I can feel a career change afoot! This headline writing malarkey could be the next big thing for me... Anyway, to the plot...

Being a Tuesday, it's drill night and with an early start too. The early start was so that we could take two pumps down to Holton, just outside Halesworth, for a BA exercise at the disused Bernard Mathews plant there.

It was a lovely Summer evening (we do have them now and again) for the drive to Holton and I was able to relax in the back of the pump and take part in the normal banter and the far from intelligent conversation that is normal on any fire engine.

We were following Ladder 1 and turned right down a country lane as opposed to the normal route round to Holton (apparently this road was closed). The lane was quite narrow and I remember saying it would be fun if we met something coming the other way.

Well that's what did happen and Les, driving Ladder 1, pulled over into a small passing place as the car made to pass by both pumps. We seemed to have stopped longer than was necessary when Ladder 1 started to reverse. Mark, driving Ladder 2, duly reversed too. If was only then, with room to see down the nearside of Ladder 1, could we understand the reason for the delay.

The cab door was peeled back from the hinge side and the mirrors had smashed both windows in the door. The glass had showered Dennis, who was in the OIC seat and had even flown right across and hit Les!

It seems that when Les pulled over, a tree branch, that was facing straight towards us, had gone between the door and the mirror arm, with the result as described above.

While First Aid was given to Les for cuts to his arm and Dennis had his eyes checked, Shambles stepped up to the mark for a spot of panel beating. He climbed up into the cab and simply bent the door back into shape. If it wasn't for the missing glass and the odd crease in the metal, you'd never have been the wiser as to what had happened...

We tidied the area of glass, calls were made to Brigade Workshops and we carried on to the BA exercise, by now running a tad late.

I'll describe the exercise in the next post...

When we got back to Normanshurst at around 2200hrs, a reserve pump had been delivered and the Workshops guys were ready for a drafty ride back to Ipswich.

I always knew that Tuesday drill nights could be more exciting than sitting in the classroom and listening to endless lectures!