Names on the buses

459 Countess of Rothes

Connections with Brighton and Hove : Noelle Rothes will always be remembered for her bravery when the Titanic hit an iceberg on her maiden voyage in 1912. As one of the richest and most aristocratic passengers, the Countess is believed to have traveled in a stateroom. She wanted to visit New York and perhaps Vancouver. With her cousin and a maid, she was placed in lifeboat no 8 after disaster struck with Able Seaman Thomas Jones put in charge. He asked her to steer the boat which she did before comforting a young Spanish newlywed, whose husband had remained behind on the sinking liner. Throughout the night she combined this with rowing the boat until they were picked up by RMS Carpathia where she again helped other survivors. Jones later presented her with the brass number plate from their lifeboat and she wrote to him each Christmas until her death. After her husband, who had not been on the ship, died in 1927, Lady Rothes remarried to Colonel Claud Macfie in London. She retained her title. The couple had no children. She died in Hove in 1956 aged 77, having suffered for some time from heart disease. She was portrayed in the 1997 film Titanic by actress Rochelle Rose and featured in the book Lifeboat no 8 by author Elizabeth Kay.

459 Volvo Gemini - carried name since delivery in June 2013 on Route 5. Repainted into standard livery August 2019.