Patron Saint of Travellers

by Michael Kirby

I believe in St Christopher, the Patron of Travellers. I have been in two cars which have overturned – both times as a passenger. The first time was in 1951 when I was stationed in Halton, Buckinghamshire. Returning from leave I disembarked from the train at Princes Risborough and made my way to a taxi rank, where 6 fellow servicemen shared a cab.

As in the carol, it was a bleak midwinter night. Through the billowing snow we descended a steep hill with crossroads at the bottom. At the junction the headlights of another vehicle appeared from the right. The driver panicked and locked over. We slid sideways down hill and turned turtle with the car finally resting on its roof. We disembarked through the windows and manhandled the car back onto its wheels. Intrepidly we continued our journey to the camp. On alighting the driver demanded his fare, to which we took exception. I had in my rucksack a flask of coffee which had shattered and stained all my clean linen (courtesy of my mother). I was more incensed about my soiled underwear than I was about the accident.

On the second occasion in 1954 I was a passenger in a friend’s van. It was a damp autumn evening as we drove along a familiar country road. We went through an “S” bend at a rate of knots that was more appropriate for my MG than his works’ van. Result: catastrophe. We went up the offside bank, took off, rolled over and ended up in the hedge on the nearside of the road – facing the way we had come. My friend’s first words on coming to rest were “Everything was under control”.

In those days vans were often fitted with only one seat – the driver’s. I was sitting the passenger side on a loose seat rescued from the scrap yard. Consequently after being airborne and having an unusual view from the passenger seat, I ended up in the back of the van. The impact had deflated one tyre. I then discovered that the spare was also flat, so I despatched my chum on a walkabout to the nearest garage to get it inflated. On his return we changed the wheel and backed the motor out of the hedge. It had landed on its four wheels. I insisted on driving home.

It was Saturday night and all this happened on the way TO the pub. Next day we were horrified to see the extent of the damage. Fortunately for my chum the very next week a lorry ran into the van whilst it was parked. His employers never knew what had happened the week before.

Well done St Christopher!