Names on the buses

803 Martin Langfried

Connections with Brighton and Hove : The man who sounded the bugle at the Battle of Balaclava was Martin Leonard Landfried. Born in 1834 in Gibraltar, he joined the 17th Lancers, a cavalry regiment stationed in Brighton and became their trumpeter. By that time the 17th Lancers were in the Crimea as part of a combined British-French expeditionary force. They were part of the Light Brigade. Landfried became famous as the man who sounded the charge of the Light Brigade but it is not clear whether this was his responsibility or not. Many other trumpeters were there. During the charge, Martin Landfried was shot in the sword arm slightly below the elbow but he carried on riding until his horse was killed from under him. He was invalided to Scutari and then returned to England. He left the army in 1865 and came to live in Brighton, taking a job in Hannington’s department store as a draper’s clerk. He remained in Brighton for the rest of his life. Landfried was twice married and had a large family. He later moved to Hove where he died in 1902. He was buried in Hove Cemetery. He became famous as the battle trumpeter and often appeared in concerts in Brighton and Hove.

803 Mercedes Streetdeck on Route 1 - carried name since December 2016. Route 1 branding removed in October 2020. Repainted into Coaster Local livery in November 2021.