Roy Hackett T933

THE RED BIKE BOYS (LEICESTER)

My name is Roy Hackett T933 and I joined the Red Bike Boys of Leicester in April 1953 until 1956, where has the time gone 58 years ago?
I always think, “ what a lovely time it was.” I met some marvellous characters and friends, some sadly have gone but one I met on the day my intake took their aptitude test was Maurice Tidmarsh T922.
A week or so later we started our first day on the bikes and became friends although I would say, the only thing we had in common was both our fathers were Postmen. Maurice used to come round my house and that’s where he met his future wife as she lived just round the corner from me.
1953 or 1954 must have been a bitterly cold winter because me and Maurice went ‘ popping’ I don’t know if it was a Nationwide phrase but in Leicester it meant riding all or part of the way to your delivery together. This particular day I was going to Aylestone and Maurice Narborough Road South, they are basically in the same direction about 1 miles apart, as Leicester lads will know there is a canal that runs half way between so we decided that was the way we would go. We joined it at Walnut Street Bridge and parted ways at Middleton Street a distance of about 2 miles, like I said it must have been a severe winter as the canal was frozen solid, so Maurice being Maurice rode the 2 miles on the ice, ‘not me no way.’
A year or so later we are proper Red Bike Boys on motor bikes and we are ‘popping’ again, this time in the Belgrave area and again the Leicester lads will know Wavertree Drive, yes it wavers with two or three bends, riding along side each other!!
I failed to go round a bend safely and hit a parked car on the wrong side of the road, the bike was written off and I had a broken leg, Maurice broke the news to my mother.
We were both suspended from motorbikes for 6 months. Now 60 years later we are still ’popping’ Maurice has a motor-home and every year for the last 6 years we go off together just the two of us, (wives at home) we go all over Europe, I don’t think there is a country we haven’t been to, we’ve been in some scrapes and seen some marvellous sights, like getting half way over the Swiss Alps and finding the road still blocked with snow and having to come all the way back down. Another was going to Colditz Castle and it was closed. The lady in the Tourist Office phoned someone and they came and opened Colditz up just for us and gave us a personal tour. Last year we did nine countries and this June we are on our travels again.
Going back to the Red Bike days there is a little story that might amuse some-one, I was on the noon to 8.0pm shift on motor bikes but when I arrived for work I realised I had left my helmet at home, so I told the Inspector (Harrold Peel.) He wasn’t pleased but said he had a brand new one in a box that I could borrow until I could nip home and fetch mine, and he wanted the new one straight back. I was given a telegram for New Parks Estate, deliver that then home for my helmet, I lived on Saffron Lane so it wasn’t too far. I delivered the telegram and was going down Aikman Avenue in poring rain, came to Pinder Road island laid the bike down, the back wheel slipped on a manhole cover skidded along on the side of the bike which hit a join in the road, the bike righted itself and threw me off the other side of the bike, so now I am on the other side of the bike and I hit the island head first which split the new helmet straight down the middle, people rushed out of their houses and some-one took me in for a drink of tea. I was O.K. so I went home for my own helmet. When I arrived back at the office, Harrold Peel the Inspector wasn’t there, so I put the split helmet back in the box upside down, closed the box and put it at the back of the shelf, I never did hear about it again.
In 1956 I joined the Royal Signals as a Despatch Rider for three years and a further three years as a Radio Operator.

Keeping the Red Bike Boys memories alive.
All the best.

Roy Hackett T933, 1953-1956

P.S The photo is of me and Maurice arriving home after one of our trips!

Roy Hackett T933 Telephone 0116 2777553
E Mail royhackett@hotmail.co.uk