I had a rather eventful day on Saturday. In the morning, I went off to the
TRGB Autojumble, to pick up a few non-essential cheap s/h parts - horrible day
to be out, but plenty of people there (did you go Tim?). On the way back, I
stalled at a junction - engine not fully warm yet, but I'd put the choke in
prematurely - or it might have been damp, it was VERY rainy, and lots of
puddles to drive through. Then, not thinking straight really, I managed to
flood the engine. Not realising this, I kept trying to start it, and
flattened the battery. During this, I had got my toolkit out of my boot to
get a can of WD40, to spray the distributor, in case it was dampness
preventing me from re-starting. Having flattened the battery, I popped across
to the garage that I had conveniently stalled opposite, to ask for someone to
give me a jump-start. No problem, I got a jump-start, Daffy started right
away, so off I drove.
What I didn't realise until 1/2 hour after I got home, was that when I drove
off, my toolkit wasn't with me. BIG BIG disaster - all my spanner, sockets,
screwdrivers, pliers, mole grips, hammer, EVERYTHING I need not just to work
on Daffy, but my wifes car, and most DIY jobs around the house. That lot
would cost probably well over 200 quid to replace, at a very rough guess.
I got straight back in Daffy, and headed back to the garage. The woman running
the shop had already been replaced and gone home, but she'd left a message
that she'd seen something, so her replacement rang her and I talked to her.
She had spotted right away that I had left the toolkit, and had popped to the
workshop at the rear to see if I was still around. While walking back, she
saw a little red car stop and pick up my toolkit. She took his number - top
woman!!
I drove straight to the police station (which is down a road called Pig
Lane!!!), to discover it was closed on Saturdays, so I drove home and called
the main police station in Huntingdon - it seems that our police reckon there
must be less crime at weekend, and so they only need 3 police stations open in
all of Cambridgeshire. Spoke to a rather unhelpful woman, who took the cars
number, but said that she'd need to call around the various police lost
property offices to see if it was handed in as a first move. Of course, since
they were all closed at the weekend, she couldn't do anything until Monday. I
pointed out that, by Monday, every one of my tools could have been sold at a
car boot sale. Also, since all the police stations were closed, it was
impossible that the toolkit could have been handed in to them. Wouldn't it be
easier just to call they guy up - if he had handed it in he could tell us
where, saving calling all the possible options, and if he hadn't, he would
know the police were on to him before he tried to pass the stuff on, so giving
him the opportunity to give me the toolkit back and keep his name clean. She
did not appreciate being told how to do her job, and left me not knowing what
she intended to do, and no faith she would do anything. She also wouln't give
me her name.
An hour later I get a call from another policeman, who did give his name as PC
Ross Gentle. The previous woman had gone home and he had taken over. He had
traced the car, and he was going to give the guy a call. Cambridgeshire
Constabulary move up several notches in my estimation. 15 minutes later they
move up several more notches, as he tells me that he has called the guy, who
was very nice indeed, and was happy for the police to give me his name and
number so I could call him up to arrange to collect the toolkit - he even
offered to meet me 1/2-way, to save me a drive! Called the guy, arranged to
meet at a supermarket about 3/4 of the way from me to him.
It turns out he is a Herald driver, and had also been to TRGB. He had picked
up the toolkit, tried to take it to the police but found (as we know) that
they were closed, so went home to Houghton Regis near Dunstable (about an hour
the way I drive), and tried to give it to the police there, who were also
closed. He apologised profusely for making me drive so far to collect it from
him, fought hard to refuse the bottle of wine I had bought him to thank him,
and point blank refused to take any money for his extra petrol.
So, Mr. Whittle, Herald driver of Houghton Regis, I would like to thank you
publicly for being a true gentleman, and going above and beyond the call of
duty to help a complete stranger. My view of this world is a little less
jaded this morning, knowing that people such as you are still around.
Richard and Daffy
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