Rick

  

This is my brother Richard Tyrone Drakes (b.1944), at school, and with his wife Sheila Kathleen Tait (b.1949) on their wedding day on 30.3.1968. Tragically they both died young: Rick died in 1991 age 47; Sheila died in 1992, age 42. May God bless them both and keep them safe.

Rick was a Post Office (GPO), later British Telecom (BT), telephone engineer for most of his working life. His lifetime hobbies & interests included: membership of a Western re-enactment society called ‘Chiltern Cowboys’; reading about the old Wild West, the American Civil War, North American Indians; Country & Western music; and American cars. Sadly, he never managed to afford a trip to the United States - it was his dream to visit some of the historical sites such as The Alamo. In the 1960s, he was a keen motorcyclist. He was a track ‘Marshal’ at some UK race tracks and was a regular visitor, as a spectator, to most motorcycle tracks near London and the home counties. He visited the Isle of Man TT races, and was a regular at Santa Pod drag-racing track in Bedfordshire.

He once owned the following motorcycles: a 1940s Indian Chief, a 1942 750cc Harley Davidson, an ex-works Rocket Gold Star, a 1000cc Vincent, a Bianchi, a Triumph Tiger Cub, a 650cc Matchless with sidecar (number plate ODY42), and a 1950 500cc Sunbeam S7 (a straight twin with a car-type clutch, shaft-drive and wet cylinder-liners.)

He was a good and loyal friend to all who knew him, including me.