Albert Gunter - Photo thanks to the Daily Mail of 1952
Albert
Gunter and a Very Hard Landing
Way-homes on London buses
are for taking it easy. These stop and start trips allow for
the reading of papers, and, if sitting upstairs, the view of a
London evening on its way into darkness is possibly the best in the
world! But, passengers to Dulwich in South London got more than their
tickets' worth while riding home for their suppers one late afternoon
a long time ago. They not only flew, but made headlines as well!
It
was the 30th of December, the last working day of 1952.
Albert Gunter had just steered his number 78 bus onto London's
famous Tower Bridge when it happened. All of a sudden, he
felt his bus going-up! The arm of the bridge upon which he was
driving was no longer pointing ahead - it was rising!!! It looked
as though Albert's bus was about to make history by becoming the
first ever London Transport red double-decker to sink without
trace in the dark swirling depths of the Thames! But,
Albert's thinking was quicker than the currents of the river,
and he went into action!!
He
had just gone past the point of no turning back, and automatically
he went down in gear and put his foot on the gas. He needed
speed. His bus had to fly to survive! There was no other choice.
But, would he succeed? The bridge was still going-up and the gap
getting bigger as well! Would he be able to take-off in time?
And
then, with no seconds left he took off! They were airborne and flying
at speed, and Albert was lining them up for a once only landing.
And,
down they came with a bang! It was not only dramatic, but almost
twice as loud as a 2nd World War bomb going off!
Seats and passengers were thrown about as Albert landed the bus on
the other side of the gap. But the sound of the landing was nothing
compared to the passenger's cheering and applause for their
“captain”. It could be heard all over London! The best and most
incredible landing that a red double-decker London Transport
bus had ever made! And the driver?
Albert
Gunter was decorated for bravery by the Queen. And this,
by-the-way, was another “first”. It was the first ever medal
that the new young Queen Elizabeth the Second was to award. A
medal not only for bravery, but for saving 60 passengers from
a watery death as well! Albert Gunter, Britain’s 1952
unofficial man of the year! A driver, a flyer and a gentleman!
Tower Bridge - by Nigel A JAMES
For
more listening pleasure, please visit my podcast – najvienna
#londonbridge
#londontransport
#London1952
Vocabulary
all
of a sudden – ganz plötzlich
as
well – auch
award
– (to award/awarded/awarded) –
verliehen
bravery
– Kühnheit
cheering
– Jubeln
currents
– Strömungen
decorated
– (to decorate/decorated/decorated) - auszeichnen
gap
– Spalt / Abstand
gear
– Gang
going
off, a bomb – (to go off/went off/ gone off) – explodieren
incredible
– unglaublich
steered
– (to steer/steered/steered) – lenken
swirling
depths - Wirbelendtiefen
take
off – (to take-off/took-off/taken-off) – abfliegen
way-homes
- Heimreise
without
trace – ohne
