We rank amongst the most fortunate people in the whole of human history

Apart from the skeletal and heart stuff we've also got antibiotics and vaccinations, both of which are incredible inventions …and it's all free too…

I feel sport should be discouraged, I seem to know lots of sporty people who have worn various bits of their body out prematurely. A friend ran cross country for the Army and is 8 years younger than me but my knees are in better shape than his. My back gives me some hassle but that started before I was a fat bastard. Some of the 30 year olds I worked with who played football, ran ultra marathons and ten peak challenges are wearing bits out faster than me.

Is looking after your body not pushing it to its limits?

Mike.

lazy fat sod 63 years old with nearly everything working ok.

I don’t know what we are messing about at, the Chinese build a 1000 bed hospital in a week.

Mike

Bill

Did you ever come across a free flighter called Alan (aka Bob) Wells? (used to fly Wakefield mainly to extremely high standard and good frind of Jessica Nash who I think was National Champ in same class)

Topical story associated from the late 1970s, Alan and Jess were gently walking across the Army Flying airfield at Middle Wallop retrieving their rubber powered models from a competition flight (lowest risk activity that I can think of) when Alan was mown down from behind by an out of control land yacht. Smashed his leg horribly to the point it was to be amputated. Fortunately his friend was an ex nurse and intervened insisting that his leg could be rebuilt and saved. It was – it took an awfully long time but was very successful.

I visited him in hospital and have to say it was not a pretty sight with stainless rods sticking out all over the place and wide open wound giving access to the bone!

A mark of Alan as a principled devotee of the sport was that he absolutely refused to raise a claim as he feared that might result in loss of the site to aeromodelling. I have heard recently that the airfield is indeed not now available for this use but Alan's sacrifice must have prevented earlier loss to aeromodellers.

As well as all this he was a talented whittler of balsa with a wicked sense of humour! I was privileged to both work and fly with Alan in those days.

John Paton… Do I remember Bob Wells?? I'm in Australia now, so whilst I know the name, I never met Bob. However my (sadly late) elder brother, Chris, also flew free flight (F1A) largely at Middle Wallop, so I'm fairly sure that he would have at least known Bob. Bob was famous for his beautifully built models which flew so well. As it happens I too flew Wakefields, I think that Bobs models were predominately balsa and spruce, rather than composite.

George…..Physio. Spot on, the physio is absolutely vital. Where I had my knee "done" they had a machine which bent and extended the knee, with adjustable rate and amplitude. The nurses would strap you onto this machine before coming round from the anaesthetic. I also had to do hydrotherapy two or three times a week. Well worth all the pain though!!

cheers

Bill

Bob Well's horrific land yacht accident was actually at Bassingbourn Barracks, which was the airfield during the War where the original William Wyler documentary Memphis Belle was shot. Bob didn't actually lose the leg but was very seriously damaged. Most of London free-flight moved there after the M3 made Chobham Common unsuitable for contest flying.