Great Photo

Great photo by Luke Yates of Way Ahead Photography in Hythe as we prepared for Late Night Shopping.

Projecting a Great Image in Hythe

The Salvation Army and South Kent Community Church invited Home Front Bus into Hythe High Street to help communicate its message for Late Night Shopping.  We were pleased to help out and the whole event was enhanced by using the side of the bus to project its message.  The bus was extremely busy and all donations for entrance went to Christians Against Poverty www.capuk.org .  Thanks to Brian & Mark for providing the projection.

We also visited our last two schools of the year this week in Sittingbourne.  Thanks to Westland's and Regis Manor for being such great hosts.  School visits resume in the New Year with a visit to Reculver.

Another Busy Schools Week

Four schools came on board this week from Dover, Sittingbourne, Sheerness and Canning Town, East London. St Edward's School, Sheerness found our visitor book and wrote:

"A fabulous experience, the children thoroughly enjoyed it and so did the staff. Will definitely book again".

Thanks to Ensign Bus, Purfleet for allowing us to park the bus in their massive yard overnight.  It was great working with Steve Ball and his team from CEF in London.  Here the bus sprung a fuel leak, which was fixed with the turn of a spanner.  No need for an expensive diagnosis by plugging in a laptop!

More Feedback From More School Visits

Fantastic feedback from schools this week:

“The children have had a fantastic day. It really brought it alive for them. We’ve had great feedback from the parents who visited too. Thank You”

Cliftonville School

“We had a wonderful time. The children absolutely loved it and really enjoyed the chance to ask questions. A lovely end to our WW2 topic. Thank you so much”

St Richard’s School, Dover

PTA Hot

The Parent Teacher Association website has added a feature on Home Front Bus.  Why not take a look http://www.pta.org.uk/ .

Serious Swalecliffe Fun

The more schools we visit, the more the team enjoy themselves.  Yesterday we visited Swalecliffe Primary School and found the staff and pupils a real delight to be with.  Thank you for hosting us and for the following comment in our Visitor Book:

"Thank you for a wonderful day.  All our children thoroughly enjoyed their time on the Home Front Bus.  It really brought our learning alive, and the things they have learnt about became real to them.  A fantastic day."

Three Schools in Three Busy Days

We've been working hard this past week and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves in the process.

First we returned to Darrick Wood School, not to focus on the Home Front but on London Transport.  This was a change of theme but Ed and I got stuck in and a good time was had by all.  Thanks to Alison Tanner for posting the following comment on Facebook:

'We were very impressed - we'd loved the Home Front and weren't sure you could enthrall them as much with London Transport but they were so enthusiastic about it all you obviously succeeded! Thank you.'

Next up was Hayes primary School, which was a real delight:

'The children had a fantastic time.  Excellent input and successful day. Thank you'

Our third day was spent at Churchill Primary School, Westerham where heavy rain couldn't dampen the enthusiasm of the pupils, the staff or the team:

'The children have had the most wonderful day, such wonderful input and friendly staff.  They have all learnt so much and the bus has really helped to bring history to life.  Thank you so much.'

Congratulations also to Churchill School as several of their pupils are the only ones so far to recognise an ARP issue Bible when they see one!

Driving home from Westerham I was unsure whether I was driving a bus or piloting a boat.  Dark, flooded roads and continual torrential rain made it all very interesting.  Now where did I leave my voice?

Beaver Green School Pupils Speak Out

Following a recent visit to Beaver Green School (our 2nd this year) some of the pupils sent through their thoughts on the day:

"It was really fun! The best bit was where we saw a real bomb but it didn’t blow up! I also liked it when the lady talked to us about rationing, they didn’t get much food!"

Chloe

"I would like to go on it again! My favourite bit was the Anderson Shelter!"

Kieran

"Everybody in our class loved the Home-Front bus, it was fantastic!"

Shannon

"Suspense crawls all over you as you are waiting for your turn!"

Ruby

"The people that showed us round were very kind!"

Wiktoria

"The Anderson Shelter was super; I expect they really made you feel at home, once they had added their own touches!"

"It was so fun, I hope that they visit again!"

Sultan

"I loved every part of it! It was amazing! I enjoyed travelling back in time!"

Sam

"The best bit about the bus was the shop!"

Lauren

"It was interesting seeing the bomb! It made me jump when the man shouted 'Turn that light off!'”

Good News for Smaller School Groups

Up to now it has not been cost effictive for Home Front Bus to visit schools with smaller groups.  We are pleased to announce however that we can now offer a single class size the opportunity to visit us either at The Battle of Britain Memorial http://www.battleofbritainmemorial.org/the-memorial/ or Dover Transport Museum  http://www.dovertransportmuseum.org.uk/ .  This will allow a school to combine a visit to the bus with either the memorial or the musuem at a reduced cost to a full day visit of the bus to a school.

The first school to take advantage of this arrangement was Boughton-under-Blean Primary School who visited the bus today with a single class at the Battle of Britain Memorial and left the following comment in our Visitor Book:

"Having completed so many year 6 trips about WW2 I can hand on heart say that this has been the most enjoyable and informative by far. So much information in such a short space of time. Characters were very knowledgeable and friendly. History brought to life!"

Battle of Britain Day

Today was Battle of Britain Day.  September 15th 1940 was the final and decisive day of the Battle of Britain and Home Front Bus was delighted to spend the anniversary at the Memorial in Capel-le-Ferne.  We parked next to the replica Spitfire and Hurricane, but it was even better to see the real aircraft flying overhead in perfect conditions.

Thanks also to Firebase Replicas for supplying a bomb to complete our UXB area inside the bus.

Audio Tour

First of all aapologies to anyone who might have been expecting to see the bus in Canterbury or Broadstairs this week. The bus is fine but the driver injured his shoulder and is trying not to aggravate matters by driving the heavy bus. Hopefully things will be back at the weekend.


In the meantime please check out the Audio Tour of the bus available via our website www.homefrontbus.com

Home Front Bus meets Allo Allo

It was a real joy to be visited by some of the cast of Allo Allo during our recent visit to the War & Peace Show.

The cast kindly wrote in our ever popular Visitor Book:

'Delightful x' Kim Hartman (Helga)

'Great!!' John D Collins (Fairfax)

'Somply winderful!' Arthur Bostrom (Crabtree)

'Allo Mimi was on the bus' Sue Hodge (Mimi)

'Sorry - Left my little tank at home ....' Guy Siner (Lt Gruber)

Home Front Bus at War & Peace

Five days at the War & Peace Show, Paddock Wood was all about meeting some great people, as well as reminding me why I don't like camping any more.

  Diane Martin, The Pearly Princess of St Pancras wrote in our visitor book:

'Wonderful, absolutely important for the children to know our wonderful history.  Keep up the fantastic work'

Other comments in our book included:

'Amazing. People were very well informed and lived the characterss' Tom & Roland Watt

'Brings back many memories.  Very well done.  Good luck, keep it going' Cyril Howard (aged 85)

'A beautiful bus, extremely evocative of the era - very friendly too!' Amy Norris

'Fantastic experience - amazing attention to detail' Hayleigh Marks

'Amazing to see everything for real, especially the tiny rations' Ali Hayes

Thanks are due to Rex and his superb team for making us welcome at the the world's biggest military vehicle show.

Kent County Weather Show

The most notable aspect of the Kent County Show was the weather - sun, wind, rain, mist, thunder & lightening, but mainly wind & rain!  However the valiant Home Front Bus team made the best of it and many good contacts were made with schools and event organisers.  The bus now moves on to War & Peace at Paddock Wood.

Battle of Britain Memorial Day, Capel-le-Ferne

One of our most enjoyable days to date was spent at the Battle of Britain Memorial site at Capel-le-Ferne.  This is our third visit to the Memorial, but today we were promoted from the car park to the actual site where it was a privilege to witness the ceremony to commemorate the start of the Battle of Britain. 

We were also treated to a splendid display by a Spitfire and Hurricane in perfect weather conditions.  Many thanks once again to the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust for inviting us along and for hosting an excellent event.

Quote off the day from 8 year old Victoria:

"I think that everyone should come because it's brilliant"

Quex Park

We spent Saturday 9th July at Quex Park Country Fair where we were kept company by a genuine 1940's bus.  This splendid ex London Transport AEC bus is a predecessor of our own.

All Quiet on the Walmer Front

We had a great day at Walmer Science College despite the fact that it was officially shut due to strike action.  Although their own pupils were having an extra day off, the school hosted year 5 pupils from neighbouring Primary Schools who all had a great time visiting the bus.

Thanks to all the staff and to Alison Drane for sending through the excellent photos.  Thanks also to Mark for coming out at lunchtime and restoring sound to the lower deck.

Airfix Sponsor Home Front Bus

We are pleased to announce that Home Front Bus is now receiving sponsorship from Airfix .  They have put a special pack together to enable schools and other youth organisations to try out the fantastic world of Airfix modelling and these are being promoted on the front and rear of the bus.

Raising the Flag Day, Gravesend

An excellent day in Gravesend partaking in the Raising the Flag ceremony at the Civic Centre.  Once the formalities were over the crowd were entertained by a variety of artists recreating the sounds of WW2.  The visiting school children were literally dancing in the streets.

Thanks to Gravesham Borough Council for inviting us along and for T. S Dhesi, the Mayor of Gravesham for contributing the following to our visitor book.

Excellent idea.  Brings everything that we hear and read about to life.  Well done!

Spa Valley Railway 1940's Weekend

Thanks to all at the Spa Valley Railway for hosting the Home Front Bus at the newly reopened Eridge Station.  As the trains arrived from Tunbridge Wells the passengers transferred to the bus to enjoy the displays before rejoining their train.

A great weekend in the company of many excellent re-enactors and the steam trains that made for a very atmospheric weekend.

Thanks are also due to Richard at Brookline Coaches, Ryarsh for allowing us to keep the bus in their yard for the past week. 

Helping Ryarsh School Celebrate their 70th Anniversary

It was a real pleasure to be invited by Ryarsh Primary School to help celebrate their 70th anniversary.  A fantastic effort had been put in by all the staff to give the whole school a 1940's feel complete with artefacts lying everywhere.  We didn't know whether we were in a museum or a school?  All the staff wore period costume and every school window was taped to help prevent flying glass from bomb blasts.  They even dressed up their old air raid shlter as it might have been during the war.

School staff all dresssed up for the occasion

Housewife Mel listening to well informed pupils

Air Raid Warden Paul presents a pupil with an incendary bomb to inspect

Shop keeper Jo explains the meagre wartime rations.  That meat would have to last a family for a week. 

Thanks to everyone at the school for being such great hosts and for writing the following in our visitor book:

What a fantastic resource and a fabulous learning experience!  The children (and staff) have had the opportunity to experience a little bit of life in the 1940's today and we've loved it!  Thank you all very much.

No Sign of a Droubt in Bromley

Our second wet Sunday in a row was spent at the Bromley Motor Pageant. The poor weather kept away large crowds but we did respectable business under the circumstances.  Many local school teachers discovered us for the first time and were suitably impressed with the presentation.  We will hopefully visit the Bromley and Croydon area again in the Autumn to visit more schools.

Four Bromley Shools

This week Home Front Bus has entertained and hopefully educated four Primary Schools in the London Borough of Bromley.  They were Manor Oak, Poverest, Leesons and Darrick Wood.  The comment below came from staff at Manor Oak Primary School, St Marys Cray.

Thank you so much for a great experience.  The children and staff enjoyed each section of the bus very much.  I know we have all learnt a great deal through the visit of the World War 2 bus.  It was very beneficial to the children's learning to have a grasp of the reality of the war.  We will certainly recommend you.

Thanks to all the staff at all the schools for your great hospitality and for entering in to the spirit of the occasion.

New Team at Hamstreet Country Show

Sunny weather on Saturday meant that we had a great day at Hamstreet Country Show. Rain on Sunday meant the opposite. However, we welcomed two new members of the team onto the bus - Gill and daughter Aimee (sounds like the Generation Game). They did a great job and got stuck in with big smiles on their faces. I am looking forward to working with Gill and Aimee over the summer months.  Not forgetting Ben who also did a great job in the Saturday heat.

Battle of Britain Memorial

The weather today was cloudy and cold  and and an icy wind blew across the Battle of Britain Memorial.  But the weather couldn't dampen the spirits of those watching the fly pasts by a Spitfire provided by Go Action Stations http://goactionstations.co.uk/ .  Many even joined the Spitfire in the air flying alongside in a helicopter.

Home Front Bus provided the attraction on the ground and a good time was had by all.

Faversham Historic Vehicle Weekend

Faversham Historic Vehicle Weekend turned out to be our busiest event to date.  The team worked tirelessly to accommodate the large number of visitors to the bus.  Many thanks are due to South East Coachworks for both inviting us and hosting us for the weekend.  Chris and his staff helped make a very hectic and busy weekend a pleasurable and stress free occasion.

Quotes of the weekend:

'Fantastic exhibition - very valuable for children to learn and understand'

'Fantastic!  Well worth a visit (again)'

Our New EBay Shop is Now Open

The products that Home Front Bus sells from its market stand can now be found on our new EBay shop http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Home-Front-Bus?_rdc=1 .  Alternatively you can follow the link from http://www.homefrontbus.com/ .  Not everything is listed yet and an exciting new range of books are on their way.  Why not take a look?

RH&DR 1940's Weekend

Thanks to RH&DR for hosting us right outside New Romney light railway station for their 1940's weekend.

Qoute of the day:

'So atmospheric!!  Brings back so many memories "Carry on"! '

Our latest list of dates:

• 21st – 22nd May – Faversham Historic Vehicle Weekend
• 28th – 29th May – Battle of Britain Memorial, Capel
• 31st May - Canterbury City Centre
• 2nd June - Canterbury City Centre
• 4th - 5th June - Hamstreet Country Show
• 12th June - Bromley Pageant of Motoring
• 18th - 19th June - Spa Valley Railway, Eridge
• 20th June - Raising the Flag Day, Gravesend
• 2nd July - Selsted Primary School Fair
• 10th July - Battle of Britain Memorial, Capel
• 15th - 17th July - Kent County Show, Detling
• 20th -24th July - The War & Peace Show, Paddock Wood
• 30th July - Battle of Britain Memorial, Capel

 Please check back as there are further dates yet to be confirmed.

Quote of the Day & Dates

Qoute of the day from a recnt visitor who lived through the bombing of Canterbury:

"Brings back the night of the Canterbury blitz as though yesterday"

Our latest list of dates:  

• 14th – 15th May – RH&DR, New Romney
• 21st – 22nd May – Faversham Historic Vehicle Weekend
• 28th – 29th May – Battle of Britain Memorial, Capel
• 31st May - Canterbury City Centre
• 2nd June - Canterbury City Centre
• 4th - 5th June - Hamstreet Country Show
• 12th June - Bromley Pageant of Motoring
• 18th - 19th June - Spa Valley Railway, Eridge
• 20th June - Raising the Flag Day, Gravesend
• 2nd July - Selsted Primary School Fair
• 10th July - Battle of Britain Memorial, Capel
• 15th - 17th July - Kent County Show, Detling
• 20th -24th July - The War & Peace Show, Paddock Wood
• 30th July - Battle of Britain Memorial, Capel

Please check back as there are further dates yet to be confirmed.

More Pages From our Book

More days in Canterbury have led to more school enquiries and more encouraging comments in our visitor book.

We are also pleased to announce that we will be attending The War & Peace Show at The Hop Farm, Paddock Wood http://www.thewarandpeaceshow.com/  20th - 24th July.

New Dates

We had hoped to publish a list of dates when the bus could be seen in Dover but have been defeated by major gas works, which are due to take place in the Market Square.  Hopefully we will be able to get there in June.

The confirmed dates for May are:

· 7th May – Canterbury City Centre
· 14th – 15th May – RH&DR, New Romney
· 21st – 22nd May – Faversham Transport Show
· 28th – 29th May – Battle of Britain Memorial, Capel

Please check back as there are further dates yet to be confirmed.

The photo below hangs in the living room of the bus and shows Ed as a 7 year old boy standing on the exact spot where a bomb later fell with devasting results for his family and home.

Keep Calm T Shirts Arrive

Our new Keep Calm & Carry On T shirts have now arrived as expertly modeled by Amy and me.  These are the only T Shirts that tell you how to Keep Calm & Carry On.  The verse at the bottom reads:

"You will keep in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You" (Isaiah 26:3).

They are £10 each plus P&P and are available in all sizes.  Order yours at

info@homefrontbus.com

More Vsitors & a Book

Our busiest day yet in Canterbury kept Ed, Ben, Paul and me on our toes.  A previous visitor had the excellent idea of providing a visitor book, so today we did and received the following comments.

  

I940's Meets the 21st Century

A return to Canterbury today for the first of a series of visits over the Easter Holidays.  Our neighbours MacDonald's have been making the most of the great weather by expanding their outdoor seating area.  This meant that we got intimate.  I just hope that they appreciate the increase in trade we obviously brought them.

Meanwhile Josh made his debut as an Air Raid Warden having spent much of the previous night swatting up.  He did a great job.  Thanks also to Ben for filling in and allowing everyone a lunchtime break.

Look out for Home Front Bus in St. Georges Street, Canterbury on Thursday 21st, Bank Holiday Monday 25th, Thursday 28th, Saturday 30th April.  More dates will follow.

Final Poster

I returned from a short break to find the thrid of our Ministry of Information posters has arrived from the printers. This is by far my favourite and is available from Home Front Bus and The Vine bookshop in Folkestone.  All three are available at a special price.

Enjoying the Weather

One of the great things about having a bus as a base is its mobility, which means that you can hold team meetings anywhere you like.  On Friday a few of us met to pray and discuss some issues onboard and so we parked the bus on the East Cliff in Folkestone and gathered in the air raid shelter. 



It felt quite surreal to be in an Anderson Shelter on the top deck of a bus especially as we were afforded a spectacular view with the rear wall removed and the emergency window open for fresh air.



Yesterday we visited the Historic Transport Show at the Kent Showground, Detling. The visitors were mainly interested in old vehicles rather than WW2 stuff so we were not doing great business.  We scrapped our admission charges and simply asked for donations from visitors as they left and subsequently our fortunes changed as people came onboard realised how good it was and put their money in the bag as they left.

The second of our Ministry of Information posters has now arrived from the printers and is available in A3 format on 170gsm paper. We haven't messed with the message this time but leave the interpretation to you.

Catching Up

Since my last blog we have had an excellent day at Beaver Green School in Ashford, a day at Crampton Tower Museum in Broadstairs and another day in Canterbury City Centre.  The bus continues to create interest wherever it goes, it really is its own best advert.

We welcomed Jo Gore to our team who immediately jumped in and made herself at home as an excellent housewife, here seen posing with Ed & Jenny at Beaver Green School.

Having had a fair bit of success selling Keep Calm & Carry On posters we have decided to produce our own.  The difference with ours is that we are offering an answer as to How to Keep Calm & Carry On.  The poster together with our suggestion is illustrated below and will be available as an A3 poster and a T Shirt.  Further designs will follow soon.

Upcoming Dates


April 2011

• Sat 2nd - Canterbury City Centre, 10am - 4pm
• Sat 9th - Heritage Transport Show, Detling
• Mon 18th - Canterbury City Centre, 10am - 4pm
• Tues 19th - Canterbury City Centre, 10am - 4pm
• Thurs 21st - Canterbury City Centre, 10am - 4pm
• Mon 25th - Canterbury City Centre, 10am - 4pm
• Thurs 28th - Canterbury City Centre, 10am - 4pm
• Sat 30th - Canterbury City Centre, 10am - 4pm

 July 2011

• Fri 15th - Kent County Show, Detling
• Sat 16th - Kent County Show, Detling
• Sun 17th - Kent County Show, Detling

Dover Travel & Liesure Show

We took advantage of a very last minute opportunity to attend the Travel & Liesure Show at Dover Cruise Terminal yesterday.  Whilst most people exhibited indoors we parked the bus outside and attracted passers by.  My son Ben made his debut as an ARP Warden and recieved fantastic reviews from the many visitors.

In the afternoon we were joined by the ever keen Buck family where Isaac volunttered to show people around the lower deck and was also highly praised for his youthful enthusiasm by the visitors.  Thanks to Ben and the Buck family for responding and helping out at such short notice.

Our main purpose in being there was to be seen by event organisers, shcools and other attractions.  We left greatly encouraged by the amount of interest we recieved from all of the above and are looking forward to see how these contacts develop.

Dover Transport Museum brought along this splendid old Leyland open top bus to promote themselves, which looked great alongside Home Front Bus.

Upcoming Dates

March 2011

• Sat 26th - Crampton Tower Museum, Broadstairs
• Mon 28th - Canterbury City Centre, 10am - 4pm

 April 2011

• Sat 2nd - Canterbury City Centre, 10am - 4pm
• Mon 4th - Canterbury City Centre, 10am - 4pm
• Sat 9th - Heritage Transport Show, Detling
• Mon 18th - Canterbury City Centre, 10am - 4pm
• Tues 19th - Canterbury City Centre, 10am - 4pm
• Thurs 21st - Canterbury City Centre, 10am - 4pm
• Mon 25th - Canterbury City Centre, 10am - 4pm
• Thurs 28th - Canterbury City Centre, 10am - 4pm
• Sat 30th - Canterbury City Centre, 10am - 4pm

 July 2011

• Fri 15th - Kent County Show, Detling
• Sat 16th - Kent County Show, Detling
• Sun 17th - Kent County Show, Detling