch were all delivered with maroon-painted roofs, which was not in the specification. They all had their roofs painted white before they entered service.’

:: The Foudroyant was a well-known sight in Portsmouth Harbour when used for adventure training for sea cadets, sea rangers and sea scouts. I am sure this photograph shows her when still named HMS Trincomalee. She was purchased by philanthropist G Whitley Cobb to replace an earlier Foudroyant which had foundered some years earlier and the name transferred.

In 1987, the Foudroyant Trust moved the ship to Hartlepool for restoration. In 1990, she opened to the public.

When one-man buses came to Clarence Pier | Nostalgia