John Edward Cooper’s Notes
We go back to the police station
|
1965, the year that changed my life We return home Saturday 16th January 1965 1. Early the following morning, Saturday, Chris’s Mum came in to him, and said, “Your Dad believes this more than I do, and he’s gone to the police station to tell them that he wants to leave it at that, and ask them not to do any more.” 2. All our parents went with us to the police station that morning, for despite Chris’s Dad’s intervention we still had to go. My Dad recalls speaking up in my defence at the police station. The duty policeman there — possibly the one who had seen us when we first reported to the police station the previous day — didn’t believe us; he regarded what we had done as just a prank. So he was giving us a very severe dressing down. And my Dad defended us — or me, at any rate — saying that he was proud of me because I had supported my friend. He told the policeman that if he had a friend like that he would be proud. “If ever I was in trouble, I’d hope to be able to find a friend like my son,” he said. 3. But then we were seen by the CID officer. He was sitting on the corner of a desk; and he was extremely friendly, and explained that Chris’s Dad had been to see them and had had a talk with them more about what we had been away for. And he seemed quite impressed. In contrast to the harsh and unyielding attitude to us of the duty officer and of the inspector, the CID man discussed with us more about what we had done, and what had happened, than about our actual running away. He just mentioned that at the end, when he more or less said, “Let’s have no more running away from home, though, eh?” 4. Afterwards, we all walked outside the police station: there were my parents, and Chris’s parents, and Gooding’s, all standing chatting; and we were left in the background. And everything seemed to be all right then. The “Wignall Period” |
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]