Free British Voices by William Sheehan Page A

heavy fog was beginning to drift across the aerodrome, which would have made more difficulties for landing. While I was away competing in this little aerial derby, word had been received from the RAF athletic sports committee in London requesting me to report at Stamford Athletic Ground, London west. It would have taken too long to have reached London by boat and train, so I used my Bristol Fighter, flying up to Larne in the North and crossing over to Stranraer in Scotland. This was the shortest water crossing. I landed at an airfield just outside London where I was accommodated by the unit stationed there. Next day I reported to Stamford Bridge where I was given a programme of events and a number 6! I went to the dressing room to change and then had a run around the course to loosen up, then had a few jumps over the stick and that was all until next day, the day of the event. There were, if I remember rightly, twelve competitors for this event, amongst them an RAF Sgt Major who had won this event on four previous occasions. There was considerable betting on this event. Unfortunately I did not have anything on myself and the Sgt Major was ‘odds on’ favourite to win. We started the jumps about 2.00 p.m. and by the time the horizontal bar had been raised to 5 feet 8 inches quite a number of the competitors had fallen out, in fact, now I remember only the Sgt/Major and myself were left in the competition when 5 feet 9 was reached. By today’s standards this height is not high, but it must be remembered that we were all amateurs and had not had any previous experience, or training. If I remember rightly again, the Sgt/Major and I tied for this even at 5 feet 9 and a half inches. I was quite happy with the result, having tied with the reigning champion of the RAF. As the reward was a gold medal for first and a silver one for second place, we tossed – and I lost, and the medals had to be returned to the maker, first to tie, and second to tie. I knew that my CO would be happy to know the result so I sent him a telegram. After spending a few days in London I returned to Tallaght where I received congratulations all around, another honour for 141!
    Life went on as usual in the squadron until a date was set for the Inter-Services Championship, to be held at Stamford Bridge. I stuck a stick up somewhere on the aerodrome and when I felt like it, I took a jump! This was all the preparation I had for the big event. A few days before the event I travelled down again by Bristol Fighter near London, I think it was Uxbridge. Arrangements had been made for me to take advantage of a trainer who had previously trained competitors for the Olympic Games. I’m afraid I did not spend a lot of time with him. London was only a bus ride away and always held a great attraction for me, as it did indeed for a great number of the Australians. The afternoon before the big event I did spend a few hours with the trainer loosening up my muscles by vigorous massage and heat treatment after which he suggested that I take a gentle run around the track, which I did but on the way back to the dressing room I noticed some of the competitors having a little practice over the horizontal bar. I joined them, but wearing my sand shoes and the grass being damp my right foot slipped and I strained my ankle, not seriously, but enough to cause me to limp back to my trainer, whose comments could not very well be repeated here! He had given me strict instructions that I was not to jump over the bar and I had disobeyed him. I know he had good reason to be annoyed. Apparently he still thought there was a possibility of my winning this event so he spent a lot of time with heat lamps, finally binding the strained ligaments with an elastic bandage. He sent me back to my quarters to rest. At noon the following day he gave me further treatment after which I felt I could give a reasonably good account of myself in the event.
    There were three entries from each of