Born lucky
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ANOTHER MAN who recalls the first Portsmouth event and all those since is Basil Miller, who represents the Institute of Traffic Administration in the competition and is one of that dying breed, the English gentleman. Until he retired he was transport manager of the Southern Gas Board at Portsmouth.
He is one of the luckiest men in the world. How many other people have fallen out of a flying aircraft without a parachute and survived? This happened to him over Mull in 1945, when as an RAF officer he was flying from Iceland on compassionate leave on the death of his father.
He was sitting in the copilot's seat when in terrible weather a violent change of course caused some loose freight to hurtle forward and knock him through the door, Immediately after his unscheduled departure the aeroplane struck a mountain and parts of the fuselage fell on top of him: Basil escaped with a broken arm, Three broken ribs, facial bruising that made him look like a Black and White Minstrel, and temporary blindness.
The first medical aid came from Dr Flora Macdonald, who was following a tradition of mercy established by her ancestor who helped Bonnie Prince Charlie to escape to France after his defeat at Culloden in 1746.