Page 5 - Club Rockley

about the town, the whereabouts of the Town Swimming baths, the location of the Public Library all that sort of thing and The Squinting Cat got a mention as the best pub! At the end of his talk the Principal asked if there were any questions and every hand in the room went up”.
I grinned “And what was the question” I said
“Oh”, he said, “a young Australian chap asked “what’s the best way to The Squinting Cat”. The principal described the shortest route and then said “any further questions?” and not a hand went up! “So, that’s how I know The Squinting Cat, young fellow!” said the Chef with a broad smile. We chatted for a while longer and it quickly became clear to me that the Chef was much more than a chef, much more, so I asked him,
“What do you do as well as being a Chef, Sir?”
“I’m the Prime Minister” he said.
When I learnt more about the Rt Hon Errol Barrow QC, about the many war time missions over Germany with the pilot of the Lancaster or Wellington Bomber being my host for that evening the said Norman Wilkes, and the navigator being Errol Barrow, well, what can I say, my admiration for both of them is undimmed by the years. Heroes are Heroes forever. (Watch the relatively recent movie “Memphis Belle” (1990) and you will probably agree).
I was to meet Mr. Barrow several times over the next eleven years, usually at social events, and he would clearly not remember my name (not that I ever expected him to do so!) He would simply say “Hello there! and how is the boy from the Squinting Cat” and I would stammer a bit and simply say “Glad to meet you again, sir”.
But, how important that first conversation had been would only become apparent to me some eleven years later.