MIND YOUR HEAD
I was fascinated to read in Post Box of the Winter edition Choppy Chopper Tales on page 46 by Christopher Nicholson, and on page 47 Just the Ticket by Maureen Price. The letters were both relevant to my late father, Captain D.A.G. Dickens. He was Chief Officer of RMS Rangitata in 1952/53, whilst his last command was with MV Huntingdon, both ships of the New Zealand Shipping Company. He served with this shipping line for 22 years, crossing every major ocean and rounding Cape Horn five times. Then he was appointed an Elder Brother of Trinity House in 1962. In 1969 he was instrumental in the inauguration of helicopters for crew reliefs in the Trinity House Service, and for many years chaired the Corporation’s Public Relations Committee.
His obituary appeared in both The Daily Telegraph and The Times in November 2002 and focuses on his time in the Merchant Navy when he served as a cadet on the severely mauled convoy Operational Pedestal in 1942. One of the epic naval feats of World War II, the operation saved Malta from falling to the Axis powers, though at a huge cost. Fighting off continuous attacks from the Germans and Italians, only five out of the 14 British and American merchant ships reached Malta and my father helped to man anti-aircraft guns against all odds. He joined the fast cargo liner Dorset as his first ship the previous year in 1941, as an 18-year-old. When she was assigned to Operation Pedestal, charged with reaching the Mediterranean island before it was starved or pummelled into surrender, the ships’ crews were warned that the mission was dangerous and anyone wishing to leave could. No-one left.
Simon G. Dickens, by e-mail
In the Spring 2020 edition you have an article called Wheels of Change in which cyclists are not wearing helmets. Here in Australia, after lobbying by surgeons, we have had wearing helmets compulsory since the 1990s. Maybe if I had one on when I was a child I would not have suffered concussion when I fell off my bike.
Jean Kingdon, New South Wales, Australia Yes, you’re quite right, Jean – no helmets in sight! The pics were taken when the roads were closed to traffic, I believe, but even so many people do choose to cycle without a helmet. I did wear one when I ventured out on the Penny Farthing – just took it off for the photo! Isobel.