MORE THORNYCROFTS by Solent Omnibus Club member TOM DETHRIDGE
In 1929 the year in which the original J-type buses were finally withdrawn from Corporation service SBN 174),the Basingstoke builders’
marque was extended in the fleet by the arrival of six saloon buses on type BC chassis with 4-cylinder petrol engines. The order for this
year for a total of 12 new buses gave rise to an unusual and prolonged controversy on the Council over four months with a number of
conflicting proposals being mooted, ranging from all Dennises, or all Thornycrofts to a switch to Leylands. Within the Thornycroft option,
one proposal was to order the new 6-cylinder version, while another recommended buying just one of this type for evaluation. On the body
side, tenders from Hall Lewis, Portsmouth Commercial Motors and Wadhams Bros were all favoured, initially with each firm to supply four.
Eventually the order was split between 6 Dennis with 4 HL and 2 PCM bodies, nos 62-67 (SBN 173} and six Thornycroft with four HL and two
WB bodies, nos 68-73. The Thornycroft chassis were to cost £795 as against £850 for the Dennis, while the bodies were £450 (PGM),
£452/l0/- (HL) and £460 (WB), giving total prices per bus in the £1250-1300 range.
Bodies were all of the forward control half-cab, rear-entrance, 32-seat capacity type, with emergency exit on the offside immediately
behind the driver's cab. There was a roof—mounted destination blind box on the roof front showing a single place name, or in some cases
two names in very small lettering. A service letter blind box was subsequently added externally at the base of the rear window and small
route blinds in nearside and offside windows towards the back end of the saloon. Another later addition was the fitting of brackets at waist
level both sides to carry a white metal route board of the order of 30 x 15 inches in size, lettered in red with about six names, while on
some of the buses the front box was enlarged to carry extended blinds showing additional places which had entered the schedules, such as
Highbury.
The 12 new buses were delivered in July/August 1929 and put into service on
routes C-D and E-F, the Thornycrofts were also used on A-B, by now the
preserve of the Karriers numbers 68-71 TP8091-94 had the Hall Lewis bodies
and Nos 72-75 TP8096-97 the Wadhams (72 has been frequently reported as
8095 but a photo of the bus in service shows 8096). The HL and WB bodies
(but not the PCM) had a revised livery, being wholly scarlet lake below the
waistline; on the former (only) there was a broad waistband in cream and all
were cream above including the roof. From 1932 onwards most, probably all,
received the new red and white.
On displacement from C-D and E-F by newer double-deckers, these buses
went on to G-H (summer), M-N and later the Highbury service (not lettered)
as well as extras workmen's including Dockyard services, tram replacement
such as Copnor-Lake Road via George Street when new track was being laid No73 TP8097 Thornycroft with Wadham body 1929.
in Kingston Road, as part of the road widening work. In the latter role a Photographed at Portsmouth Road Cosham on service A.
metal frame was slung over the radiator grille with slots to carry the service number and destination of the tram route being worked.
No 73 was a uniquely fitted at some stage by 1932 with carousel-type ventilators on the roof and could be distinguished by these miniature
roundabouts revolving merrily when the bus was in motion. It was also one of the first pre-1931 buses to receive the new red and white
livery.
All six Thornycroft BCs continued in service through the 1930s and are presumed to have had their roofs painted dark grey on the outbreak
of war. Nos 68, 70 and 72 had their seating altered to circumferential in 1942 thus providing space for additional standing passengers. No
73 was one of the buses destroyed when Eastney Depot was hit by bombs on the night of 10 March 1941.The remaining five were withdrawn
by the end of the war, No 71 going to South Shields as that Corporation's No 113 and as peacetime activity resumed all four Hall
Lewis buses snapped up by travelling showmen for use as caravans and/or fairground equipment transporters - this must have been
some sort of compliment!
Turning to other local operators, the Denmead Queen fleet of F.G. Tanner running a half-hourly service between Hambledon-Denmead-
Waterlooville-Cosham-Portsmouth (Victoria Hall) from 1924 was almost exclusively Thornycroft, apart from a REO (No 9) taken over from
another operator and nearly all bodied by Wadhams. The Thornycroft-Wadham combination was a popular one in that era. Tanner's red-
liveried fleet displayed numbers on the back which ran up to 15.They were mostly 20 seat normal control (projecting radiator) front
entrance vehicles of types Al, A2 and A6 as progressively developed by the Basingstoke manufacturers; exceptions were No 4, a 26 seater,
longer of' course but other wise generally similar to its fellows; and three 32-seater forward control, half-cab buses - Nos 11, rear
entrance by Ransomes, No 12, rear entrance by Wadham 1932 and No 15 front entrance by Brush 1934. The latter two were both ex-
demonstrators and attractive, more modern-looking vehicles. Nearly all had Portsmouth registrations, 1-8/10 being TP
659/2009/2519/4760/6601/7951/8693/9154 and 9645 and 12 RV 1844. Nos 11 and 15 had Hampshire OU 7856 and CG7119. Nos 13/14 had
Eastbourne JK 88 and HC 9159 and had been brought from Southdown, the latter Nos 382/3 after acquisition from a Sussex operator.
Tanner 's service was taken over by Southdown in March 1935 becoming 39 in the latter’s timetable and eleven of the buses were also
transferred and repainted in standard Southdown livery, Nos 4-8 ,10/11/16/12-14 coming out as Nos 39-49 and later renumbered in five
cases as 542/3/5-7, the last three being passed on to Wilts & Dorset in 1939.
John Marshall of Nightingale Road and later Bristol Road , Southsea with garage at Ranelagh Road, Stamshaw of The Don Coaches bought
five Thornycrofts, the last four, and possibly all with Wadham bodies. These were TP 2611/ 4769-70/6788-9, open-top with canvas hoods,
the last two forward-control type BC and all in yellow and maroon. Later The Don went over to AEC. Byng had TP2639, Southsea Royal
Blue had three BK registered J-type and at least three Gosport operators had TP Thornycroft including Cross of Perserverance using a
Wadham bodied coach TP7286 on his daily London service, also taken over by Southdown in 1935.
A little further afield but still in Hampshire, Southampton Corporation had nine J-type buses and between 1929-37 brought another 20 of
the same marque on BC (4), HC (7) and Daring (9) chassis, including seven 6-wheeler. At that period the bus livery was navy blue and
cream.
Bournemouth Corporation (I assume that all our members know that this town was in Hants up to 1974 when by Government decree it was
transferred into Dorset) brought 24 type BC saloon buses with dual doors in 1930/31.
We still have our No 10 but regretfully, little remains but photographs of what was once a proud and respected Hampshire company.
Quiz answers: 1. Derbyshire 2. Halton 3. Reading 4. Wright 5. Glenton Tours 6. Spain 7. Workington 8. Stagecoach North West 9. 11 10. it burnt out

Stop Press First Fleet News: 1291 (P291 KPX) Allocated to Knowsley 8/05 (correction), Ince 9/05, Bolton 11/05, Knowsley 4/06 and Ince 7/08 by First
Manchester Ltd., Oldham (34291). 1292 (P292 KPX) Delicensed 7/08 then relicensed and allocated to Ince 9/08 by First Manchester Ltd., Oldham (34292).
1293 (P293 KPX) Allocated to Knowsley 9/05 (correction) and Ince 7/08 by First Manchester Ltd., Oldham (34293). 1294 (P294 KPX) Allocated to Ince 7/08
by First Manchester Ltd., Oldham (34294). 1295 (P295 KPX) Delicensed 7/08 then relicensed and allocated to Oldham 9/08 and Ince 9/08 by First Manchester
Ltd., Oldham (34295). 1296 (P296 KPX) Delicensed 7/08 then relicensed and allocated to Ince 9/08 by First Manchester Ltd., Oldham (34296).
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