Albert
Gunter and a Very Hard Landing
Way-homes on London
red buses are for taking it easy. These stop and start trips
allow time 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 they paid for 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 on which he was driving
was rising! And, it looked as though his bus was about to make
history, the first London bus to fly off a bridge and sink in the
Thames! But, Albert Gunter knew what to do and went into action.
Automatically,
Albert Gunter dropped down in gear and put his foot on
the gas. His bus needed speed and he only had seconds. The gap
between the two arms of the bridge was increasing, and soon it would
be too late. His bus had to fly over the gap or crash
into the river. There was no other choice,
there was no going back! But, Albert Gunter succeeded,
and his bus took off and flew for just a few seconds,
and that was enough.
And,
down came the bus with a bang! And, it was loud. And, the passengers
and seats were thrown about as the bus came to a stop on the other
side of the bridge. And, thankfully, there were only one or two minor
injuries. But, that wasn't the end of the story.
Albert
Gunter was decorated
for bravery by the Queen. He had saved the lives of his passenger's.
And, by-the-way, that was the first ever medal that the new young
Queen Elizabeth the Second was to award.
A medal, not only for bravery,
but also for flying a bus. And, all London joined in with its praise
and its thanks, and Albert Gunter was made London's man of the year
for 1952. And, that was good so. He had not only saved the lives of
63 people, he had given them a story to take home as well.
The day they flew home in a bus! Have you ever flown home in a bus?
Vocabulary
all
of a sudden – ganz
plötzlich
as
well – auch
award
– (to award/awarded/awarded) – verleihen
bravery
– Kühnheit
cheering
– Jubeln
choice
– Wahl
currents
– Strömungen
decorated
– (to decorate/decorated/decorated) - auszeichnen
dropped
down in gear – Das Gang hinunter
geschaltet
gap
– Spalt/Abstand
gear
– Gang
incredible
– unglaublich
steered
– (to steer/steered/steered) – lenken
took-off
– (to take-off/took-off/taken-off)
– flog-ab
way-homes
- Heimreise
Questions
-
What
do bus trips allow time for?
Where
was the 78 bus going?
In
which year did this story take place?
What
was the bus driver's name?
Why
did the bus need speed?
Why
was Albert Gunter decorated by the Queen?
Why
was this a special medal for the Queen?
Have
you ever flown in bus?
