KJG 109E at Faversham c1967

[Derek Jones]

As we get nearer Christmas this is always an appropriate time for some vintage pictures of pre-National Bus Company days in Kent and East Sussex, and having started to sort through some colour slides from the collection of John Watts, this offers plenty of interesting examples dating from the mid to late 1960s.  This one dates from about 1967 though an exact date has not yet been traced, but some other views to follow have been precisely dated in 1967 or 1968.

From the border area of East Kent and Maidstone District at Faversham to start with, but featuring East Kent vehicles most prominently this time, a picture of Crescent Road, as busy then with buses as it is nowadays with cars queueing to get into or out of Tesco's car park. KJG 109E on the 31 service to Chilham leads four other vehicles.  Subject to the limitations of my own knowledge, it appears we have AEC Reliance/Beadle NFN 332 on the 38 to Chestfield, a Regent V probably on the 8 (you will note Margate on the destination as the 8 ran as a through service from Faversham across Canterbury at the time, supplanting the 3 for a few years), together with an M&D Regent V on the 11 to Ashford and what looks like an Atlantean hidden at the back, probably on the 26 to Gravesend.

More to follow in the coming weeks.

Derek J