Names on the buses

624 Eric Courtney-King

Connections with Brighton and Hove : A man of many parts, Eric Courtney-King was perhaps best known for being chairman of Brighton and Hove Albion in the Sixties. He took on the role in 1963/64 after being a director since 1960 and the club was in a parlous position, dropping into the Fourth Division. Courtney-King appointed Archie Macaulay from West Brom as the manager, announcing the appointment at his house in Shoreham. With a reconstituted board including men with money such as Harold Paris, Macaulay was encouraged to spend money on players and it paid off. Albion won the championship and was unbeaten at home for a whole season. Courtney-King eventually left the board because of a spinal complaint which, typically, he did not reveal. Starting as a cadet at Cranwell, he served in the RAF for ten years. His links with Albion began through the supporters’ club. A wealthy businessman, Courtney-King owned 30 dry cleaning shops known as Courtneys. He established the Federation of Sussex Industries with the redoubtable Nora Potter. Courtney-King was also a JP, a prominent member of Rotary and a freemason. He established many old people’s lunch clubs in the area and helped start the Brighton Festival along with others. He died in 1999 aged 96.

624 Scania Omnidekka carried name since delivery in February 2004, on METRO Line 1. Metro 1 branding removed March 2012.

Eric (Chairman) with Albion Board of Directors (1968/69)

Courtney King House