Life on the Run by Stan Eldon Read Free Book Online Page A

Players and acted in a number of productions with them, including ‘Acacia Avenue’.
    I was always busy and spent most of my Sundays in church attending three or four services in my capacity as a chorister, server, and even as a Sunday School teacher.
    The social life revolved around a Christian club, the Anglican Young People’s Association (AYPA). They were a great crowd and eventually nearly all the members were married off to each other. These included Marion and myself, who were both members, and we enjoyed a wide variety of activities, including that violent sport, mixed hockey. There were more gentle pursuits, and a group of us would meet at my house on a Sunday evening after service and have a singsong around the piano; luckily several were quite accomplished on the piano. We also provided entertainment at various social events throughout the year.
    The dress for the young men at that time was a trilby hat, a walking stick and brothel creepers. At least that was what I used to pull the girls.
    Along with about six of them, I queued all day at the Albert Hall on one occasion to get into the ‘Last Night of the Proms’. We did not get a space on the floor, but managed to get standing room on about three or four balconies up. It was a great night, and although I have not been back, I always enjoy that special night on television and radio.
    There was never a dull moment in our lives, and I cannot understand how today, when there are so many more activities and opportunities, we hear young people protesting there is nothing to do. It is very sad, and they certainly have something lacking in their education and family life.
    Frequently on a Monday evening, it was off to the Theatre Royal to see the latest play; they changed every week, and a group of us had a seat in the ‘gods’, right at the back upstairs. There were some great characters at that theatre and I delivered the groceries to some of the top management. One actor who was there for many years, before making it onto television quite late in life, was Patrick Cargill.
    I knew my future wife Marion while we were both still at school, and I started to go out with her just after I had left, and when she was in her fifth year. The Royal Show was held in Windsor at that time, and I was on duty at the show, which required me to cycle past the girls’ school in my uniform. This got Marion into trouble for looking out of the window and eyeing up the young man in uniform. She also had the same problem a couple of years later, when I was going home to Windsor on leave from the Army. We had to wear uniform on weekend leave, and because she was seen with me, it was assumed by some that she was going out with soldiers from one of the local barracks. Some well-meaning but misinformed person tried to stir it up with Marion’s parents, but were promptly put in their place.
    I had a very good cross-country season at the start of 1954 and won ten races in a row, which prompted a small mention in the London Evening News after my ninth win:– Windsor and Eton Athletic Club in their first cross-country season, appear to have a real find in S. Eldon. His ninth successive victory was in a race between Windsor, Vale of Aylesbury and RAF Halton clubs.
    In March, I ran in the Southern Counties at Parliament Hill. I was in the Youth (under 18) age group, and there were 222 runners taking part. With three-quarters of a mile to go, I had won myself a good lead but disaster struck and running fast downhill, I had a heavy fall and was overtaken by four runners. I got up and fought on and with 600 yards to go had caught all but Nat Fisher (Eton Manor AC). We battled on over the last 400 yards, but the fall had taken its toll and Fisher broke the tape first. One report on the day blamed my failure to win on my race number which was 13! I then went on to Liverpool for the National Championship and came ninth out of an entry of 603.
    My running continued to