THE FLIXBOROUGH DISASTER

The Flixborough Disaster of 1974 and my non-role in it. Tony Cook was there, though, as was Don Truscott. I was about to join BBC Radio Nottingham. This was the weekend I travelled blissfully up through the wild lands of Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire to meet a friend in Ripley and spend the Saturday night in Derby. Great fun meeting the Fransham Family of Belper. That night I'd taken Victoria home in my Skoda. Several years later, while a news producer at BBC Radio Humberside, Paul, her brother, invited me on board the ship in Hull that he was Chief Engineer for. My friggin' car broke down outside Bridlington, early hours, well soaked, and Dad, poor half-paralysed Dad, came out to rescue me. Thanks Dad, and also thanks to the couple who allowed me to use their home phone to call for help. P.S. Paul, when the radiator is overheating, it doesn't work unscrewing the cap of the radiator and driving slowly! Mind you, I nearly got home, but nearly was not near enough. In those days we did not have mobile telephones and you had to be earning a fortune to have a car radio. What great days... I guess this is the Fransham website. Hope to meet soon, folks.