B-type LGOC open top motor bus bonnet No B340

Built at the London General Omnibus Company (L.G.O.C.)'s works at Walthamstow, this B-type bus was allocated to Middle Row Garage in North Kensington. In 1914 it was used by the War Department for home defence work, carrying wounded troops around London. One of the first buses ever to be retained for preservation, it was shipped to Vancouver in 1936 for the L.G.O.C. Golden Jubilee parade. It has since been exhibited at the Museum of British Transport at Clapham in the 1960s and Syon Park in the 1970s. The B-type became the first mass-produced bus in the world. During the First World War, many were shipped to France, often still displaying their London adverts, to carry troops to the Western Front. The B-Type was the first mass produced motorbus in the world. In 1912, 20 were built per week. By 1919 B-types had replaced all horse buses and most motor buses in London. In the First World War, over 900 B-types were used by the army on the Western Front, some of which were converted into lorries. This one transported wounded troops around London from 1914 to 1916. It then returned to regular bus work before being withdrawn in 1924.