How a bus station blaze led to a great example of the corporate identity in preservation
Trevor Shore MBE, founder of Dekkabus in Poole, was a conductor for Hants & Dorset based in Bournemouth in 1975 when the NBC identity roll-out was being completed.
Trevor recalls “We had two semi-automatic Bristol Lodekka FLF’s in the fleet at the time. In June of 1976 Bournemouth bus station burnt down.
“As an 18 year-old lad I was out and about in town looking for females, but hearing the station was on fire I rushed to help. The fire was in the underground coach station, but the floor of the bus station above was starting to shift in places. Although I only held a full car licence, I drove three buses out of the station while it was alight, the last one being FLF no 1254, KRU224F.
“Two friends bought it on retirement from Hants and Dorset in 1981. They had it for over 30 years then sold it on. When it came up for sale again in 2015, I purchased it. 1254 was the last Hants and Dorset double-decker to be repainted from green to red in 1975. Restoration involved replacing all of the window rubbers, a full exterior refurbishment into NBC Poppy Red and a class 6 MOT.
“With Dekkabus, I’m proud to have put her back in service as a heritage vehicle, serving the same town where she spent all her working life. Having saved her once in 1976, it was fitting to save her again four decades later.”
If like me, you’re wondering how Bournemouth had a coach station underneath its bus station, this photo of the fairly unique layout will help. The 1959 bus station replaced an elegant 1930s art deco building. Though damaged in July 1976, Hants & Dorset’s head office remained there, and the open air section continued to see partial use until 1980. It was demolished in 1982.
Read more about Trevor’s rescue mission here —> https://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/14664258.pictures-teenager-who-drove-bus-out-of-burning-station-in-1976-rescues-it-again-40-years-later/
Thanks to Trevor Shore and Dekkabus for use of the photos of 1254. Copyright of the photos is theirs.
National Bus Company Corporate Identity Manual 