We want the whole story!
OK, although this thread has been basically 'hijacked' it may bring a smile to Termie.
In April 1976 I had a serios bike accident, 7 months in hospital all through that lovely summer. Even got evacuated when they found german bombs in the resevoir next door. It was a pit that us in the ICU, all with different 'conditions' had to be last as no specialist ambulances could be found. But somehow they sorted it.
Anyway, May 1977, I had to go for further assessment and spend a week with intensive physio' etc at the RNOH in North London.
My co-residents were an assortment to say the least! My bed neighbour tried to commit suicide with deisel! Prat, 4star was more efficient and worked most times.
Anyway, on with the story.
To set the scene,, the hospital was on the side of a steep hill (really great for orthopedic patients). It was originally an isolation hospition for dodgy contageous things. Our wing had the ward, dining room, TV room and a room with a pool table. All ours.
Bearing in mind this was a week after my 26th birthday and ending a few days before I go married. I was fairly reckless in my thoughts!!. But on the Wednesday we came back from various physio sessions to find that the TV room was full of 'flat packs'. Investigations occurred. It turns out that these were powered wheel chairs.
Well, we thought that Matron (yes there were some) wouldn't take kindly to another 'Grand Prix' around the ward (unpowered).
We built 8 of the powered chairs and charged the batteries. But the maximum speed was 2 1/2 mph, well you can't race at that speed can you?
Vic, one of the other 'inmates' and totally parralysed was a World Champion at scrambling and a brilliant mech' engineer and he guided through the necessary mods etc. The results were brilliant.
But how do you control a wheelchair at 10mph around the middle of a ward? We tried and hit every bed causing more injuries.
OK, we were at the top of a hill, no one was around and there was a carpark at the bottom.
The journey there was precarious, not because of the gradiend but to avoid 'staff'.
Evey hospital carpark has a few traffic cones for some reason. We found these and made a circuit.
We were half way through our 'race' when all hell broke loose, a patient had a heart attack and the ambulance on arrival was confronted by 8 wheelchairs cavorting around the carpark at breakneck speed!
Suffice to say the 'chairs' were 'confiscated' and the remaing flatpacks were removed.
We got our telly back.
Repercussions followed, by who started our misdemenour, who built the chairs. Innocent as always we denied everything (difficult). We were all grounded and not allowed into Harrow with relatives etc.
You had to be there to experience it.
Anyway, Termie, how are you and how is Ian coping?
Leftie
