Edgar Jessop
plus next issue preview
While Sir Carruthers Spagforth was affectionately referred to as ‘The Guvnor’ amongst his factory staff, more salubrious titles were conferred elsewhere. His myriad commercial interests stretched across the globe, either as manufacturing centres or sources of raw materials.
One example of the former was his Marshmallow plant in Ecuador, a volatile region of South America where dictators and despots kept a vice-like grip on the economy. At the time, Sir Carruthers, referred to in hushed terms whenever he visited the region as ‘Excellency’ had forged a strong friendship with General Jose Duran Alfredo Roldos Martinez Alguersuari, who had seized power in the infamous “Night of the Steel Sausage”, in order to gain favourable status for the supply of vanilla extract, a vital ingredient in marshmallows. To further cement the contract, Sir Carruthers agreed to manufacture and supply an engine for the General’s luxury yacht, which was being constructed in Miami, and to have Edgar Jessop conduct sea trials before sailing the vessel to Guayaquil. Furthermore, Sir Carruthers himself proposed to travel to Ecuador for the month-long celebrations to mark the General’s honorary Doctorate of Letters conferred upon him by the University of Boston, itself a constant beneficiary of his largesse.
So vital did Sir Carruthers consider the vanilla contract, he shipped his private limousine from his chalet in Geneva, and sent a fleet of Spagforth Escargo escort bikes (modelled on a BSA design and built under licence at his factory in Panama) to accompany his entourage in the parade through the Ecuadorian capital of Quito. However although the celebrations indeed took place before tens of thousands of loyal citizens, the Royal Yacht failed to complete the journey on time after Edgar Jessop stopped to refuel in the Galapagos Islands and was swept away by hordes of fans and admirers who were familiar with his prowess as a TT rider. By the time Edgar recovered from alcohol excess and several social diseases, General Alguersuari’s celebration was over and his government had been overthrown in a military coup. Sir Carruthers escaped on one of the last flights to leave the country, but his limousine was confiscated for the use of the new leader, General Strike. The Spagforth Escargos had all developed serious oil leaks and were converted to grain threshers. To save his Marshmallow empire, Sir Carruthers dispatched Edgar Jessop to Mali, West Africa, to negotiate with a highland tribe which had discovered how to produce a synthetic form of vanilla by boiling down members of the Catholic clergy.