RIVETING TALES

I can only echo what David Ward and David Wilcock said in the last issue: Dick was a real gentleman and always had a kind word to say to you… and that really crushing handshake! He was also a great speaker, telling riveting tales of his life on the railways, and a couple of these spring to mind. One recalled picnic lunches during exchange visits of ‘Golden Arrow’/‘Flèche d’Or’ crews, and the French crew with their favourite ‘231K’ or ‘G’ 4-6-2, the hamper lunch including the obligatory wine, of course! Another was a tale from Stratford depot when he walked past a tank engine standing at a water column, the side tanks overflowing. In admonishing the cleaners in the adjacent bothy by suggesting “You wouldn’t let your bath overflow, would you?”, one of the cheekier lads retorted “We ain’t got a bath, guv”. Back in 2005, when he was 81, he came on the footplate of Flying Scotsman, and it was par for the course to offer him the shovel. He duly accepted and he fired with aplomb, a skill honed over many, many years on the footplate. A sad loss, but he has left a lasting legacy. John Hunt, chairman, NELPG