大象传媒

Alan, continued

Following my education at the School of Building Junior school, where we were taught all buiding subjects and spent three months in every craft workshop, thus gaining exceptional experience of every building craft trade, I then took up an apprenticeship in plumbing, which I started in January 1948.During my this period I joined the Army Cadet Corps where I met many friends and joined the signal section of my unit, where one particular friend, George, otherwise known as Ron, who was training to be an electician, was interested in amateur radio, due to the fact that our Signals Officer was already a licensed radio amateur operator. We gained a great deal of practical knowledge from him.
When I first met Ron, he was living in Kent had been re-housed there from London with his mother, father and sister and I was invited to visit him on many occasions, especially Sundays. I even went out with his sister for a few months.
Unfortunately my studies took over towards the end of my apprenticeship and I lost contact with Ron and his family, especially as at the end of my apprenticeship,and after I had obtained my City and Guilds qualifications I suffered tuberculosis. I spent my 21st Birthday at home in bed with the dreaded lurgy!!! My father had made up a table that came right over my bed so that I could listen to the radio amatuers on my communications receiver and it was in January 1953 that I heard the morse SOS from the SS Flying Enterprise and the reply from a radio amateur on the East Coast, who continued to keep in contact until the tug, British Turmoil, took the vessel in tow. This all occured during the horrific East Coast floods.
In May, 1953, I was transferred from home to a Sanatorium just outside Hastings and in there I was able to watch, with other patients, the coronation of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth 2nd.
I spent thirtenn months in this sanatorium, receiving treatment to build me up for a lung operation, which I had when I was transferred to Grove Park Hospital, Lee, London in August 1954.
In September 1954, I had half my left lung removed and then proceeded to spend the next twelve weeks in bed recovering. However, I made a full recovery and was discharged in February 1955. In August 1955 my family and I ,moved to Kent. Just prior to this I was informed by the Chest physician that I could start work again and had obtained a post as Trainee Sanitary Inspector at Lewisham Council. I took up this post in September 1955 and then started college again as part of the course. I finally qualified as a Public Health Inspector in June 1960, since when I have had positions with Deptford Council, Swanscombe Urban District Council, Sevenoaks District Council, Bexley Borough Council and finally, the last five years of my working life, with the Metropolitan Police as Puclic Health Engineer/Environmental Health Officer, again where I made quite a few friends among the police officers. During all of this, I also played cricket, keeping wicket for my local village team, as well as for two local authority teams.
I also obtained my amateur radio Class A license in 1973 and now I am a regular newsreader of the GB2RS news on a Sunday morning. A half-hour continuous news broadcast, which is much more than most professional newscasters do in their sessions.
In 1956. my brother took me to a dance at Goldsmiths' College, Lewisham, where I met the lady who I married in 1961 and we now live in a village in Kent.
I also have the hobby of Stage lighting and during one period of twelve years carried out lighting and sound effects at the Geoffrey Whitworth theatre in Crayford, as well as lighting many other village hall and small stage productions. At the present time, I am helping with a local production, although I am now 72 years of age.
I have also been a Parish Councillor for the last four and a half years and, because I was Parish Clerk in the 1960s, I stand in for our present clerk when she is away on leave, so there never is enough hours in the day.

Note: Editor, would you kindly transfer this continuation piece to my personal page as personal details. Many thanks