Mystery photo was a smart team of highway code experts

Ex-employee Patrick is fourth from left in the back row and explains: “The Bedfordshire police used to run quizzes based on the highway code and Smart & Brown won on two occasions” although “the highway code then was a much smaller affair”.

Des Ball was able to elaborate further, telling us that it was the final of the Biggleswade Road Safety Committee quiz that was held at Holmemead School in the 1970s. He and Patrick were photographed with their fellow winning team members.

Says Des: “There were over 80 organisations in the town until the 1974 takeover by Mid Beds Council. The quizzes were held in winter months on the highway code and road safety and took place in pubs, clubs, church halls, schools, people’s front rooms and factory canteens until the finals”.

There were four to a team with junior and senior sections. The Bedfordshire County Road Safety Traffic Police Constables acted as question masters and Des was the scorer/secretary. Des recalls that the committee was “a very lively one” made up of councillors, school teachers, bus drivers and railway workers amongst others.

“They also took part in Biggleswade Carnivals and put on road safety tableaux, children safe cycle classes and sent out posters and road safety material to everyone” says Des.

They ran skid pans at Tempsford Airfield, and any road safety hazard such as pot holes, broken glass, protruding paving flags, blocked drains and litter were swiftly dealt with.

Together, Patrick and Des remember the line up as follows: back row, left to right - ?, cllr Arthur Boness; cllr Leslie (Tec) Chambers, chairman of the road safety committee; Patrick (Paddy) Weldon; and Des Ball, secretary of the road safety committee.

In the front row, from left to right are: Peter Bywaters; Eric Turton - second chief superintendant for road traffic in Bedfordshire; ? ; and Reg Knight (contributor Cliff’s father).

Thanks go to Des and Patrick for fully explaining the mystery.