Heroes and villains...
Page 41
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
Isn't it sad when an illusion is shattered, when a hero becomes a villain, when the favourite uncle turns out to be an imposter, when dad's war stories prove to be lies, or as with the case I have in mind, the wise man proves not to be so.
I refer to a piece in an issue of The Daily Express recently when Sir Douglas Bader, whom I hold in high regard for courage, intelligence and integrity, entered the anti-juggernaut lists.
I hadn't thought of him in the role of a champion of the illinformed but that is how he appears in an anti-heavy lorry campaign. Still, I suppose everyone is entitled to one mistake, and he more than most.
The episode itself was unimportant, but collectively such episodes damage the image of the industry. It is important that the industry should not overreact to these incidents, but certainly it should react.
Take the case the other day when Norman Baxter, broadcasting from New Scotland Yard, said that a 36-ton lorry had overturned on a London suburban road. Later a programme presenter, Douglas Cameron, repeated the 36-ton mistake.
We took time to phone the LBC studio and put them right on gross vehicle weights. I wonder how many others did. Their switchboard should have been jammed.