The Web wisdom of Geriatric1927

Last updated at 21:23 14 August 2006


On World War II

'The thing that bugged me most of all was that I could not ride my precious motorbike. Petrol was severely rationed ... but as it goes I got hold of some occasionally, I don't know where from, I expect it was a bit dodgy. You had to know where you were going because in the wartime all the signposts had been taken down.'

On being conscripted

'From the age of 16 and you are getting near 18 you are waiting for that brown envelope to come through the door which is going to say you are being conscripted... into the forces and of course the envelope always comes and that's where you go.

'It's not something I want to drag up from my memory too accurately...it's a very brutal initiation, it's a boot camp system, your brain is supposed to be scrambled so you react like Pavlov's dog and pull the trigger without question on demand and the treatment is quite brutal.

'With the odd exception we all survived and for sure you certainly grow up quick, you are supposed to be changed from a boy to a man in six weeks and they never fail...

On being demobilised

'I was very grateful that I had had what was really quite an easy time, travelling around the coastal defences and naval air stations where this radar that I was working with was positioned and in a very small way quite proud of the fact that although I didn't have to go into the horrors of war that what I was doing was of benefit.'

On motorbikes

'The point about my Leicester experience is that it was there that motorcycling really took off for me. My life's dream of being able to give more time to motorcycling, which I did of course.

'I joined clubs, competed in events, they were cross-country events called trials. I did quite well, I was quite popular, I did local trials, national trials and eventually a few international trials. It was a great fellowship of friends ... I think maybe I have oil in my veins instead of blood ...'

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