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When my father passed
away recently, I was asked by my mother and two sister's if I
would read a short piece about my father at his funeral service,
which with the help of my mother to fill in some additional detail
I was able to do.
It was nice to be able to reflect back on my fathers life, and
with the help of old photos from the family album (some of which
we used for a slide show afterwards) it was an opportunity to
remember some of the stories I remember him telling me as a child.
I thought it would be nice to put some of these pictures onto
a webpage so those friends and family who were not able to attend
on the day could look at a small selection of them 'online'.
For my regular readers who happen to be looking in though, please
feel free to look through as well. Although there are a lot of
family shots, I have tried to include one or two shots of motorcycles
as well! |
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My dad in the RAF in India,
approx 1945.
Obviously not married then!
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My fathers first job at 14 was
as an apprentice at a foundary in the late 1930's, however like
many men of his age, with the Second World War in full throws,
when he was old enough he joined up in the RAF in 1943. Trained
as a driver, he drove a variety of vehicles, but as a kid I
always remember being impressed that he had driven one of the
big Queen Mary plane transporters, which I had seen as an Airfix
kit!
In 1944 at the age of 19 my father was sent to Burma. He occasionally
talked about driving up mountain roads so narrow that at some
times of day the trucks had to go up while at other time they
were allowed to go down, as there was not enough room for both
at the same time. He also said that if a truck broke down, they
were pushed over the side, so as not to stop progress.
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Looking very young and pensive,
dad was a Sergeant by the time this photo was taken
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Rather than returning to England though,
my father was then sent to India, where he served until 1946,
at this time India was fighting for its independence and I remember
my father telling me about the riots that took place and how poor
all the people looked. |
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The earliest photo we have
of my dad on a motorcycle, although I got the impression he
wasent a motorcycle enthusiast until he bought his own bike
after the war.
I think the bike is a WD Indian or H-D
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He was also to spend some time doing
bomb dump duty, driving unused bombs to a clearing where they
could be blown up safely. A story I always remembered was when
once he drove a lorry up to the entrance where there would be
either a red or green flag, which was controlled by a young lieutenant.
Seeing the flag was green he drove in, only for the world to erupt
around him. He told me wistfully that not knowing what else to
do, he dived underneath the lorry, even though it was full of
detonators and was probably the worst thing he could have hidden
under! It turned out the apologetic officer had forgotten to change
the flag |
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Dad sat on a bomb stock pile.
Probably around late 1945 when he was helping to get rid of
them by blowing them up!
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My father was always a very
keen fisherman (another hobby he passed on to me) and I think
this probably also started when he was in Burma
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Where's the throttle?! For
a period my dad looked after the station commanders horse,
which must have been different to some of the other vehicles
he was more used to!
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One of the photos I remember
best as a child, a line of Mosquito fighter bombers at rest
somewhere in Burma. Dad was a keen photographer and I imagine
this was too pretty a site not to take a photo of
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Eventually India gained independence
and my father returned to England. My grandparents at this time
were based at at North Creak near Walsingham, Norfolk, where my
gradnfather was in the military police. This was July 1947. Dad
was sent to Marham a well known RAF heavy bomber base near Kings
Lynn. For my father this started a lifetime love for the countrside
of Norfolk.
My father left the RAF shortly afterwards and was taken on
by the owner of a little engineering company in Walsingham,
which specialised in agricultural machinery and well boring.
The owner’s son had been killed in the war and had left
a motorbike behind. Eventually the owner sold this bike to my
father and it was this that started his long association with
motorcycles. Dad told me that on one occasion he managed to
get lost on the airfield they lived on late at night, as the
bike did not have any lights. Eventually he decided it best
to stop and go to sleep on the airfield for the night, not knowing
that my grandmother spent half the night out looking for him,
scared silly he had killed himself!
Although my father did not have a photo of this bike, I am pretty
sure it was a TT Rudge. My father told me it was a fantastic
machine and in pretty much racing trim with a Brooklands can.
I also seem to remember him telling me it had a bronze head.
In later years when we looked at Rudge's he would always go
misty eyed for this bike! All the way through the 1950's into
the 1980's my father owned and rode a variety of bikes, many
of which I remember him talking about. Some of these I have
shown in the photos below.
After the war my father went back into engineering, and this
was his chosen profession for the next 40 years, working first
in Laurence and Scotts in Norwich, before moving to Leicester
where my mother was university, and where he worked first for
British United Shoe machinery, before moving to Midland Dyamo,
from which he retired in the 1980's.
I have included a cross section of photos below that show my
father from the late 1940's onward, which reflect his interest
in both engineering and bikes:
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Taken from the cover of 1957
Machinery magazine, my father operating a vertical milling
machine, while at Laurence and Scotts at Norwich
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My father(2nd from left)
with a group of workmates at Gt Yarmouth in1948 - demob suit
makes him look a bit like a 1930's gangster!
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Dad on his Cammy Norton in
about 1956-7.
One of his very favourite bikes
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Nice period shot of my dad on
the move on the Norton(not sure who took the photo). I think
the engine was later put ina different plunger frame after he
was involved in an accident on it with my mother on the back
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Working on his Norton in
the 1950's in a friends garden. Note the tax disc on the BSA
in the foreground
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My fathers interest in bikes
Like many fathers and sons, it was his interest in bikes that
resulted in my own involvement with them. I grew up with bikes
around me and I have included here a few photographs of my father
with his bikes. Not suprisingly, my interest in the Norton and
Vincent marques stem from my father, and always having them in
our garage as I grew up! |
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My father and mother, Jean, were
married in 1959 and moved to Oadby, just outside Leicester in
1965. It would have been their 50th Wedding Anniversary this December.
With my two sisters this was where I grew up and remember happy
times sharing many of my fathers hobbies and interests, including
of course the bikes, all things mechanical and fishing.
Below are selection of family photographs with my father, many
that reflect those interests. |
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Ah, I recognise that little
urchin!
From the late 1950's my dad owned Vincents. First this Comet
(which we still have) and then a Rapide, which went shortly
before this photo was taken. I remember going on the back
of it with my dad as a boy when helmets were not required
- a different world to today
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My sister (Veronica) and
I posing with dad on the then family transport - Vincent Comet
with Blacknell Bullet sidecar.
This looks to be on holiday in Bacton (Norfolk), and from
the age of my sister and I, I guess it would be 1962!
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Moving on to early 1980's,
here my father is helping me load my first racing bike, a
plunger pushrod Norton. My dad came with me to some of my
early race meetings
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Dad worked at the British
United Shoe factory in Leicester for 18 years, where he worked
in their 'Heavy' machinery section. This photo was taken in
the early 1970's.
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Along with engineering and
bikes, the other passion that my father passed on to me was
fishing. This photo was taken in the mid 1980's when along
with a friend of my father, we were in a boat on a Pike fishing
match on Rutland Water
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A photo that always makes
me smile.
My father taking my mum out for a trip on the Norfolk Broads
in our dinghy in the late 1970's.
From the body language I think my mum might be giving him
some useful tips about his rowing, and he is responding with
his normal down to earth reply about mums back seat driving
. . .
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Christmas shot of our family
- my mum and dad with my two sisters - Veronica (with hubbie
Simon in background) on left and Rachel on right. My wife
Sandy next to mum.
4 of their 6 granchildren are also in the shot, Fay, Abigail,
Anna and Alicia.
Rachel's older daughter Emma and our Stephanie must have been
taking the photo with Rachels hubbie Malcom
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Taken in about 1990, this
family photo was taken when my late uncle Don (2nd from right)
and aunt Cis (2nd from left, front) came over from Australia.
Also in the photo are my mum and dad and aunt Jill (far right)
and uncle David (2nd left).
Aunt Cis is still living in Australia and is now 98 (hi aunt
Cis if you are reading this!)
My wife Sandy and I were not married at the time, which is
probably why we are holding hands . . .
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Another shot of my mum and
dad with my aunt Jill and uncle David. They often holiday'd
with each other and this is a really nice shot of them out
on the town together -
probably just before they went out clubbing . . .
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My dad did not really talk
much about his time in the RAF, but in later years he much
enjoyed the comradeship of being part of the Burma Star Association,
which my mother and many of the other wife's were also involved
with. Here he is with some of his mates at what I think was
a Rememberance Day event.
Surviving members of the Burma Star Association walked in
front of my fathers coffin at the funeral procession bearing
their Standard, which was very moving
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Taken about 8 years ago,
dad is not looking too chuffed here, at being dragged along
to a karting session at Whilton mills with me!
My kart was a TKM 100cc two stroke (kinda like a TZ Yamaha
in bike terms), top speed about 75mph and not much slower
round corners!
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And
finally, two shots of my father with our daughters. The photo
on the left is with Abigail, my older daughter who is now 14 and
the photo on the right is my mum and dad with our younger daugther
Stephanie who is now 12 |
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