UPDATE: There is now hope that at least one of the vehicles, mobile cinema KJU 267E, might not have been damaged beyond repair. The vehicle’s owners report that parts of the vehicle, including the distinctive dome, are visible in the ruined building, leading to some hope that it might be salvageable.
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Within weeks of the Friends of King Alfred Buses’ Leyland Olympic beginning its long road to recovery following a devastating fire at that organisation’s storage location, two classic buses are among the vehicles and artifacts which have been destroyed in a fire at the premises of Bicester Motion at the former RAF Bicester facility in Oxfordshire. OAX 9F, a 1968 Bristol RELH with Eastern Coach Works body and well-known instantly recognisable mobile cinema KJU 267E, based on a Bedford SB3 chassis with cabs from Plaxton, were inside the building at the time of the blaze, the cause of which remained unknown at the time of writing.
The fire broke out at the premises at around 1830hrs on Thursday 15 May, and was tackled by 10 crews from Oxfordshire Fire & Rescue Service. The Bicester Motion facility is home to over 50 specialist businesses, with a focus on classic car restoration and engineering. Tragically, two firefighters and a third person, whose identities had not been revealed at the time of writing, were killed during efforts to fight the fire.
Known as ‘Ruby,’ the Bristol coach was new in 1968 and in preservation had been refurbished with a luxury interior including red-upholstered seats and tables. It was one of 10 delivered to Red & White in 1968, alongside 11 in 1966 and a further batch of 11 in 1969. The coach was mainly used on express coach services, day-tours, excursions and private hires, before being withdrawn in 1983.
KJU 267E was one of a fleet of mobile cinemas introduced as part of a Government scheme to create a mobile cinema which could travel to engineering firms and give training sessions on how they could improve industrial productivity.
A prototype was created and by 1964, followed by seven more in 1967, operated by PERA (Production Engineering Research Association). Films would be played in the cinema, and supporting displays shown in an accompanying trailer. Built on a Bedford SB chassis, the vehicle had bodywork crafted by Coventry Steel Caravans and used cabs supplied by Plaxton, giving a similar look to Plaxton coaches of the era. The cinemas were sold in 1974, and KJU 267E was believed to be the only survivor. After a long period of disuse, the vehicle emerged from a restoration in 2010, now fitted with a more modern Bedford 330 diesel engine with a five-speed gearbox and uprated brakes. In 2015, the cinema was reunited with an original trailer unit, also believed to have been lost in the fire. Since 2015, the mobile cinema has been owned by Ben Moorhouse, who only days before the fire posted on the vehicle’s Facebook page in celebration of having owned the vehicle for 10 years. “Ten years ago today, I bought Audrey the Vintage Mobile Cinema,” he said on 11 May. “What a blast we’ve had over the years. Visiting so many amazing festivals and meeting so many amazing people. So many highlights. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to book her, come on board for a film or even waved when seeing us out and about. A huge thanks to the team at for giving her the perfect home.”
