On page 32 your January 2 edition you carried a photos of a charabanc outing at an unknown seaside resort, and appealed for information. I'm pleased to say I am able to help.
The photo was taken beside the famous King's Statue at Weymouth in Dorset, and the fine semi-circular building in the background stands between Weymouth Esplanade on the left, and St. Mary's Street on the right.
The vehicle is the Thornycroft "C" type 30HP charabanc, FX 1871, owned by Mr. E.W. Puffett the proprietor of the Weymouth Motor Touring Company which advertised "laundaulettes, cabriolettes, and touring cars for hire, motor char-a-bancs for parties at special terms, motor buses day and night, and motor engineers."
He bought the vehicle new in September 1913, and sold it in 1917. Judging by the costumes of the passengers, the photo was taken before the First World War in either 1913 or 1914. The vehicle was one of the first, if not the very first char-a-banc, to operate in the area and a trip to Swanage or Corfe Castle must have been a considerable adventure for the passengers.
A copy of the photo and further details the vehicle and Mr Puffett's operations can be found in Brian Jackson's excellent book "Isle of Portland Railways, vol 3", published by the Oakwood Press.
I hope these details will be of some interest to the owner of the photograph and your readers. It would be fascinating to know how the picture came to be in an album of Forest photographs.
Robert Edsworthy, Caldicot.