Full Tour of Pendle

[Brotherton Lad]

Been meaning to ask Roy, if you don't mind, what's the O.B.E for ?

I can see I'm going to regret this. Just an MBE (my breaking and entering), I used to hang out with this gang in East Germany before the Wall came down:

http://www.brixmis.co.uk/

You'll have to buy me a pint some time.

But back to Bosnia. If you're interested it's worth looking at James Mason's pictures, he's a good photograher. Make sure you read the comments beneath, eg the Travnik album. Gives an excellent flavour of the Balkans and a problem that hasn't gone away. All this was frozen by the Cold War and erupted when it ended. It will return.

[Jez Hellewell]

Next race Roy, the beer's are on me !

[Brotherton Lad]

Next race Roy, the beers are on me !

You're on. Apologies to everyone else. Bit of a shocking trip down memory lane today. Lest we forget.

[simgreen78]

You're on. Apologies to everyone else. Bit of a shocking trip down memory lane today. Lest we forget.

Never apologise for things like that Roy.

An old friend of mine was killed over there actually circa 94, maybe 95. Now he WAS a runner...unbelievable over 400m.

On a lighter note, you do look absolutely rock hard in that photo.

Anybody found any more photos of the race yet? I sneaked onto one of Jellybabyfairy's. Thought there would be a few more kicking about, there seemed to be a fair few photographers on the course!

[Brotherton Lad]

Sorry to hear that, which mob was he with? Duke of Boots had a hard time around then.

And thanks. We all grew up very quickly out there. My running's not been the same since though.

[L.F.F.]

Just been flicking through the other photos and there was a good quote under one of them:

When an out-going NATO commander-in-chief, a German, was asked by a reporter what was the world's best army, he answered "The world's best army is the one with American equipment, German officers, and British soldiers."

And I'm not being flippant, but I also found the ones of Sam Fox quite 'interesting'!

[Brotherton Lad]

Just been flicking through the other photos and there was a good quote under one of them:

When an out-going NATO commander-in-chief, a German, was asked by a reporter what was the world's best army, he answered "The world's best army is the one with American equipment, German officers, and British soldiers."

And I'm not being flippant, but I also found the ones of Sam Fox quite 'interesting'!

I got to play footsie with Sam that evening (perk of the job, somebody's got to do it).

Funnily enough, I'm a German speaker and in 1994 I gave lectures to the German Staff College and their School of Infantry about our time in Bosnia. In both places, a German officer asked me how I had managed to get my soldiers to do the things I needed them to do, some of which were extremely unpleasant and a bit dangerous. I could only say that the thought had never crossed my mind that they wouldn't and because I was doing it as well. It had obviously crossed their minds, though.

[simgreen78]

Sorry to hear that, which mob was he with? Duke of Boots had a hard time around then.

And thanks. We all grew up very quickly out there. My running's not been the same since though.

Not sure to be honest without checking. I do have the details somewhere. He was out on patrol in a truck and somebody/a group of people dropped a lump of concrete off a bridge onto his vehicle. It went throught the roof/windshield and crushed the poor sod. He wasn't wearing his helmet.

We used to have some amazing running battles out on that athletics field but he always had something extra and had the edge over me most of the time. I believe our old school has an athletics award named after him now. Sapper Ian Collins. A great bloke.

[Brotherton Lad]

Sapper means he was a Royal Engineer. 2001 in Macedonia.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...h-soldier.html

[Brotherton Lad]

I can see I'm going to regret this. Just an MBE (my breaking and entering), I used to hang out with this gang in East Germany before the Wall came down:

http://www.brixmis.co.uk/

You'll have to buy me a pint some time.

But back to Bosnia. If you're interested it's worth looking at James Mason's pictures, he's a good photograher. Make sure you read the comments beneath, eg the Travnik album. Gives an excellent flavour of the Balkans and a problem that hasn't gone away. All this was frozen by the Cold War and erupted when it ended. It will return.

If you're interested (and to hijack the thread again), this is the line of work I was in:

http://wn.com/BRIXMIS

The 2 trailers 'Keep the Cold War Cold' and the Spione aus dem Westen (if you speak German, in 2 parts) give an excellent flavour.