Names on the buses

212 Paul Hearne

Connections with Brighton and Hove : Paul Frank Hearne was born in Patcham and after a conventional local authority education started working in the Motor Tax Department of the Brighton Borough Treasurer's Department in 1960, then situated in Royal York Buildings.

 This rekindled his dormant transport interest as the office was responsible for the registration and licensing of Brighton Corporation and Southdown fleets (B H & D, being registered in Hove and outside the borough boundary, was managed by East Sussex County Council in Lewes). The Brighton office backed on to Pool Valley from where many of the Southdown out of town services originated. Subsequent promotion within the Borough Treasurer's Dept. found Paul in the Revenue Section in Regent Arcade where he stayed for the remainder of his career. Paul married Monica Wood in 1975 and on taking early retirement moved to Leicester to be with Monica on her transfer to the Head Office of a Building Society. On Monica's retirement, they returned to Sussex and lived in Shoreham by Sea where they fully participated in many local activities.

Paul Hearne had an encyclopaedic knowledge of all transport forms in Brighton and the surrounding area. These included Brighton Corporation trams, trolley buses and diesel buses. In addition, he knew the fleet number, livery and registration number of all Southdown vehicles from immediately post-war to the ultimate demise of the BET owned company. Nor did Brighton, Hove & District escape his interest. Paul sadly collapsed and died in Shoreham High Street but not before having noted with interest the "green" credentials of the latest livered buses recently introduced by Govia into the Brighton Fleet.

He has been laid to rest in Clayton Burial Ground overlooking his beloved South Downs in sight of the Jack & Jill Windmills. Paul, and in many cases with his wife Monica, were participants in a variety of local organisations including the Bluebell Railway, Brighton Ramblers, RSPB, National Trust, Shoreham Town Twinning Association, Steadfast Band of the Boys Brigade (in which Paul played the snare drum), not forgetting his love of music manifested in membership of both the Burgess Hill and Haywards Heath Symphony Orchestras' supporters' groups.

In his youth he was instrumental in popularising stoolball. He was also a regular attender at The Assembly Hall, Worthing and The Barn, Southwick. We would not be in the least surprised if there were to be similar submissions for Paul's name to be featured on a Brighton Bus as due to the above interests he was extremely well known amongst transport aficionados and contributed to local as well as national publications.

Most of us had known Paul for at least 19 years (many for a good deal longer) and whilst our mutual interest in transport offered a regular and enjoyable conversation piece, this was enriched by his leading a group of former colleagues (details below) on regular Monday walks, usually within 25 miles or so of the Brighton area where his interest in natural history invariably enriched the rambles, covering both flora and fauna. One of our members is associated with a Transport orientated Society in Yorkshire and we have been fascinated at the number of occasions where Paul's local knowledge has been put to good effect in solving queries.

For example, A local BET owned company (Mexborough & Swinton) obtained several ex Southdown PD2's yet details of these vehicles remained a mystery until Paul came to the rescue.

212 Volvo Gemini - carried name since October 2022.