Famous Leyland People

[noel]

But I like you. Apologies to Dick Emery.

[anacortesdamp]

Hello, Michelle:

My name is Frank Damp. I was a very good friend of your mother's older brother, John who was so tragically lost in a naval aviation accident when he was about 21 yrs old.

I'm sure your mom will remember me. We lived at No 7 Church Road when they were at No. 23. our old house was demolished some years ago as part of the Market development. When we lived there, there was no sidewalk (UK - pavement) on our side of Church Road. After we sold out to the Doctors' Clinic, the Council added a pavement and a bus stop where our front gate used to be.


As a friend of John's, I've spent many hours at your Nana's house before your Grandad's death. I assume she's still at the house just a couple of doors up from the War Memorial. I remember Arthur's purchase of the first new car in the neighbourhood - a 1953 Ford Popular. This was a couple of years before we had a a car.

I guess the pressures of Balshaw's drove a wedge between all of us. I wound up as a student apprentice going though the British Aerospace system. Your Mom's brother chose the Fleet Air Arm. Other friends went to the Motors, to BEA, BOAC, the Army and the Navy.

My sister, Jean, is still in Leyland. She recently moved to Chestnut Court, in the old CE Vicarage grounds. My brother Colin lives in Plymouth and runs a pub. My wife is also a Leylander. Her folks, Percy and Polly Nixon, had a greengrocery at 90 Hough Lane - across from the gasworks. We were all members of the Methodist Church, though Jean, Colin and I all went to Fox Lane (it was closer).

We came out to the USA in 1968, after being hired by Boeing. I retired from Boeing in 1998 and have been back twice as a contract engineer. I'm currently working as a bus driver for the local transit authority.

We now live in a small (15,000 people) community that is kinda like Grange-over-Sands, but without the sexual excitement! (to plagiarise a BBC TV show). We're about 60 miles south of the US/Canada border, just a bit north of victoria, BC and about 22 miles west of the main route between Vancouver BC and Seattle.

Give my regards to your Mom and your Nana.


Frank Damp
Anacortes, Wa, USA

[hev]

Sid from Emmerdale is actually Nathan Gladwell, he is 28/29 now and went to Wellfield (he was the year above me). He was also on come dancing, and learned his dancing skills at Dancers in Preston. He lived on the Hayrick estate and I still see him jogging sometimes when he visits (surely he cant still live with his parents so he must be visiting). My best friend was his best friend when they were toddlers and I was recently showed a funny photo of them both naked in a baby bath about the age of 2, ahhh.

[David]

How 'famous' do you have to be to be considered famous ?? Let's take Tim Campbell for example. Tim and his wife Pam live at the farmhouse on the right, just after the hard left hand turn of Dunkirk Lane heading toward Southport. Tim is heavily involved in the commercial truck business. He is regularly seen on satellite television promoting commercial vehicles, heavy commercial vehicles, Daf and the like. His program's are very interesting if you are into that stuff !! His program takes you into the factory where the trucks are produced, and he takes you through the whole assembly of the vehicle.
You didn't know about Tim did you ? He's a great guy, I've been fortunate to meet him and his family while on vacation in Leyland. Perhaps you've run into his wife Pam...she's heavy into Leyland real estate. Both great people.

[shuffy]

Don't forget Marianne St Clare Ballerina and co founder of London City Ballet Company.

[shuffy]

Michelle congrats to your daughter and are you Clair's daughter?

[Hayleypink]

Founder of London City Ballet - why didnt she call it Leyland City Ballet?

[Martin]

Perhaps it was in London?

[magicman]

ooh, Martin, you may just be in for a slap on the wrist - lololol

[rocketmanjohn]

Marianne St Clare was Marian Allsop before her ballet career, my sister Judith taught her ballet when she was a kid, I think they're still in touch.
Another famous Leyland lad is John Lawton PhD CBE FRS, he's chief executive of the National Environment Research Council, hard to believe he started out bird nesting in the woods behind Fox Lane School.
John