The Dennis Bus Owners Association was formed in 1994. Reflecting the origins of the founder member's buses, for a very short while it was the Aldershot & District Owners Association. Within a year it had re-organised into two parts, one for Aldershot & District bus owners and another for a supporter's group, known as the Aldershot & District Bus Interest Group.

Although a large number of Dennis buses had been delivered to bus companies nation-wide, the initial heyday was the 1930s. The 1948 Transport nationalisation programme seriously curtailed market penetration until much more recent times. Sadly, most pre-war buses were scrapped before the preservation movement gained momentum. Aldershot & District were unaffected by nationalisation and their fleet not un-naturally comprised a large number of Dennis buses from the local factory at Guildford both before and after World War 2. The buses were well maintained and a long service life was expected. It is hardly surprising then that most of the Dennis buses that have survived into preservation have come from the Aldershot & District fleet.

Recognising that the problem of locating spares and retaining knowledge was not confined only to Aldershot & District vehicles, in 1998 the name was revised to Aldershot & District and Dennis Bus Owners Association. Membership was now open to any Dennis bus owner. As a result of this the membership swelled to include buses from another large Dennis customer, East Kent. The word also spread among owners of some of the few pre war buses that had survived.

As time went by, the supporter's group, The Aldershot & District Dennis Bus Interest Group attracted members from the local Aldershot & District area, including ex A&D employees. Although many members continued actively supporting restored buses, the nature of the club and its newsletter changed slightly as it took on more historical interest and expanded the featured buses to include all makes operated by Aldershot and District and its successor, Alder Valley. In 1996 a group of members also started a new charitable venture, The Aldershot & District Omnibuses Rescue & Restoration Society. This was formed specifically to save two 1928 former Aldershot and District Dennis E buses. The down side of the success of the various developments from the original association was that the number of volunteers started to be spread rather thinly over the various groups.

In 2006 the Dennis Bus Owners Association decided to re-vamp its organisation. The A&D part of the title has been dropped, reflecting the fact that membership is comprised of a significant proportion of vehicles from elsewhere. To make administration easier and widen the scope for attracting members, the Association has also decided to become almost entirely internet based. This has enabled the cost of belonging to the Association to be reduced as a result of significant savings in postage and printing. At the same time, the new web site provides access to more articles and pictures that are much better quality than the previous small printed newsletter could achieve.

Membership is not restricted just to Dennis bus owners. Although the Association is primarily concerned with buses, owners of other Dennis vehicles who may have similar mechanical features may feel there are advantages in joining. Enthusiasts for the marque who may be considering bus ownership are also encouraged to join. We hope that we are able to demonstrate that in over 100 years of production, Dennis have provided an innovative and interesting facet to the British bus scene and a refreshing alternative to the makes most usually found in preservation.