03/10/2009 – My Dad's Photos

Warning to the Public – Motor Racing Is Dangerous

03/10/200912/04/2020 By shendyNo Comments

Too bloody right it's dangerous when you consider how close my dad is standing to the course, with nothing but a bit of grass and maybe a small wooden fence between him and some racing cars! This is from the 6th August 1956, at the Television Trophy at Brands Hatch. It's a Formula 3 race, and the information my dad recorded on the back of a print of this wonderfully detailed: #2 Cooper Norton. Stuart Lewis-Evans #6 Cooper Norton, George Wicken #1 Cooper Mk IX Norton (Cooper Car Co) Jim Russell #36 Cooper MK IX Norton, Ivor Bueb And amazingly, there is a website that confirms it all. It's amazing to see how close they were to the action, and the complete absence of any safety features. I know drivers were killed all the time in those days, but you have to wonder how many spectators died as well. I was going to say that I thought things might have changed after the huge fatal accident at...

"Bugs and Paddy Toasting The Union"

03/10/200908/04/2015 By shendyNo Comments

No idea what's going on in this one - why the hats? Judging from the blackboard, there might be an election for Student Union President about to happen, but why the need for toasting? Well, they're students, so drink is never going to be far away......

"Sound Effects"

03/10/200908/04/2015 By shendy2 Comments

From the Imperial College Drama Society's production of Dispersal.It must have been really difficult to do sound effects for a play in those days, presumably before even tape recorders were widely available. I assume everyone does it from a laptop these days, with just a mouse click to kick off the relevant sound. Imagine trying to cue up records and start them off at the right point - not to mention stopping them in time as well....

"Bugs in Bed (5th floor)"

03/10/200908/04/2015 By shendy1 Comment

Another from Imperial College. Not a clue what's going on in this one - it looks to me like someone's been out on the sauce and has slept it off in the corridor. But, if that was the case, surely he wouldn't have sheets, blanket and a pillow - not to mention an alarm clock on the window ledge.Not sure who Bugs was, but judging by some of the captions on other photos, he might have been one of the rowing crowd rather than the drama society. Complete guesswork though, and I imagine we'll never know the true story!BTW, sorry for the gap in posting....