RAOC Gazette - page 255
Image details
| Corps | RAOC |
|---|---|
| Material type | Journals |
| Book page | |
| Chapter head | |
| Chapter key | |
| Chapter number | |
| Full title | RAOC Gazette |
| Page number | |
| Publication date | 1983 |
| Real page | |
| Colour | Yes |
| Grey | No |
| Early date | 1983 |
| Late date | 1983 |
| Transcription |
The Queen. The publicity gained by this interview was only too evident, judged by the number of motorists who sounded their horns and waved at us when we continued our journey towards Bicester, and a meeting with the Mayor at 2 pm. Due to a miscalculation on my part when planning the timetable for the walk, we found that we had nearly five hours to cover the relatively short distance to Bicester. As a consequence, we suffered the frustrating experience of having to wait for over an hour in a secluded spot just outside the town. However, we were certain of making the deadline and, because John had previously walked for charity in the Bicester area, meeting some of his old friends and admirers. In fact, on the outskirts of Bicester, a passing motorist ' screeched' to a halt and the driver turned out to be a friend that John hadn't seen for twenty years! The 2 pm appointment in Bicester Market Square was duly met and, after a short reception by the Mayor and some of the residents of Bicester, we were back on the road, this time in the direction of Banbury, John's home town. Because of my earlier miscalculations, we had a little under three hours to cover the fifteen miles because we had arranged to meet the Deputy Mayor of Banbury at John's home at 5 pm. However, refreshed by the reception at Bicester and the earlier un- scheduled rest, we fairly ' motored ' along the A421 and the appointment was kept—just! The hour or so spent in John's home sampling the welcome hospitality of his wife, Audrey, put us in good heart to tackle the rather undulating road from Banbury to CAD Kineton. CAD Kineton proved to be the only stop during that week where we were able to sleep in a proper bed and eat at a proper table. In addition to the walkers, our collectors also had a busy day and, largely due to the kind residents of Bicester and Banbury, our money total was beginning to look quite healthy. There were no particular humorous incidents on that day but, again, we were happy in the knowledge that our target had been reached, despite the miscalculations! Day Three. Bank Holiday Monday and a day on which we didn't have any appointments to keep. We were thus able to concentrate on walking at our own pace without any other distractions. It was a day, however, on which we encountered some difficult walking conditions. The A41 which passes CAD Kineton may be a popular road for motorists but, because of the lack of pavements, proved quite hazardous for walking. We were in familiar country to the Kineton personnel and it must have proved more difficult for John because, unlike him, I didn't know what lay ahead and just kept on walking. The A41 having been negotiated with success, and a great deal of relief, we made our first stop of that day at Leamington Spa. The prospects for fund raising that day promised to be quite good because the weather was improving all the time and many tourists were in evidence. Our collectors, having had limited success, then moved on to Warwick where, positioning them- selves outside the Castle gates, they made something of a killing. In the meantime, the walkers were going along at a fair pace and enjoying the sunshine. Another road problem occurred when, on leaving Warwick and doing a quick recce of the A46, we found that it was more akin to a three-lane motorway and was certainly not suitable for walking along. A quick adjustment to our route having been made, we found ourselves walking through the lovely Warwickshire countryside in the direction of Coventry which, again, proved rather troublesome. As with a lot of modern cities, the walkways in Coventry consist of a number of sub- ways resembling a rabbit warren and it is quite easy for a ' foreigner' to get lost—which we quite easily did! Our failure to make the rendezvous with our support vehicle caused a certain amount of panic in Pat Beales and we weren't too happy about the situation either. However, we eventually got through the city and headed off in the direction of Nuneaton and Hinck- ley where we were to stage overnight. Pete McCoy, in his wisdom, had chosen as our resting place a piece of common land which was available to the general public for various forms of recreational activity. The spot he had chosen as our camp site was adjacent to an area set aside for model air- craft flying and I now know what it must be like for people who live near Heathrow airport! We had now passed the half- way point of our walk and, with satisfaction, we settled down for the night knowing that the rest of the walk was to be all ' down-hill.' Day Four. This was a day that proved to be interesting and, we hoped, profitable. Our route was to take us through some large residential areas including Leicester, Loughborough and Nottingham and we had some scheduled (and unscheduled) appointments. I don't know what Pete had put in our break- Photo Liverpool Daily Post. The walkers taking tea with the Chairman of the Liverpool City Council, Councillor Hugh Dalton. fast but both John and I felt rather spritely that morning and we covered the distance from Hinckley to Leicester in rapid time. When I wrote my letters to the BBC local radio stations, Leicester was one of the stations from whom I hadn't received a reply. It was, therefore, much to our surprise to find a BBC recordist waiting for us some five miles outside Leicester on the road to Loughborough. As we had recently rested and were loathe to break our rhythm, the recordist kindly agreed to do an interview ' on the move.' Picture the scene of two walkers moving quite quickly with a sound recordist ' in tow,' microphone and tape recorder included. We didn't have the opportunity to listen to that interview but the recordist deserves some sort of award if he reproduced the interview with clarity. Having, therefore, left behind a rather breathless BBC man, we were now well on the way to Loughborough and an area I am familiar with. It was agreed before the walk that, as far as local knowledge was concerned, the first half belonged to John and the second half belonged to me. Again, we found that we were well up on schedule and could afford to slow the pace between Loughborough and Nottingham. We had an appointment with the Mayor of Beeston and we didn't want to repeat our Bicester experience for fear of stiffening up. On reaching Nottingham, I found that I was not as familiar with the area as I had thought. I was stationed at'Chilwell some eighteen years ago so it was not surprising perhaps that a great deal of change had been made to the Nottingham road system. However, we did manage to pick our way through yet another warren of streets and headed off in the direction of Chilwell and the local Sports' Centre where we were to meet the Mayor of Beeston or, more accurately, Broxtowe. The Mayor of Broxtowe, a lady, proved to be a very kindly person who insisted on footing the bill for all beverages consumed at the Sports' Centre bar. In order to maintain some form of image, John and I had decided that we would not consume alcohol during the walk but, at the end of another busy day, we could have done with something a little stronger than the Coke we did have. Due to a misunderstanding, we found that there was no accommodation for us at Chilwell so our tent was pitched on the lawn at the back of the Sergeants Mess. However, we did manage to have a bath and the use of the kitchen in which to cook our rations. The whole walk was dampened by the news we received in Chilwell that Pat Beales's mother has just died of cancer and, of course, he would have to return to Kineton. Not only were we naturally saddened by the news but we were also extremely sad to lose a companion who had been a constant source of humour and encouragement. Pete McCoy volunteered to take Pat back to Kineton so he had a long overnight trip in order to get back to Chilwell in time for the following morning. Any humorous incidents on that day were soon forgotten and it was with an air of sadness that we continued our walk. Day Five. Very early and in torrential rain we set off in the direction of Derby and an interview with Peter Gore on his ' Up and About' programme, scheduled for 8.30 am. Had we known what was in store for us, we might not have bothered — 2 2 — |
| Book number | R0406 |