Albert Gunter

Albert Gunter - from The Daily Mail - December 1952

Flight to the South

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Way-homes on buses are for taking it easy. The stop and start trips allow for the reading of papers, and, if sitting upstairs the view of a London evening on its way into darkness is possibly the best in the world! But, passengers to Dulwich in South London got more than their tickets' worth while riding home for their suppers one late afternoon a long time ago. They not only flew, they made headlines as well!

It was the 30^th of December, the last working day of 1952. Albert Gunter had just steered his number 78 bus onto Tower Bridge and was approaching the centre when it happened. All of a sudden he felt his bus going-up! The arm of the bridge upon which he was driving was no longer pointing ahead - it was rising!!! For a split second it looked as though Albert's bus was about to make history by becoming the first ever London Transport red double-decker to sink without trace in the dark swirling depths of the Thames! But, Albert's thinking was quicker than the currents of the river and he went into action!!

With his foot hard down on the gas he dropped down in gear. He needed speed. It was his only option. There was no other choice. He had passed the point of no return! He had to either fly or sink! And the passengers were praying, and the bus was shaking, and Albert was whispering determined encouragement to the bus, “just a little more speed and all will be fine”. And then came the silence!

Suddenly the shaking stopped! No-one was speaking. They had lost contact with the ground. They were airborne. They were up in the air. The bus was flying the gap and Albert was lining her up for a one-chance landing. And then came the touch down and everyone felt it!

The bus landed with an incredible bang! Seats and passengers were thrown all over the place, but, thankfully no-one was seriously hurt. But the sound of the landing was nothing compared to the passenger's cheering and applause for their “captain” - it could be heard all over London! The best landing a red double-decker London bus had ever made! And the driver?

Albert Gunter was decorated for bravery by the Queen. And this, by-the-way, was another “first”. It was the first ever medal that the new young Queen Elizabeth the Second was to award. A medal not only for bravery, but for saving 60 passengers from a watery death as well! Albert Gunter, Britain’s 1952 unofficial man of the year! A driver, a flyer and a gentleman!

Tower Bridge - by Nigel A JAMES

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A Poem to Smile For!

A Very Happy Christmas to You!

Becky and Hatsie whilst smiling!

by Nigel A JAMES

Smiling!

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Smiling is contagious,

You catch it like the ‘flu.

When someone smiled at me today,

I started smiling, too.

I passed around the corner,

And someone saw my grin,

And when he smiled I realized

I’d passed it on to him!

I thought about that smile,

Then realized its worth;

A simple smile – just like mine

Could travel round the earth!

So, if you feel a smile begin,

Don’t leave it undetected,

Let’s start an epidemic quick

And get the world infected.

The Great Escape

The Right Way? - By Nigel A JAMES

The Great Escape

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Last week,  I heard a most remarkable story.  It was all about an escape that was waiting to happen, and, it happened just after  the war!

A fine Viennese lady told me of her brother’s unusual escape from the Americans.  The war had just ended, and, being Austrian he wasn't enjoying his life as prisoner of war in occupied Germany.  All he wanted was home.  But his nearby Austrian home had never been further away! Life in the form of exercise yards, American meals and the same old card games was set to continue.  But then one day and out of the blue his life took a change for the better!

And, it happened in the exercise yard. On his own in a corner, he found that he was standing right next to a door.  At first he thought nothing, but then the temptation to try the handle overtook him, and, to his great surprise he found that the door was unlocked.  He needed no time to think.  Without even looking over his shoulder, he quickly and quietly opened the door and stepped silently out of the camp. Freedom!  All of a sudden, he was on the right side of the wall!  But then?

And then came the biggest surprise of his life! Leaning against the wall was a bike!  And, with only a momentary feeling of guilt, he was up in the saddle and off into the heat of the summer!  And his luck continued until he got home. There were no serious incidents and the people he encountered were only too willing to help him with a drink and something to eat. But, that’s not the end of the story!

He had been home for two weeks.  All was fine.  And it was a Wednesday  and without thinking, he decided to cycle to the village to get one or two things and possibly meet up with a friend.  But where was his bike? It was gone. And this, he believed, was how it should be.  The bike had helped him, and now it was doing the same for somebody else. There are some things that one just cannot plan, and this was definitely one of those things!  Fate, it seems, knows better than we do!

Georg Haslinger

 George Haslinger by Nigel A James

Big Dadai

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Georg Haslinger is an artist endifierence! His style and his life which include painting, curating, theatre and much more, too, are mature combinations of styles which lean to both abstract and traditional. And, in order to understand the way that he is and where he is going, a brief understanding of Dadaism is called for!

Dadaism is an artistic movement which started in Zurich during the first world war. Its aims were to demonstrate against all artistic convention by means of its own designs and thinking. This almost dogmatic process included fine arts, applied arts, literature, and practically everything else as well! And, Kurt Switters was the Dadaiist literary giant who influenced George more than most. For, he, too, was a lone star of the world of art and creation. And, what Switters wrote was fantastic in a very wide meaning!

Switters is especially well known for two of his “very open to interpretation” works: An Anna Blume – an absurd love poem, and, his greatest theatrical work of all, The Ursonate, a play which was based upon “poster poems” by Raoul Hausmann. And, its first performance in Switzerland was not only provocative, but also a shocker! And, it's still just as moving as always! And the good news is that its set to continue.

Georg is putting on The Ursonate next June in Vienna. He has put together a highly talented group of people who are already practising and rehearsing in a very dedicated way! And, this conventional unconventional piece is bound to touch all who see it in some way or other! And, its opening line is possibly the best way to wish Georg good luck with his project;

“Fumms bö wö tää zää Uu, pögiff, kwii Ee”

See you at the theatre next June!

I will be providing more details nearer the time, but, if you wish I can send you a mail, too! Please drop me a mail at naj.diariworld@gmail.com