Two of them I gave evidence for in court against a charge of 'attempting to start a train illegally by giving a 'go signal' [they rightly got off, but we had all been in the Bier Keller all night and had drunk vast amounts of lager], The other one we saved the life of when he passed into a coma and arrested in front of MacDonalds in Charing Cross after a particularly boozy birthday celebration. These special occurrences , and many, many alibis given to each others girlfriends and wives over a six year period mean that.................
I think we are about square.
1979 and Britain's greatest Prime Minister begins her job
1979 - I pass all my State Registration exams and assessments and the powers that be send me a card tells me that on payment of £19.60 I can go forth and practice my skills on the general public safe in the knowledge that I will receive lifetime gratitude and respect from the British public, [who, never forget, will sue you if you should make a mistake whilst trying to help].
In my student years I helped to deal with the results of Anti Nazi League/NF riots, Millwall and Charlton home games, IRA bombings, Vatican murders, Blackwall Tunnel armed robberies, the results of the many Richardson family 'interventions' and flying pickets spitting on and punching me whilst screaming I was scum for going into work. In the quieter times there were the enjoyable weekend evenings cleaning out aggressive drunks from A&E back onto the streets and trying to put back together people who hadn't quite got used to this newfangled M25 thing.
I don't remember any thanks at all, but bugger me it was a wild time to be alive