Tag: cars

Journeys through history

 

Archibald Leary’s medical record showing he was under weight at 8st 10lb with a temperature of 101F(38C). Picture courtesy of Benenden Hospital
Archibald Leary’s medical record showing the unusual word ‘asthenic’ which means frail and exhausted and was associated with people suffering from tuberculosis. Picture courtesy of Benenden Hospital

Richard Simpson has been back in touch with an update on his grandfather’s cousin, Archibald Leary, who was a post office worker in Wigan in the 1920s. He contracted tuberculosis (TB) and died in Benenden Sanatorium on 30th December 1930. The sanatorium was established in 1905 after postal workers were falling ill with TB but could not afford to take time off for treatment, and thus continued to infect their colleagues.

Richard had asked me if I was aware of any records of admissions to the sanatorium and I passed on some ideas as to where he could go.

The leads came up trumps, as Richard explains: “I contacted Benenden and they very kindly sent me a copy of his medical records which I have attached.

“As a retired GP they made interesting reading and it was clear that he was very poorly on admission. Good to know, however, that for himself and his family he received such good care and attention at the end of his life.”

It was quite remarkable that Benenden were able to lay their hands on the handwritten notes relating to Archibald so quickly, bearing in mind they would have been almost 100 years old, and no doubt just one record among thousands.

I noticed the word ‘asthenic’ was used in Archibald’s medical notes, and I was unfamiliar with it, and asked Richard to explain what it meant.

“It could have been a description of his physical state; i.e. frail and narrow chested, or more likely related to him suffering from asthenia which was a common term used in relation to patients with advanced TB indicating the general overwhelming tiredness and frailty, along with weight loss which was characteristic of the condition.

“Looking at his weight of 8st 10lbs, even without knowing his height, he was clearly significantly underweight and his temperature of 101 degrees Fahrenheit (which would be 38 degrees Celsius) would indicate that his TB was very active (hence TB stage 3).”

“In terms of his records, I suspect this is just a summary and that considering he was in the sanatorium for 90 days, it was highly likely that he had a separate set of day to day notes. Certainly nowadays they would be much more comprehensive! I am still amazed as to how quickly he was buried up in Wigan only a few days after his death and over a new year holiday. Do you know whether the Post Office Society would have been involved in arranging this?”

I couldn’t answer that question, but they may well have done so.

Family history research is booming, with websites like Ancestry and MyHeritage making it so much easier to trace relatives. I have dabbled myself occasionally, but usually end up down a rabbit hole being diverted from my original quest. I think you need endless patience and great detective skills to be able to build a comprehensive (and accurate) family tree.

On another note, reader Les Myers got in touch after reading about our family reunion with my dad’s old Mark 2 Jaguar at the Heartbeat Vehicle Rally in June: “It reminded me of the day my two cousins and I went from Middlesborough to Torquay loaded with camping gear. I’m now 79 and we were 15 (myself), 16 and 17. It was the days before motorways and in our turquoise Morris Minor it took us 13 hours to arrive!”

Les adds: “I will never forget that car and still remember the reg number – SPO 79. We camped on a sloping farmer’s field in Paignton. Sadly it poured down all week and the night before we were due to return we awakened to the pouring rain running through the tent. We had no groundsheets then but we all had camp beds (recently invented!). We looked at each other and said “Let’s b****r off home!” So in the middle of the night, we loaded the car and returned home safely.”

I’m relieved to hear Les and his cousins returned home without incident following his soggy adventure, and it’s clear that the car holds a special place in his heart, despite his story occurring more than 60 years ago.

Do you have any tales about vehicles that hold special memories for you? Do get in touch in the usual ways.

Do you have opinions, memories or ideas to share with me? Get in touch with me using the ‘Contact’ button on the top right.

This column appeared in the Darlington & Stockton Times on Friday 4th and the Ryedale Gazette and Herald on Wednesday 2nd September 2026

The heart of the matter

 

London’s Burning actor Sean Blowers presents a cheque for £600 to Volunteer On-Call Crew Manager Jack Atkinson from Goathland Volunteer Fire Station. Jack and his colleagues were part of the team who tackled the worst fire in North York Moors history last year, centred around Langdale Forest. Picture by Lee Jones.

I am still basking in the glow of another wonderful weekend in Goathland at the annual Heartbeat Vehicle Rally. We were blessed again with lovely weather and we estimate that there were around 6,000 visitors over the two days. Of course, if you read last week’s column, you will already know that my family were reunited with my dad’s old Mark 2 Jaguar, which was an absolute treat.

What I didn’t mention was that as I approached the car for the first time, there was a chap chatting with Richard James, the current owner and the man responsible for the amazing restoration. As the stranger saw me approach, he turned and introduced himself as Keith, saying: “I drove Peter Walker’s daughter Sarah to her wedding in that car!”

So I replied: “I am Sarah!” You should have seen the look on his face! He hadn’t recognised me – which I put down to the fact I was wearing a hat and sunglasses, rather that the 30+ years of aging that have taken place since! Keith was the mechanic who restored it in 1994 and revealed that he was rather stressed in that final week. But he pulled it out of the bag in time, and was thrilled to be my bridal chauffeur.

Considering how many people were gathered in once place, the rally ran very smoothly, with dozens of fans queuing patiently for ages to see the stars and the stars in turn patiently signing hundreds of autographs and posing for hundreds of pictures. This year we had four actors: David Lonsdale, who played bumbling David Stockwell, Vanessa Hehir who played mechanic Rosie Cartright, Ryan Early, who played PC Tom Nicholson and Sean Blowers, who made two memorable guest appearances and was also known for playing John Hallam in London’s Burning, an ITV series about the fire service.

Sean’s appearance was especially fitting because this year, we were delighted that he was able to hand a £600 cheque to Goathland Volunteer Fire Station, while another £600 went to the village primary school.

I was also thrilled to hear from Elsie Smith, trustee of Goathland Village Hall, who sent me a lovely message after the event having seen my family’s emotional reunion with the Jaguar. She reported that the hall did a roaring trade in teas, coffees and cakes, and so benefitted from a nice little windfall too!

Of course, there are drawbacks to hosting such a popular occasion and as ever some selfish drivers were too tight to pay the modest fee for parking (between £2 and £4.50 for a full day). In total there were four separate car parks available with bags of room, and yet a frustrating minority insisted on plonking their cars on the beautiful verges that are such an iconic part of our moorland setting. Despite advance posts on social media showing where to park, plus signage, marshalls and ‘Keep Off’ signs on the day, some people were just too ignorant to pay heed, showing no respect for the historic grazing land nor to the residents who call Goathland home.

When I stand back and look at the event, I do wonder what my dad would think of it all. I’m pretty sure he would be amazed that 16 years after the series came to an end, the fans are still loyal and passionate enough to make the effort to travel all the way to Goathland. One lady I spoke to had come all the way from Boston, USA! She loves Heartbeat, and made the trip for the first time last year. Because she enjoyed it so much, she decided to come back again.

There was one incident that shocked me though. A car went past with the passenger casually hanging her arm out of the window. In her hand was a lit cigarette.

It was one of the most thoughtless and stupidest things I saw all weekend. The moors are tinder dry, and one spark from a cigarette could lead to catastrophe.

If only those fire fighters at Goathland Fire Station – who last year participated in the exhausting battle to control the most devastating blaze in the history of the North York Moors in Langdale Forest and Fylingdales Moors – had had a polite chat with her.

I wonder what they would have said?

Do you have opinions, memories or ideas to share with me? Get in touch with me using the ‘Contact’ button on the top right.

This column appeared in the Darlington & Stockton Times on Friday 17th and the Ryedale Gazette and Herald on Wednesday 15th July 2026

Rallying myself for a special reunion

L-R Me with my niece Eleanor and her baby, Annabelle, my son Joey, my sister Janet  and my mum Rhoda reunited with my dad’s beautiful Mark 2 Jaguar at the Heartbeat Vehicle Rally in Goathland


I’m just home from a very special weekend. We were finally reunited with my dad’s beloved Mark 2 Jaguar.

 

Dad had always dreamed of owning a Mark 2, and bought one in the early 1970s. However, it failed its MOT in 1979 and languished in the garage for the next 15 years until, following the success of Heartbeat, he was able to get it fixed in time for my wedding in 1994.

As a family, we loved that car, and it stayed with us for more than 40 years until Dad’s death in 2017. We made the heartbreaking decision to sell it then because we feared we could not give it the kind of care it deserved. We thought we’d never see it again.

But, like a knight in shining armour, Jaguar fan Richard James came to the rescue. He’d found the car about a year ago and it had been reduced to a rusty old heap. Only after he bought it did he discover who the previous owner was. He tracked me down through social media, and pledged to bring the car, fully restored, to this year’s Heartbeat Vehicle Rally on the last weekend in June.

The anticipation of seeing it had me in tears even before I’d set eyes on it because it was so tied up with my dad, the treasured memories and the devastating grief at his loss. I know the same goes for the rest of my family too, and so the reunion was made extra special by the fact my mum, my sister, my son, my niece and my six-week-old great-niece – four generations of our family – were at the rally to greet it.

 

Watching my mum’s face as she saw it come into view is something I’ll never forget – surprise, joy and raw emotion all bundled into one expression. She couldn’t wait to sit in the driving seat and once there, was reluctant to leave it. She recalled that, at five feet tall on a good day, she could barely reach the pedals when she used to drive it to work. She’d perch on the edge of the seat, pushed as far forward as it could possibly go, peeping over the steering wheel and long bonnet, barely able to see out.

 

She worked at Ampleforth College, and remembered how the schoolboys would gather round the classroom window to watch as she manoeuvred the great thing into a parking spot, bewildered at how a diminutive secretary had such a large fancy car.

 

What they didn’t know was that the Jaguar guzzled petrol and so it was more economical for Dad to drive our small Ford Anglia the 20 miles to police headquarters in Northallerton while Mum’s journey was just one mile.

 

Richard had done a remarkable job of the restoration, the paintwork and chrome gleaming as if new. The interior was equally impressive, and the stunning walnut dashboard for which Jaguars are known had been painstakingly crafted back to life. If I am honest, it was in much better condition than when we had it! But then, it was a family car, and with four squirming kids squished into the back on trips out, it perhaps wasn’t given quite the respect it enjoys now.

 

My dad used to complain about its reliability, or rather, lack of it, and it was renowned for conking out so I was very relieved to hear that it had completed the 350-mile round trip to the rally and back to Richard’s home again without missing a beat.

 

The best moment was when we got to have a ride in it, with mum in the front passenger seat, and we girls in the back. The familiar low chugging of the engine took me straight back to the last time I had heard that noise, the day it had left us forever. I could quite happily listen to that sound for the rest of my life.

 

I had a lump in my throat at the end of the day as it sailed off down the road back towards its new home. But Richard has given us a very special memento – Dad’s Jag in miniature mounted on a plaque with a special dedication to honour him.

 

I don’t think I could have asked for much more.

Do you have opinions, memories or ideas to share with me? Get in touch with me using the ‘Contact’ button on the top right.

This column appeared in the Darlington & Stockton Times on Friday 10th and the Ryedale Gazette and Herald on Wednesday 8th July 2026