Last updated: 06 November 2018

This Guy Arab entered service at Hoeford on 7 October 1943. To celebrate its 75^th “birthday”, a special tour of some of its old routes was planned by the Provincial Society. On 27 October 2018, sixteen members enjoyed the nostalgic trip along the local roads of Fareham and Gosport, starting from a meeting point in West Street, Fareham. Heading south from there, the Guy called in to the Hoeford depot as a special surprise for those on board. First Hampshire & Dorset allowed us to enter their premises to take photos of the bus back at its original home with their Guy Arab no. 55 (EHO 228).

From there, the Guy headed south along the main road to Fort Brockhurst where it turned left towards Elson and made its first photo opportunity stop at the ‘Windsor Castle’ pub. Moving on, the bus stopped at the Criterion and other iconic sites such as St Vincent College and St Georges Barracks which haven’t changed structurally since the 1940s. After a lunch stop at Gosport Ferry, the bus headed off  west towards Haslar with a pause at the Cemetery gates in Clayhall Road and then on to the wall by Haslar Hospital. After that, the journey continued through Stokes Bay, Gomer Lane, Grange Road to Bridgemary for a final break for any photographs opposite the row of shops in Nobes Lane before heading back to Fareham. The preservation of this bus is important as it is unique having been converted to a coach-bus in 1953. The coach fittings including platform doors were removed in October 1963 when it reverted to normal bus duties. The restoration continues and the platform doors will be fitted to recreate the time when the Guy was operated as a ‘Coach-Bus’.

This image shows the bus, which carried fleet number 57 (EHO 869) with Provincial, parked in the Hoeford yard during the tour on 27 October 2018.

Report and photograph by John Sherwin

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