Just About Me 4

1966, a year not to forget, The World Cup was held in England. One of the games was held at the White City Stadium, which was about a quarter of a mile away from where I lived, the game was I believe Uruguay v France. White City was predominantly a greyhound track but it also held the Horse of the Year showjumping event, myself and my brothers and a couple of other boys used to walk there to obtain the riders autographs. Famous riders of the day were Harvey Smith and David Broome. They used the army barracks opposite to stable the horses. Another use for the barracks in 1966 was for the boxer Cassius Clay (Muhammed Ali) to train for his fight with Henry Cooper at Highbury Stadium. We never caught a glimpse of Clay, but quite exciting all the same. On the 30th July 1966, the world cup final took place at Wembley Stadium, the road outside our flat was called Wood Lane, W12 and was the main road at the time for traffic to get to Wembley, and I remember seeing coach loads of people going to the big game, a game of course that England won to become world champions. I caught the end of the game because I was out playing football with my pals.

Another event that happened in 1966, in Shepherds Bush, was the shootings of 3 local police officers outside Wormwood Scrubs prison (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Roberts_%28murderer%29) by criminals led by Harry Roberts, Roberts is still in prison to this day for the shootings. I can vividly remember all the police vehicle's zooming past us on route to the scene and the shot up police car being transported back past us. If the truth is told as a 10 year old boy I found this very scary.

I also recollect the TV programme Dr Who being aired on BBC for the first time, it has never been my thing, but the sight of two Daleks on the back of an open backed van scared the living daylights out of me, the BBC TV centre was just up the road from us, on a Thursday they would film Top of the Pops Live, I remember running there to see the Beatles emerge from TV centre, well I think it was them because the car windows were blacked out.