I needed to pass the document on to Joan, Veronica’s eldest sister, to receive her approval, or otherwise. At the same time, Veronica went to see her in Barnsley where they ‘…talked for hours and hours.’ Then, Joan said, most surprisingly, ‘I am happy for anything to be written even if it is upsetting…. I will not stand in your way.’
She hugged Veronica – for the first time ever – and said, ‘Tell Richard, I do not mind even if he had written a load of bullshit about me, I am happy to go along with it. It will not cause a split between us.’
Veronica went on, ‘There is no doubt, she is proud of me now and so much so she encourages her grand-daughters to follow in my example. Not just Joan, but the whole family are proud.
‘Next weekend is to be another big first. Joan, Pat, Ghislaine and her two grand-daughters are spending a week together in London. They are going to a show, lunch in Harrods, and they have invited me to join them!
I have accepted the invitation.’
1929. George Bird with Joan. ‘…finished with shift’
1965. Joan Ward ‘…with thermals’ on the stall
Early Sixties – Fred Ward. Joan, left in picture. ‘Party boy!’
1954. Ackworth ‘…like moving from hell to heaven’
1955. Only known photo of Kitty Bird – ‘happier times’
1965. Me, testing cycling proficiency Doncaster police
1965. First proper job – working for the Bill. Doncaster
1968. Trainee at Holloway. No-one wanted to be locked up in Holloway
1968. Roger Kendrick ‘…he literally, saved my life’
1972. Principal Officer in the old uniform ‘… I like the red blaze on the cap badge
1976. This time in the new uniform at Styal. Something like an air stewardess
1973. ‘Bum’ biting incident, ‘…noted with pleasure’
1973. God’s office, Risley ‘… I felt hot under the collar’
1976. Styal prison workshop. ‘…could be in any factory in England’
1976. Me, modelling new uniforms for the Service. ‘See what I mean about air stewardesses’
Baron Brittan. Styal ‘…I met all the Home Secretaries, all clever, all seeking questions, all in a hurry
1988. ‘Know what I mean, ’arry.’ Frank Bruno with suit
1988. Frank Bruno without suit. ‘Lovely man’
1989. Sir Douglas Hurd at Thorn Cross. Me as Deputy Governor
2000. First Governor to receive the Butler Trust award. ‘Fairly proud, I think’
2001. Ivanova team plus blonde Russian support
2001. Women’s prison. Ivanovo.
Inside Butyrka prison, Russia
2002. Fred Ward’s lorry preserved for a museum
2002. OBE. ‘…from Doncaster Road to Buck House’
With John Major at the Dickie Bird Foundation
Other books by the author
Novels: Crown of martyrdom
The Potato Eaters
The horse that screamed
Non-fiction: The Green hill
Brief encounters
A Nun’s story
Copyright
Published by Clink Street Publishing 2017
Copyright © 2017
First edition.
The author asserts the moral right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior consent of the author, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that with which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
ISBN: 978-1-912262-61-8 paperback
978-1-912262-62-5 ebook
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