Man of courage will be missed (From Stroud News and Journal)

Man of courage will be missed

THE man who claimed to have exploded the first hydrogen bomb in England and in his youth jumped through hoops of fire whilst riding a motorbike backwards has died at the age of 86.

Noel Vincent Joseph Salt, known simply as Joe, lived the last few decades of his life at Bowbridge in Stroud.

Joe had a natural talent with transport. As a young boy he would sit on the handlebars of his bicycle and ride it backwards.

He soon graduated to motorbikes and before long was amazing the crowds at local shows performing breathtaking stunts, including riding backwards through fire.

During his time in the Royal Air Force during the war, Joe was described as an exceptional pilot. His family have now laid a wreath at Stroud's cenotaph as a reminder of his courage as a wartime pilot and flying instructor.

After gaining the highest pilot assessment ranking he was demobilised in September 1945 and went on to train as a teacher of deaf-blind children.

In 1952 while teaching at a school in Newbury he accidentally allowed hydrogen to build up in a glass beaker during an experiment and caused an explosion that his students remembered for the rest of their lives, although nobody was hurt.

It was his proud boast thereafter that he exploded the first hydrogen bomb in England.

His teaching career took him to Victoria, Australia, where he was headmaster of a school for deaf children, to New Guinea, Borneo and Saudi Arabia.

It was while he was in Saudi that Joe met and befriended the father of Osama bin Laden, although he never met the Afghani leader himself.

He settled in Stroud with his wife Winifred and after his retirement became a prominent member of the community and a regular correspondent in the letters pages of the Stroud News & Journal.

Former SNJ editor Dennis Mason remembers Joe with fondness.

"He was always willing to campaign on any matter which he felt needed airing, the fact that he was in tune with what was happening in the area serving to enhance the strength of his cause.

"Joe cared a lot about Stroud and his observations always deserved the greatest attention and consideration by those in authority," said Dennis.

"He was certainly held in high esteem by many and will be sadly missed."