28 December 1952 Double Decker bus jumps Tower Bridge

On 28 December 1952, Albert Gunter,  the driver of the number 78 bus was heading across Tower Bridge when he realised that it was being raised to allow a ship to pass on the Thames below. The warning signals and barriers which should have prevented the bus from starting to cross the bridge had not been activated.

Realising that his double-decker could topple into the Thames, Albert hit the accelerator and shot across the widening gap between the bridge’s two halves before landing safely on the other side. This 3ft leap resulted in minor injuries for 12 of the 20 passengers and a £10 bravery award for Albert.