Two London icons accidentally made history when a double-decker bus jumped over Tower Bridge

There was no day quite like December 30th, 1952, when two London icons accidentally made history as a double-decker bus jumped over Tower Bridge.

A man called Albert Gunter was going about his day job driving the number 78 bus over Tower Bridge, when it felt like the road in front of him suddenly dropped away.

That was because the iconic Tower Bridge was opening up while Albert’s bus was still on it, and instead of stopping or reversing, he decided to put the pedal to the metal.

Despite only going 12mph, he accidentally made history by successfully jumping the London icon from one side of the bridge to the other.

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Two London icons accidentally made history

Back in 1952, the watchman was meant to ring a warning bell and close the gates to Tower Bridge if a boat was traveling underneath. That way, no cars could be on the bridge when the two pieces lifted.

For some reason, the watchman didn’t do his job that day. So when bus driver Albert Gunter was going about his job as usual, driving the number 78 bus, suddenly the ground gave way beneath him.

Neither Gunter nor his passengers knew what to do. If he stopped, it could risk the bus toppling into the River Thames, so Albert decided to floor the gas and attempt to jump the gap.

Having been a tank driver during the Second World War, Albert knew a tank would be able to make the jump, so who’s to say a double-decker bus couldn’t do the same?

Did he successfully jump the double-decker over Tower Bridge?

After slamming his foot on the accelerator, Gunter got some airtime in the double-decker bus and accidentally successfully pulled off the most classic London stunt ever.

The number 78 made it onto the north side of the tower safely, with all 20 passengers completely unharmed. They were all taken to hospital to check they were ok, but Albert had pulled it off.

The only person injured was Gunter himself, who broke his leg in the process. But even the bus, which was only going 12mph wasn’t damaged.

To reward him for his bravery and quick thinking, Gunter was given a day off work and £10, which is just under £300 nowadays.

When he was asked how he would spend the money he’d earned by successfully combining two London icons, he said:

“Five for me, and five for the missus”. 

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