Rye Electric Palace Gets an Unwanted Visitor
The bus that went to the cinema, or almost, as can be seen from the picture (the Electric Palace in the Landgate is the building just beyond the bus with the coloured electric light bulbs in the shape of an arch) was an East Kent converted charabanc on the Camber Rye Harbour service.
These pictures, loaned by Clifford Bloomfield were taken by his father George, who worked for East Kent. The picture below shows how a large strip of brown paper was stuck over the East Kent insignia to prevent ‘bad publicity.’
Roland Jempson, who wrote the original article, contacted Nicholas King of the M & D and East Kent Bus Club (who provided most of the pictures), to ascertain the date of the incident. Mr. King replied that the date could have only be 1933 or 1934. Until 1933 FN 4336 had a charabanc body, and the chassis was only fitted with a twenty seat bus body at the very end of its career.
Edward George Bloomfield worked for East Kent as a mechanic for many years, a was awarded a long service, 25 years, certificate. The driver of FN 4336 was
ribbed throughout the rest of his working life about the mishap.
Rye’s Own September 2005
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