The above link will take you to the BBC Radio 4 website and a 30 minute programme available on the BBC iPlayer, called "The Long Walk". It is well worth a listen. I knew the man who is the subject of the story, he was based at my station. I had cause to see him and his colleagues work on many occasions. It was a daily occurrence. Bad days. Bad times. Amazing man.
7 comments:
Fascinating programme... thanks HogDay, How's life in ruralshire? xx
Nice HD, quite an interesting listen. Guys that do that are like that, matter-of-fact, nothing out of the ordinary, just doing his job. I've done some disarming of mines and been through a sapper's competition with lots of stuff to find, mark, and avoid or disarm, but nothing like doing it for a living.
I'm guessing he had a rather droll sense of humor?
mark
Hi Sage!
Once I'd set my watch back 20 years it was fine. You?
Marcus:
Peter was a hoot. Eg: There I was at the corner of Whitehall and Parliament Square one dark winter night. Everything cordoned. So, whilst we waited for the Explo officer (Peter Gurney)an Inspector arrived (snr officer type) and against my/our urgent suggestions decided to walk up to the suspect car bomb and shine his torch inside for another look. Peter G arrives and says, "Can you call that chap back here please". We wave him back (radios were turned off). Explo man very politely says to the inspector, "Well, thanks for helping me tick one off my list. At least I now know that there isn't a photo-electric cell set to trigger it". The silence that followed was deafening!
That is hysterical. I'll bet you could have heard a pair of socks drop. Probably memorable expression on his face as well. Well, ya' live and ya' learn. Said inspector was probably a much better man to have around an IED thereafter.
I suspect we'd get along well. When I finally get a chance to make it back over to Merry Old, I'll give you a heads up first. My missus loves it overseas and has had the opportunity to visit and enjoy London. So, it's a matter of when, not if.
mark
Braver Men Walk Away, written by Pete Gurney. Hilarious and yet sad. A top read!
Tony, ya gotta know when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em. Brave and stupid are quite different things, although the uninformed often don't know the difference.
TonyF:
Cheers. I'll get that one.
Marcus:
Agree. Look me up when you decide to visit. My old school tie can still get us in to a few places you'd never see and I always enjoy a stroll around my capital.
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