All Categories

Shard.

5/4/2018

About 15 years ago, I managed to track down the five surviving men (we were boys really) with whom I shared a tent for a year during the British nuclear tests at Christmas Island, in the fifties. In the meantime, despite the effects ageing and declining health, we've had a couple of reunions; and, to help us celebrate those occasions, The London Eye and The London DUKW Tour Company were both extremely generous in giving us complimentary tickets.

Later this year, the 60th. anniversary of the final nuclear test at Christmas Island will occur in September; and I have been wondering about how (and if) I could arrange what could well be the last reunion for our little group; and, at the same time, celebrate what will be an extremely special occasion.

In making those preparations, in an attempt to make the reunion truly memorable, I contacted The Shard Quarter (as they like to be known) to enquire if they would consider matching the charitable example set by the aforementioned London attractions and offer what will most likely be fewer than a handful of elderly veterans complimentary access to their facility.

Sadly, they declined.

Thoughts:

30/3/2018

Like most people of my generation (born prior to WW2), I was raised in a relatively religious environment; Sunday school as a child, church choir, church wedding, church babtisms, and so on. However, as time passed by, it has seemed to me that more and more of the world's conflicts are being fought in the name of one religion, or another. So, as a comparative ''outsider'', nowadays, could anyone explain to me the logic in the expression, ''Happy Easter''? OK, I realise he was supposed to ''rise again'' after a couple of days; but, IMHO, there's very little to be happy about the demise of Jesus Christ and the manner in which it was conducted. #justsaying

Thoughts

27/3/2018

In the sixties and seventies, possibly encouraged by a delusional impression that they won the Second World War almost single-handedly, many Americans (usually tourists) often gave the impression to other nations that the USA was a country of big-headed, load-mouthed, boors.

As time passed, however, probably because international travel became more readily available to less-wealthy (but better-educated) citizens; and influenced, perhaps, by a post 9/11 realisation that they were not quite as popular as they may have imagined, there were (IMHO) encouraging signs that the national psyche might be becoming more mature.

Obviously, this is a personal opinion; but, it seems to me that policies and principles (or lack of them) espoused by the current POTUS are quite deliberately designed to appeal to the elements described in the opening paragraph of this Blog; and I wonder if I'm alone in finding that rather alarming.

Thoughts:

15/3/2018

When penalties or free kicks are awarded because the officials were conned, the cheating players who deceive the officials should be retrospectively punished in the same way that yellow or red cards are rescinded on the basis of TV replays. #associationfootball

Bus nuts:

24/7/2017

Not wishing to cause offence unnecessarily, I have to confess that there was a time (when I was manager of Guildford Bus Station), when I was not at all enamoured with Bus Nuts (as some PSV drivers called them) or Bus Enthusiasts as they would, probably, prefer to call themselves. The main reason for this, by the way, was that some of them would clear the Travel Office shelves of time-tables almost as soon as they had been filled; thus depriving genuine travellers of the service. That really annoyed me. There was one, in particular, who would visit every Saturday to take six copies of every route; and, in so doing, taking an eternity to count them all out before stuffing them into his shopping bag. Heaven knows where he stored them all in the residential home where he lived.

With the benefit of hindsight, I suppose it should have been obvious really; but, it came as something of a surprise, recently, to discover that some my former colleagues were also Bus Enthusiasts; and had been so all their lives. This, no doubt, explains why they chose to enter the industry; however, since I didn't come into that category, I'm intrigued to know if there are any other non-Bus Nuts - and how it came about.

But, first, here's my story........

Soon after I came out of the army, in 1959, I had a hankering to become driving instructor; and, over the next year, I had two or three interviews; but was unsuccessful. Eventually, one of the driving school owners, in what seemed to me to be an attempt to let me down gently, explained, "Well, I might have been able to employ you if you had an HGV license, for example."

Anyway, as it happened, I was walking past the Head Office of The North Western Road Car Company, a few days later, when I saw a blackboard saying (something like) "Drivers wanted. Let us teach you to become a bus driver." ...........and thereafter, I could turn up at the garage at around 9.00 am or 2.00 pm, on any day, and at no expense to myself - and along with two or three others - we would drive around Cheshire and north Derbyshire to our hearts content in a Bristol single-decker (below left) .

Obviously, having driven all sorts of lorries (and amphibious vehicles) in the army, I felt quite comfortable. So, the company put me in for a driving test; and, having passed - in a Leyland double-decker (above right), they offered me a job as a driver. It was a simple as that. In those days (1961), there was nothing to stop someone putting the pink pass-slip in their pocket and walking away from the company; however, I accepted the job offer and stayed with North Western until the autumn and thoroughly enjoyed every minute.

Before leaving, however, I had taken the pecaution of visiting the aforementioned driving school owner to show him my recently acquired, "some sort of driving qualification" and, after a long pause, he shook my hand and offered to teach me to become a driving instructor. A year or so later, I had opened a new office for the school for him and, some time after that, the owner hinted that he wanted to retire; so, my father very honourably offered to buy the new "branch". However (somewhat naively) the owner refused; so, I left and started my own school; later become one of the first MOT Registered Instructors in the UK.

Although, I became involved in some other businesses during the next thirty years, I always took the precaution of offering to do part-time work for local coach operators (thus keeping my PSV license); finally, returning to full-time driving in 1989 with London & Country.

Walter.

13/7/2017

Putting aside the fact that he seems unwilling to accept the fact that he lost the general election by a considerable margin; and unlike most of his predecessors, failed to do the honourable thing and resign as party leader; now (as if that wasn't enough), failing to accept that he and his opinions have absolutely no influence at all, Jeremy Cobyn has the gall to invite himself to meet the EU's leader on Brexit negotiations in Brussels. What (as Del Boy might say) a plonker!

July 08th, 2017

8/7/2017

After some gentle pressure, I have been persuaded that, after fifteen years, I should replace the original image on my Home Page with a more up-to-date one. Can't see the difference myself. The new on is on the right, btw (chuckle)...........

p.s.
Something else which hasn't changed (IMHO) in fifteen years, is my uncanny ability to achieve what can only be described as a monumental cock-up; because in replacing the photo on the Home Page, I've managed to delete just about everything else which was displayed there. So, ASAP (in the fullness of time), I will endeavour to replace the missing information.

Election, 2017:

7/6/2017

Although I wouldn't go so far as to say that my natural inclination is to lean unquestionably to the right of the political spectrum, I can say with absolutely certainty that I have learnt to be extremely wary of those on the left. However, as the clock ticks down to tomorrow's general election, I have to admit that I can completely understand why people are being drawn towards Jeremy Corbyn. After all, on the surface, he seems to be a very honest and trustworthy man.

Scratch under the surface, however, and questions begin to emerge. For example, although he now claims to have abandoned his long-held beliefs, it's difficult to ignore his close association with members of the IRA and other terrorist organisations, his refusal to support the Trident nuclear deterrent system, and his reluctance to sanction arming some of the police force are characteristics which (IMHO) reveal someone whose honesty (has he really changed his mind?) may be open to question.

Turning, now, to the issue of trustworthiness, Mr. Corbyn's unabashed adultery with Diane Abbott was quite probably a contributory factor towards the end of one of his three marriages; and, the manner in which he is alleged to have bragged to colleagues about the affair was not the behaviour of someone I would like to see leading our country. However, looking across the pond, look at what they've got (chuckle).

Empire:

26/5/2017

Not for the first time, Monday's tragic event in Manchester raises the question of why some young people who were born and raised in The United Kingdom want to turn against the country which has afforded them far better futures (and in better circumstances) than they could experience in the countries which their ancestors decided to leave.

Although religious issues and recent military actions by "the west" towards Muslim countries (the Gulf wars, for example) are generally thought to be the motivating force behind their behaviour, my own suspicions are that the problems surfaced much longer ago than that. Furthermore, IMHO, they can be described in just three words, The British Empire.

As a Briton, it is easy to be proud of the influence this tiny little nation has had upon the world. On a personal level, for example, my paternal grandfather was involved in The Boer War, The Boxer Rebellion, and The First World War, my father served in the Second World War, and, although not strictly a conflict (but the casualties are turning out to be no less significant) I was on what has been described as the front line of The Cold War when I attended the British nuclear tests in the fifties. Putting all that aside, however, until missionaries started to enter the equation (more of that later), it is difficult to escape the impression that everything which the British did was done entirely for the benefit of Great Britain and often at the expense of the counties which were being 'civilised'.

So, on the issue of 'civilising', there can be little doubt that some of the features, both structural and administrational, which the British introduced have been hugely important for the development of those countries who became part of the British Empire. Less beneficial, some might argue with the benefit of hindsight, have been the contributions (no doubt well-intended) of the aforementioned missionaries. What's more, I would go so far to suggest that it may well have been the long-term effect of their efforts (i.e. to take away the religions of those they had subjugated and to force upon them a religion not of their own choosing) and those sentiments are at the heart of the agendas of those who support organisations such as ISIS.

Think about it.

Manchester:

23/5/2017

It's not in my nature to be affected by such matters; but, for some reason, Monday night's tragic event has concentrated my mind more than usual.........

In 2005, I was actually in central London on the day of what has become known as the 7/7 terrorist incident. I had just delivered a new PSV vehicle to a coach operator in the coach park at Hyde Park when I was told of the attacks and, apart from an awareness of a collective sense of shock and horror which everyone was experiencing, my immediate personal response was to try to work out how to get home - bearing in mind the devastating effect the attack had upon the various transport systems. In the event, I found one of the few underground lines which was still operating and took a tube to Heathrow airport; from where I caught a Rail-Air coach to Woking and a taxi back to Guildford where I had left my car when I started my day's work.

One of the reasons I am mentioning that experience is to explain the fact that, having been so close to those attacks, I was able to see (and sense) the various effects - which ranged from mild indifference to something approaching panic - that event had on members of the public; and, on a more personal level, I have often speculated on the not unreasonable possibility that I may, months or years earlier, have actually delivered the bus which suffered the terrible effects of one of the terrorist's bombs.

Although in no way to a degree which can compare with that of the friends and relatives of those affected, I feel strangely (if indirectly) connected to Monday's tragic event in Manchester. I'm not sure why; but it may be because, after I left school, my first job was in the city and, later, I would travel through the city centre on a regular basis when I was in the army. I also spent quite a few years driving in, out, and around the city as a bus and taxi driver in the sixties and the seventies. And the final connection is that, tragically, the first victim to be named was a pupil at the same college that my elder son attended before going to university.

Such a tragedy that such a terrible atrocity could have involved such young children.