The Old Bordenian Association

This continues Barry Gilbert’s story of life in the Police Force.  For the first part, see http://www.oldbordenians.co.uk/down-memory-lane/a-police-odyssey-january-1957-august-1992/.

While I was stationed at Kennington I decided that I needed some form of transport and purchased the cheapest form available – an NSU scooter. It set me free from public transport and I was able to trundle back to Sittingbourne  along the A2 when I had a weekend leave. The M2 had not been constructed then and so it was a long slog through the Medway Towns. In the summer I was playing cricket for Murston and in the winter continued to play hockey for the Old Boys.

I progressed from a scooter to a more powerful machine, a Matchless 600 and I was hooked on motorcycling and tinkering with engines.

This was my Matchless at Burrator in Devon 1960. Anne and I married in 1964.

In 1963 the Met were expanding the traffic section of the force and I decided to apply for a transfer to the Central Traffic Squad which was formed to police the Central London area. The area covered was from the Thames northwards to Hampstead and from The City boundary in the east to Hammersmith in the west. The Squad was based at the rear of Southwark Police Station.

I had an interview and was accepted and in May was off to the Motor  Driving  School at Hendon for my first motorcycle course. Like most pupils on the course I thought I could handle a motor cycle but soon discovered that we had a great deal to learn. The first week was spent mainly in the classroom where we were taught basic mechanics, roadcraft and road traffic law.

The school was built on land that was part of Hendon Aerodrome and which now houses the RAF Museum. Our first outing with the bikes was a ride around one of the runways, that was still in place, to assess whether we were safe to be let loose on the roads. There was also an obstacle course to test your handling skills. The motorcycles were 650cc Triumph Thunderbirds.

We had all been issued with our motorcycle kit which comprised of a Corker helmet, gauntlets with white leather cuffs (hand signals were essential), jodhpurs, gaiters (farmer Giles type) and topped off by a rubberised gaberdine raincoat very much like the one I am wearing in the photograph.  We thought we were the ‘bees knees’ but by today’s standards they were rather cumbersome.

We were six in number on the course and were split into two groups of three with two instructors. For the next two weeks we toured the Home Counties and the instructors passed on their expertise and taught us how to ride safely in all conditions. There were some hairy moments but it was enjoyable and not a bit like work and a great camaraderie was established which lasted throughout my service.

I returned to the Driving School many times for courses, which became progressively more advanced and we were taught to drive fast but safely under all conditions. Incorporated in the car courses there were always sessions on the skid pan where we learnt a great deal about car control under trying conditions. The mechanical theory courses also became more advanced in examining vehicles for defects and when we were fully trained we were classified as Vehicle Examiners. This enabled us to carry out checks on vehicles involved in fatal accidents and to present our findings at any resulting court proceedings.

I was based at Southwark for 2 years and in that time gained an intimate knowledge of the centre of London and the workings of the Magistrates Courts, which were presided over by Stipendiary Magistrates sitting alone. I suppose one court that most people will be familiar with is Bow Street where the presiding Magistrate in those days was Mr Robey. He was the son of the music hall artist Sir George Robey and a great character.

One date that I remember from that time is November 22 1963. I was sitting on my police solo, with a colleague, at Marble Arch when a call came over the radio that ‘police required assistance’ in Chelsea. This was usually a call that required immediate response and as we were quite close to the location we set off through Hyde Park and then in to Exhibition Road.  I was in the lead and as I was passing the Natural History Museum a motorist pulled away from the nearside kerb and turned right across my path. I was confronted by a Ford 100E with nowhere to go. I torpedoed his rear door and did a ‘three and a half with pike’ over the car and landed in a heap in the road. An ambulance was called and I was taken to Mary Abbots Hospital in Kensington. I suffered a few horrendous bruises but luckily no broken bones.  Being a goalkeeper I probably had learnt how to fall.

The reason why the date is recalled so easily is that while I was being treated in casualty a sister came into the cubicle and said that she had just heard a news flash that President Kennedy had been shot in Dallas!!  Our stars had converged but I had been lucky – it was one of lives coincidences.

In 1965 the administration in London changed with the demise of the London County Council and the formation of the Greater London Council. At the same time the Metropolitan Police area was reorganised and with it a new Traffic Division was formed and I was transferred to a police garage at Bromley – by – Bow. Another chapter in my service had started.

Barry Gilbert (BGS 1949-1956)