Autographs

Growing up in East Yorkshire, there wasn't much opportunity to gather autographs from famous folk. After all, you didn't get many A list stars holidaying at Withernsea or even Bridlington further up the coast. East Yorkshire was a peaceful back water and some would say that the same is true today.

One Saturday in 1964 I was in the "Hammonds" department store  in the centre of Hull with my mother when I spotted a famous face from "Dixon of Dock Green" on the BBC. It was Peter Byrne who played Detective Andy Crawford.  He was starring in a play at Hull New Theatre. My mother came over to him with me and fortunately she had a notebook with her. I never seemed to have the autograph book handy. Here is Peter Byrne...

and here's his autograph...

Hattie Jacques was a legendary comedy star in this country. Here's her image and the autograph she gave me...

Every September, a cricket festival is held  at the Yorkshire seaside town of Scarborough. I was there in September 1964 to see Sir Frank Worrell's XI take on an England XI. Frank Worrell was a legendary West Indian cricketer who hailed originally from Barbados. He even appeared on one of that nation's postage stamps as you cam see at the top of this blogpost. Tragically he died from leukemia just three years after I acquired his autograph. He is buried in Westminster Abbey where last Saturday's coronation occurred...

Of all the autographs I gathered, I am most proud of Chris Chilton's signature. He remains Hull City's all time leading goalscorer and a local legend. He died in a nursing home in 2021 - from dementia that was probably linked to all the years he spent heading footballs

Nowadays I would never consider asking a famous person for his or her autograph. The idea of it is a little demeaning. Even if Elon Musk parked a Tesla vehicle outside our house and the passengers who got out were Madonna, David Attenborough and  Naomi Campbell, my autograph book would not make an appearance. Instead I'd probably ask Muskrat how long he was going to be.

I admit that my autographs are not hugely impressive. 

Did you collect any worthy autographs yourself? Pray, do tell...

from Yorkshire Pudding https://ift.tt/7VJEBnL