Friends of King Alfred Buses (FoKAB) is delighted to announce that its now- famous 1950 Leyland Olympic JAA 708, which had already been fully restored and relaunched in 2012 but was sadly very badly damaged (but thankfully not destroyed) in a premises fire late in 2023, arrived in April at the Scottish Bus Museum at Lathalmond in Fife, and restoration has now commenced.
Under the expert care of vehicle specialist Andrew Crockett, this monocoque chassisless HR40 Leyland Olympic will hopefully be fully restored in 2028, gracing the streets of Winchester once more, in a planned three-year project.
The key events so far:
- December 2023 – Fire at Penton Mewsey reduces previously restored Olympic 708 to a sad wreck.
- March 2024 – 708 wreck is extracted from the destroyed building and taken to FoKAB’s Winchester workshop for careful inspection and review.
- August 2024 – 708 is displayed at the Buses Festival at Sywell and seen by thousands of people.
- November 2024 – FoKAB Trustees commit to restoring the bus in a three-year programme with a budget of up to £500,000.
- December 2024 – FoKAB is able to buy an abandoned, derelict Leyland Royal Tiger chassis, complete with a set of mechanical equipment identical to that on the Olympic.
- January 2025 – Andrew Crockett appointed to lead the project and undertake the work in Scotland.
- February 2025 – Private funding commitments totalling over £250,000 mean that work can start before public fundraising begins.
- March 2025 – The Bus Archive provides FoKAB with access to a complete set of 150 original blueprint journeys of excellent quality from the MCW factory in Birmingham, illustrating every aspect of the Olympics’ construction of the Olympic. This news has transformed our restoration task.
- 25/26 April 2025 – 708 is transferred to Lathalmond, and the derelict Leyland Royal Tiger is rescued and brought alongside 708.
- May 2025 – The Royal Tiger’s collapsed body was removed, and the chassis has been found to be in excellent condition.
- Andrew Crockett has started the task of collecting parts for 708, whilst assessing the overall task.
- 31 May 2025 – The Appeal to raise £500,000 was officially announced at FoKAB’s Fortieth birthday celebrations in Winchester. The fundraising now formally starts.
Now is the time! When we first reported on the fire, we were impressed and touched by the astonishing number of people who contacted us, expressing concern and sympathy and saying that they would like to contribute financially if the decision was taken to rebuild. So, here’s your chance, everybody! Just 18 months later, we have opened the Fundraising campaign to restore 708.
We are asking everybody to contribute whatever they feel able to provide. And we will be looking at every form of available fundraising to support this Historic project.
Meanwhile, do look out for our displays at these forthcoming events in 2025/2026 for further inspiration and information:
FoKAB Heritage Open Days Running Day: Sunday 14 September 2025.
FoKAB at New Year on Thursday, 1 January, Running Day 2026.
The Original King Alfred Running Day, May Bank Holiday, 4 May 2026.
Top photo: This is King Alfred Leyland Olympic 708 on a previous Running Day, before it was swept up in the damaging fire of late 2023. Copyright: Richard Pretious.
