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?
