Gather round, plenty to see here as coach crashes on hill

A view of the coach that overturned on Portsdown Hill east of the George pub.

In the picture above we see an overturned coach surrounded by sightseers on August 8, 1939.

The location is a couple of hundred yards east of The George pub on Portsdown Hill.

Can you imagine casual observers being allowed anywhere near the same scene today?

- Nearly all the famous photographs of HMS Vanguard stuck in the mud at the end of Broad Street, Old Portsmouth, in 1960, show overhead views.

Most views of HMS Vanguard are overhead, here is another, with a view along Broad Street.

I thought you would like to see this one, taken perhaps from the same aircraft but also with a view along a crowded Broad Street.

I wonder how many people were making their way to the spectacular beaching only to find that the Royal Navy’s last battleship had been released and they had missed all the excitement.

- I don’t think the roof of the old News office in Stanhope Road, Landport, was high enough for the shot, below, to be taken, so it might be from an aircraft.

On another thought, it might be about 1972 when the offices had been demolished and the Zurich Insurance building was being constructed and our photographer managed to gain access.

A view over the Post Office roof to the frontage of Portsmouth & Southsea Station and onward to Fratton.

Whatever, here we see a view over the old General Post Office roof in Commercial Road and the frontage of Portsmouth and Southsea railway station.

The sidings on the left hand side have all been filled in and today are occupied by the Matalan store and car park.

The white 1968 signal box can be seen just above the platforms.

- This is a great aerial photograph of the naval barracks in Queen Street, Portsea, then, confusingly, called HMS Victory.

Aerial shot of what was then Victory Barracks, Queen Street, Portsea.

Running across the bottom is Queen Street with the main gate in the centre.

To the right can be seen Unicorn Road with Unicorn Gate.

In the centre of the picture is the parade ground while the dark area is the gun run practice ground.

In the bottom right can be seen St John’s Roman Catholic cathedral in Edinburgh Road. The majority of the buildings in the photograph have long been demolished.