Names on the buses

720 Bishop James Hannington

Connections with Brighton and Hove : James Hannington was the first bishop of Eastern Equatorial Africa who was martyred in 1885 while trying to open up a route into what is now Uganda. Born in Hurstpierpoint in 1847, he came from the same family that started the former department store in Brighton but did not have any money. Hannington left school at 15 to work for his father’s counting house but six years later decided on a church career. After a slow start, he was ordained as a deacon in 1874 and rose rapidly. He joined the Church Missionary Society in 1882 and headed a team of six in Zanzibar but was forced by illness to return the next year. Hannington was then made a bishop and returned to East Africa in 1885 to open up the route. However King Mwanga of Buranda took exception to this and imprisoned all the missionaries. The King then ordered all his men to be killed before deciding Hannington should be stabbed to death as well. As he died he called out: "Go, tell Mwanga I have purchased the road to Uganda with my blood." Hannington and his companions were among the first martyrs of Uganda and his feast day in the Church of England is on October 29. A thriving church was named after him in Hove in 1938 and still stands at the junction of Nevill and Holmes Avenues.

720 Scania Omnicity - carried name since delivery in June 2009 on Metro 5. Metro branding removed September 2013. Repainted into Route 2 livery January 2014. Route 2 branding removed May 2017. Bus sold in February 2018. Name reappeared on ADL Enviro400 742 in April 2024.