Stroud Probus: With guest speaker Richard Dickinson and 'The Blue Lamp'

RICHARD Dickinson, a member of Cirencester Probus, was the guest speaker on Wednesday, April 13, with a talk entitled ‘The Blue Lamp’.

He said in the bad winter of 1947 he was employed by the Post Office carrying out repairs to snow damaged installations.

It was then he decided to join the Metropolitan police and was sent to Hendon for his initial training he was posted to a police station doing beat patrols.

The following year the Olympic games were held in London and he was lucky enough to be one of the officers inside the stadium, where he witnessed the athletic events.

He contrasted the equipment which consisted of a truncheon and whistle with the various items the police had at the more recent Games when they were kitted out with body armour and guns, and he wondered how we arrived at this state of affairs.

Other events in which he was on duty included the Coronation of the Queen, Winston Churchill’s funeral and the 1966 World Cup when England beat Germany.

He recalled on one occasion when living in a Section House he came down for breakfast and saw Jack Warner sitting there as they were using the station to film ‘The Blue Lamp’ where he played the part of Dixon of Dock Green.

This was also a popular television series and he was still cast in the same role until he was eighty years of age.

Richard said he gave talks to raise money for the Cirencester Hospital League of Friends.

Peter Nairn, the president thanked him for what had been an interesting morning.

The next meeting is at 10.15am on Wednesday, April 27, at the Cotswold Indoor Bowling Centre, Dudbridge, Stroud, and is open to all retired men.

On this date Cliff Hilditch will be our guest speaker with a talk entitled ‘Fading Thoughts of a Fortunate Airman’.