During the war, as a schoolboy, my ambition was to follow in the footsteps of Bob Leach. I did make joint Victor Ludorum but thereafter my medal achievements testify to my mediocrity. Namely an unplaced novice over the country and a 'bronze' in the County 440 hurdles (only 4no. ran)
I left school in November 1940 to work for a Liverpool insurance group which, I.m very grateful to say, paid me for the next 42 years to shunt my family around Great Britain and has been paying my pension (on final salary basis) for the succeeding 23 years. Future pensioners - I sympathise and wish you well!
As to the war years, my club recollections are chiefly of cross-country which I had enjoyed at school, now under the leadership of John Edwards with admin being handled by the very capable Ron Hubbard.
My time was taken up in the day with work, in the evenings with Air Training Corps and in the night with fire-watching at my old school or helping my Home Guard father to extinguish incendiary bombs in neighbours. houses. Those were the years during which 400 people were killed in our town by enemy action.
Any spare time I was keeping company with the lady who has shared my life for 66 years.
The photo shows number Eric Foster (in the centre on the back row) at the Tower Ballrooms.
Ramsey was the Club long jump specialist before Len Platt donned his Britain strip. Ramsey joined the RAF in April 1941, but I didn.t follow until 1943 after the delay needed to correct an anatomical defect in order to qualify me for air crew duties.
Having married in 1944, I was demobbed in 1946 to readjust to civilian life, to live in a succession of living quarters and to start working for professional qualification, as a result of which I fear my Club activity suffered.
But I do recall our expedition into Lancashire to bring home a used Nissen hut and teamwork by every member spurred on by Con Humphries (he was our Winston Churchill) to erect said hut for our own HQ off Leasowe Road. I remember it well because I fell of the roof and broke my arm!
About this time we joined forces with the weightlifters led by the remarkable Bob Jones who performed competitively despite having lost an arm.
By 1950 the Club was flourishing on the track and in the Tower ballroom as some of our photo.s show.
The photo shows Eric (extreme right) at a centenary celebrations.
