Gregory’s love of swimming kept him busy and learning how to do difficult dives which was to be a Godsend in a way that he had not envisaged. A group of boys around his age were an acrobatic diving team who practiced every week at the pool and Gregory was asked if he would like to join them at their next Gala Exhibition at the swimming pool. It would be in two months time. Gregory jumped at the chance and said yes. Strenuous work followed and difficult dives were practiced and the set pieces had to be exactly timed to the millisecond as anything not going in the right order of things was usually very difficult to amend once you left the diving board. Gregory’s favourite stunt was the ‘Horse and Rider’. He was usually the horse and he was situated on a board, which had a spring board attachment and was situated below the top board. The rider was the one on the top board. Gregory made the first move by running forward and jumping on the end of the board and would bounce upwards and assumed the position of a horse while the top boy jumped in an upright position gripping Gregory’s hips. The tricky bit came at the end when Gregory turned to complete the acrobatics by diving and his partner went feet first with only about a foot separating them as they entered the water. It was the highlight of the Gala.
Another daring trick was when two swimmers were directly below the highest diving board with the feet touching and making a diamond shaped aperture and the lone diver was blindfolded and he had to dive in the diamond. Gregory used to shout the instructions and when he thought it was the right time he would dive. It was a sensational piece, but highly dangerous, but the trick was completed without mishap.
Gregory did several shows with the team and it was very enjoyable at the time. It was at one of these Galas that Gregory saw Patricia in the audience. He had to concentrate twice as hard because he could easily jeopardise the stunts by trying too hard to impress. The evening was a great success and Gregory decided to leave the team.
At the same time with the diving team Gregory had joined the Air Training Corps and went through the motions of learning all he could and wondered whether wearing glasses would stop him from joining the Royal Air Force as he was keen to do so. At about that time he met and fell in love with a girl named Maureen. Gregory was really too young to know his own mind when it came to love and as the year went by and he became more certain that this was the girl he would like to marry. They got engaged.
His first job, on leaving school was in London at Posners, Walters and Harrisons in Shoe Lane off of Fleet Street where he was trained to become a Compositor. The work was interesting but the hours were too long and start time was 6 am to about 6 pm and in the winter months he travelled in the dark. The office where he worked was in the basement with artificial lighting and soon this had a bearing on his life of being constantly in the dark and he needed to change to another type of job.
He found employment with Jones and Darke Rubber Brokers. He stayed there until he joined the Royal Air Force. The staff gave him a wonderful farewell party.
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Gregory’s medical was on Blackheath Common in made up prefabs and having passed the medical examination which took all day, he was posted to somewhere in Litherland at a Royal Air Force Training Camp. He was assigned to Churchill Squadron, apparently the toughest section in the camp. The squadron’s colours were red, possibly someone’s blood. The year was 1953. Training was not ‘a piece of cake’. Everywhere Gregory went had to be at the double and the first place he had to call at was the stores to collect his uniform. The film ‘Carry On Sergeant’ was a true exponent of how things were done – a long bench about forty feet with men who snapped out questions as if they had somewhere to go and were in a hurry, starting with socks and boot size all the way down the line to the last man who asked him what size hat. After he had doubled back to the billet he was assigned to and there was no let up and he ran to the next store to collect his bedding. By the time he got back to the billet, the romantic notions he had about the Royal Air Force had been knocked out of him for good. Feeling tired was not an option as having made up his bed and changed in his newly acquired uniform, his next task was to run at the double to the canteen for a late night dinner, which didn’t seem to go down well with the kitchen staff and Gregory was lucky to receive his portions on the plate as each ladle scooped up the ingredients and slapped down hard which somehow splashed everywhere, especially the prunes and custard! Gregory’s ability to eat faster than anybody else didn’t go down with his new found friends, so he pretended to eat something that wasn’t there until everyone else was ready to go at the double.
Up at five am the next morning and washing and shaving in a wash room that had no doors at either end and it being cold, the wind whistled through like nobody’s business. Gregory wondered whether he had made the right choice in the service he had chosen.
The Brylcream Boys slogan didn’t quite match up to the laid back image from the draft advertising that was constantly being displayed on posters. It seemed to be a very short square-bashing term and some of Gregory’s group were chosen to perform a special duty in London, which lasted a whole day. Back to basics in Litherland as we continued with furthering our skills of un-armed combat: How to kill the enemy with your bare hands, charging about with rifles with fixed bayonets screaming your head off and the instructor sergeant shouting ‘just think that the dummy you are charging at is me’. I think on reflection, all were thinking that anyway. Gregory became ill; screaming his head off in the hot summer sun several times gave him a bad throat and he ended up in the Station Hospital with Acute Tonsillitis, and it was three weeks later that he emerged from his hospital bed. Churchill Squadron had long passed out and Gregory found himself in another squadron. Although just as strict, the sergeants and corporals seemed fair and gave praise when it was due. He completed his remaining three weeks training and as is the custom, the squadron had a photograph taken and Gregory was situated in the back row, centre grinning from ear to ear.
He was posted to Bedford to learn how to land and make parachute jumps. Sergeants seemed to be quite sadistic persons and their version of the art of gentle persuasion was to shove you in the back.
Gregory was posted to Aden. It was an unfortunate time as things were not at all peaceful and as he reported to Royal Air Force Steamer Point he was handed a rifle, ammunition and helmet. The R.A.F. Regiment were deployed somewhere else and Gregory with his brand new friends were left to defend the station. After a skirmish with the enemy he found himself once again in a hospital. This time it was going to be a long stay – three months. Later on in life Gregory was to receive a medal with bar plus two other medals for his part of experiencing active service on the front line!
He was then posted to Sharjah, a Fighter Station/Staging Post. Many pilots from the last war were employed ferrying aircraft of all types round the world. Gregory’s job had changed drastically and he belonged to a team who specialised in testing jet engines. He celebrated his 21st birthday at Sharjah and in the evening he held the customary party. Having purchased from the Officer’s Mess every bottle of alcoholic drink he could lay his hands on, he filled his pint glass with gin, whisky, rum, vermouth and every other drink he had and when you viewed the glass it looked like a pint of stout. It lasted him all evening and he was the last to get to his bed. Gregory was glad it was his birthday as all the others were given a shower and laid outside the billet to dry. He awoke the next morning at five am and went to do his ablutions and on the way saw these sprawled out bodies moaning. Gregory went to the mess for his breakfast and had the works with not one shred of evidence of a hangover!
Having left the Royal Air Force just before his 22nd Birthday he became one of the brigade of umbrella carriers, bowler hat and rolled up newspaper when he was employed by the government working in the Passport Office and after a short time he was promoted to United Nations Department in Downing Street until he became unwell with a mysterious illness and had to leave the Foreign Office at 24 years of age and after 2 years it was confirmed he had Multiple Sclerosis and would start his life in a wheelchair – but not for long – Gregory became a fighter!
Unfortunately Gregory’s MS has worsened as he knew it would as doctors had warned him of what was to become and it is his belief that his MS has attacked the left side of his face – but he is still smiling! Although he has no feeling below his knees or in his hands he still is able to walk and use a keyboard. Don’t ask him how!
Next year 2021 Gregory celebrates his 86th Birthday – it will be 62 years with MS!