Names on the buses

904 Sir John Clements

Connections with Brighton and Hove : During the Sixties and Seventies, Sir John Clements and his wife Kay Hammond were distinguished members of Brighton’s theatrical set. They lived in Royal Crescent, Kemp Town close to their great friends and colleagues Lord and Lady Olivier. Born in 1910, Clements made his first stage appearance aged 20 and appeared in almost 200 plays. He founded the Intimate Theatre at Palmers Green in London in 1935 and later went on to star in and produce many West End plays. Clements was the artistic director of Chichester Festival Theatre between 1966 and 1973, following Olivier who was the first man in this role. He also had a long career in films although generally he was less successful on screen than he was on the stage. His first appearance was in a cameo role in 1935 but his biggest success came four years later in The Four Feathers, produced by Alexander Korda. Clements played a heroic man who had been branded a coward. In 1947, he was writer, producer and director of Call of the Blood while his last role was in Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi in 1981. Clements was appointed CBE in 1956 and was knighted in 1968. He died in 1988, eight years after his wife.

904 Scania Omnidekka - carried name since delivery in September 2006. Rebranded to Coaster 12 livery June 2008. Repainted into revised Coaster livery August 2011. Coaster branding removed November 2014. Bus transferred to Go-Ahead Oxford in August 2020.