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Marion had written to say she was getting bored with the delays of the meetings and I suggested I came out to see her. The plan was to drive out on my brother’s 350 Enfield motor cycles, camping on route and at Geneva when we got there.

We prepared our tent and bedding and packed all the cooking gear for the trip and loaded up the bike the night before our departure, we decided we should take ourselves out for a trial run to check all was well with the bike and it heavy load. We drove a few miles always from home to the fast road which had been built around Watford There we could bring the bike up to full speed, it was an open road with very few other vehicles about as we started to steadly climb a straight section of the road

The bike started to loose speed, and the heavy load mounted behind me on the pinion caused the front forks to run light. Quickly the handle bars started to lift and we soon started to wind about from side to side.. Perhaps if we had had a more powerful machine Jo could have opening up the power which would have pressed the from forks down to a more stable position but we just did not have the power and the steering got it self into a dangerous wobble.

A year before Jo had crushed his hand in a motor cycle accident and this did not help him in his fight to hold the handlebars from their wobble, I leaned forward to help him and to push my weight forward to the front wheel but it was no use Jo lost control and the bike fell over on it’s right side.

My knee caught the back of Jo’s saddle and this scooped out a lump of flesh just over my knee cap. Jo was in shock though unhurt and just lay in his sitting position with the bike on it’s side between his knees. I managed to get my leg out and lifted the bike off Jo. Then I pushed it to the side of the road and stood it upright on it’s stand. Jo was still in a daze but had managed to sit himself on the grass beside the road He was nervous that there might be a fire for when the bike healed over there had been a great shower of sparks and some petrol had spilt on the road..

The driver of a car which had been in front of us and had seen the sparks etc in his mirror and had seen our bike fall over. He drove back to help us. Jo just sat on the grass saying nothing but he later pulled himself together and managed to drive the bike home while this kind driver had noticed I had been injured so drove me to Dr O’Sullivan our family doctor.

Strange thing was my wound did not start bleeding much until we arrived at the doctor. I did not feel much pain from the wound and was able to walk up the path into the doctor’s house. I had tied a handkerchief round my knee and when the doctor removed the blood poured out. I explained to our doctor all I needed was a good bandage and told him it would soon stop bleeding and all would be well. We’ll leave as planned for our holiday tomorrow!!.

So you think you’ll be able to walk on that leg tomorrow? The doctor asked! Of course I will was my reply. He replied that I certainly would not be able to bend the knee tomorrow! And he was right! In the morning the knee went solid and just wouldn’t bend even a small movement hurt. However within a week it was a lot better and doctor said we could try for our holiday in a couple more days after that.

We left for Dover 10 days late with my rt. leg in a sling just under Jo’s saddle with my foot brushing the cylinder. OK when moving but rather hot when we stopped. Our Doctor had given me a box of special dressings and bandages with which to look

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