B/W print; Ellen Bulfield, the last First World War woman bus conductor, 1919

This is Ellen Bulfield, who was one of the last of the female bus conductors, or 'clippies' as they were known, to hand over to a male colleague on his return from armed service. She worked for the London General Omnibus Company (LGOC) during the First World War. She was one of the first conductors to be employed, and a newspaper at the time (the Daily Sketch) estimated that she had travelled over 70,000 miles while working for the LGOC. From 1916, women were hired to replace the 18,000 male transport employees who joined the armed forces at the outbreak of war. However, at the end of the war the LGOC kept its promise to keep the jobs open for the discharged soldiers, so the employment of women was only temporary. This picture of the ceremonial handover was made into a commemorative print.