1939 ex Southdown Bus joins historic fleet at Amberley.
Dennis Falcon (number plate FUF 181), or No 81 as it’s known, is an ex Southdown single deck bus bought new in early 1939 and represents one of the last peace time purchases by the company before World War II.
The bus has joined The Southdown Omnibus Trust’s fleet of former Southdown buses dating from 1914 to 1939, which you can see at Amberley Museum.
FUF 181 has been saved from the scrapyard and will now take a few years to restore back to its former glory.
History of FUF 181
With the take over of the Tramocar business in Worthing by Southdown in 1938, thought had to be given as to what sort of vehicles would replace them. It was felt that as the roads were not very well built in West Worthing and the passengers were used to a centre entrance, lighter vehicles than the current Leylands were required, The decision was made to purchase a pair of Dennis Falcons with 30 seat centre entrance bodies by Harrington. This was a brave choice as the Company had no other Dennis buses at the time.
The buses were delivered to Portslade Works on 23 May 1938 and entered service on 1 June on service T1 replacing three Shelvoke & Drewry freighters, leaving just five still in service. With the outbreak of war in 1939 reductions in service had to be made and another Tramocar was withdrawn at the end of December 1939. On 6 June 1940 the T1 & T2 became 3a and 5a respectively and the 4 remaining Tramocars were withdrawn and the routes were taken over by the standard Leyland single-deckers. The two Dennis continued in service working relief journeys until the end of December 1942 when they were placed in store at the back of Worthing garage.
There they stayed until March 1946 when they were put back into service, on relief workings. now with the roofs painted dark green. In June 1947 the service 31F which had been running from Brighton to Ferring, was cut back so that it just ran between Worthing and Ferring and a use was found for these two buses on that route. It was decided to put double-deckers on service 31F for the summer of 1950 and so the two Dennis’ were on the move again this time to Portsmouth depot. In 1948 Southdown had purchased ten new Dennis Falcons for the Hayling Island routes, as the bridge to the Island had a weight restriction. The two Dennis’ at Worthing were sent to Havant.
They saw out their time at Hayling Island garage until the new bridge was opened in September 1956 when they were withdrawn and put in Hambledon garage for sale. 80 was sold very quickly in November, becoming a mobile shop in Bognor Regis, where it lasted for just under a year. 81 however had to wait until May 1958 before it was sold to the Eastbourne branch of an Old Peoples Charity, having a wheelchair access fitted in the back, In 1961 it was sold on to a similar charity in Bexhill and soon after passed into the ownership of Cuckfield Hospital. Then in 1968 it was sold into preservation in Haywards Heath, passing through several hands until settling down in Hassocks in 1969. In 1978 it changed hands again, this time becoming the property of the well known preservationist Derek Priddle. Then finally in 2015 it passed to David Mulpeter at Seaford (later Ringmer) from whom it was acquired.
Many thanks to David Mulpeter who donated the bus to the Southdown Omnibus Trust and paid for the cost of the heavy transport to the Museum.
