And we’re back…

By shendy2 Comments
What do you mean I last posted in March? It wasn't that long ago, surely? Oops... Now, where were we? Ah yes, 1961, and it's Le Mans time again - for the third and final time, my father and his friend Bill went to Le Mans for the 24 hour race. This, believe it or not, is the start of the race. The drivers have just run over from the bank in the foreground and are just getting into the cars. And yes, the spectators really are that close. The two cars are Aston Martins DB4 GT Zagatos. #4 is Roy Salvadori & Tony Maggs' car, while #5 is Jim Clark and Ron Flockhart. This is taken from directly above the pits - the Ferrari garage in this case. This is #10, a Ferrari 250, with Phil Hill getting in. Night view from above the pits, with Bill watching. The Salvadori/Maggs Aston Martin, in the process of retiring, 19 hours into the race. There is...
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An interlude

By shendyNo Comments
I've just been flicking through some of my dad's recipe folders, scanning a few (well, quite a lot actually) that look interesting - and found this in the middle of it.No prizes for anyone who manages to decipher it, but about all I can make out at first glance is "OH YES" against the 5th one.He should have been a doctor - he had the handwriting for it......
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Very important photos

By shendy1 Comment
I can't overstate how important these photos are. Having moved to Northampton for his job, my father carried on with the amateur dramatics thing, joining the Masque Theatre in 1960 (we actually have the letter confirming his membership). He remained a member for the rest of his life, sometimes acting, sometimes helping backstage, and taking photos of many, many productions - I totted up and something like 300 of the 850 b&w films are of Masque productions. I don't propose to scan many of these, but will probably hand them over to the Masque archive. Anyway, the young lady in these pictures, Greta, was stage managing this production (The Entertainer in 1961), and I think he took a bit of a liking to her - rather a lot of a liking in fact. A sort of married for 45 years with two children liking... Yep, say hello to my mother. You know the membership letter I mentioned above? She signed it. The chap in the...
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Le Mans 1960, part 2

By shendy3 Comments
This little selection is from behind the scenes at Le Mans One of the bars at night People sleeping in the stand La Calandre, the small hotel/restaurant where my father stayed. I can't find any reference to it still being open, but there is a Rue de la Calandre in Le Mans, so I suppose that's where the hotel was. And the staff at La Calandre, saying goodbye...
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Work

By shendyNo Comments
In, I think, 1959, my father actually got a job - having seemingly managed to put it off until he was 27. It sounds late, but a degree would have taken him to 22, plus another year for a Masters, 2 years working on a PhD and 2 years National Service adds up!And in fact, it was the only job he ever got - he worked at the same place (for Plessey at the Allen Clark Research Centre at Caswell in Northamptonshire) until he retired.I'm probably breaking all sorts of rules by publishing these, but I doubt there are any still-secret innovations in a lab almost 50 years ago.It looks like what I think of as proper chemistry - bell jars and that sort of thing, although there seems to be a disappointing lack of bunsen burners. Interesting to see what looks suspiciously like a car battery in there though!...
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