大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People's War site by Jenny Christian of the 2nd Air Division Memorial Library on behalf of Reverend G.D.Cordy and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

Full to overflowing. Many people who worked in Norwich nightly came out to the rural areas every night. I lived in Hingham and travelled to Norwich School every day. All the buses were single deckers and much smaller than those we have now. There was both a shortage of vehicles and drivers. In order to make more space nearly all the back seats were taken out but a few were left and fitted with their backs to the side of the bus; this meant a large clear floor area. When the 1942 heavy raids came even more people left the city at night at various times, but they all required the 7.50 from Hingham to get to work or school in the mornings. Often people were left behind. Most buses then with normal seating could take 32 seated and 14 standing. Every morning Jack, our conductor, counted the people as they got off at Surrey Street bus station; that was the only stop from Hingham. One day 174 persons were counted as they got off! One of the posters in vogue at that time was headed 'Coughs and Sneezes Spread Diseases'. It was almost impossible to breathe with so many crushed into a small bus, especially for a 12 year old. I can remember well the awful atmosphere what with sweat, B.O. and other unpleasant emissions from so many people.

Coming back to Hingham was not so crushed. I used to catch the 4.20 number 15 that went through Hingham, Watton and completed its journey at Downham Market. However Thursday was still half day in Norwich so the bus was always very full every Thursday. One rather eccentric spinster who was a buyer at on e of the better class major stores always took her little Scottie dog with her, carrying it in her arms. Two Notre Dame girls and three of us Norwich School boys laid a careful plan which I now recount. We planned this terrible deed for weeks and befriended the lady and her dog. Both rather relished the attention because as a rule they were not well received by people as the dog had an overwhelming habit of flatulation. We decided to put our well-rehearsed scheme into action one Maundy Thursday as we would have three weeks holiday and thought tempers would have calmed by the start of the new term. So we three boys chatted up the lady with talk about Easter church services, Easter eggs and making a fuss of the dog which it lapped up. The girls stood behind and with nail scissors trimmed the hairs off the little stumpy tail of the dog. All five of us got off the bus at its first stop on the outskirts of the town to avoid our wicked deeds being seen and being accosted. Other people must have seen what was going on but we were not betrayed. Even Jack the conductor, who we had taken into our confidence said it couldn't have happened on the bus for no hair was on the floor. We had this piece of deceit covered as the girls caught all the hair in their blazer pockets. It was obvious to the dear lady who the culprits were but our well-laid plans enabled us to get away with such an horrific deed. It took months for the dog to grow its hair back!

Gas Powered Buses. In order to preserve fuel buses were taken off when usage was light; therefore many No. 15 services were taken off. An appeal was made to Eastern Counties to run an early afternoon bus at least on Thursdays and Saturdays. As an experiment two buses were converted to run on gas. A small trailer was attached to the bus and had a coke fired furnace which produced the gas. I was on the first run in service of such a bus. They had been tried out, of course, but without passengers. All went well until it got to Colney hill and the bus got slower and slower till it came to a standstill. Jack the conductor got off and poked the furnace and we made a few yards. It was then decided that all passengers should get off and walk up the hill with the bus slowly chugging up behind. St the top of the hill we got on again. The same trouble developed as we left Barford, a further dismounting and walk up the hill while Jack stirred up the furnace and again just before Kimberley, and at Hackford garage. This time with fewer passengers the conductor got off and did the stoking. When we got to the top of the hill us boys rang the bell and off went the bus without the conductor; his frantic waving was seen by the driver and the bus waited for him!

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