LTOCA 1923 - 2025
The origins of the Association go back to the First World War, following the illustrious record of London Busmen who took their "B" type buses to Flanders to ferry troops to and from the front lines, and bring wounded back. King George V proclaimed in 1920, that London Busmen would parade at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday. This proud tradition has been maintained every year. Later, following the Second World War, London Underground and other sections of London Transport volunteered ex-servicemen to join the Busmen on the parade. These marchers eventually formed their own Armistice Association and held a lunch each year to foster comradeship and to discuss aspects of the Parade.
In 1923 Admin Staff who had returned from the War formed the London Transport Old Comrades Association and were later also invited to march. Its main purpose was to hold an annual dinner on the Friday evening before the Remembrance Day service at the Cenotaph as close to the 11th November as possible.
Field of Rembemrance
Since November 1998 the Association has also had a plot at the Field of Remembrance, Westminster Abbey. Members are encouraged to meet there each year at 10:00hrs, on the Thursday before the Remembrance Day Parade, where a member of the Royal Family attends, to pay tribute to the various Regiments and Organisations who present plots in memory of their respective fallen.
