Another blast from the past - Dibbs.

It has certainly been my week for meeting up with my past !!! This morning I had to make a hasty visit to B & Q at Craigpark, Edinburgh, for some items needed in the Dolphin Inn.

Just through the door and I met Eric Monteith, former Town Councillor in the Burgh of Loanhead and his wife, and then received a tap on the shoulder from the "very illustrious" Stewart Watt and his effervescent daughter, Pamela. Stewart, better known as "Dibbs" worked with me in the Crime Prevention Department at Dalkeith and has now been retired for nearly twenty years. he spends his time golfing (a good walk wasted) along with three other "retirees of E Div". As we were pressed for time I never found out if Pamela was still a serving officer with Lothian and Borders Police.
Dibbs was one of the worst tellers of jokes I have ever met, he just could not get the timings of the punch lines right. I was just thinking that although there were many stories I could not tell, one did spring to mind !! Dibbs along with a couple of others in the Department were doing a community education course, run in a hotel in Melrose by the then SESTA organisation which later became AIM. Dibbs and his "pals" were in a lecture, sitting at the back of the room and had a bottle of wine and cups with them - but no cork screw !! So Dibbs, never to be outwitted used a biro pen to force the cork into the bottle, however he used just a bit too much force and showered the clothing of the student in front with red wine - what a waste of wine.

Due to the "wee panic" at the Dolphin Inn I was unable to attend the funeral service for MEC John Wright, Esk 42, however I did eventually make it to the "wake" held within the Lodge premises of No 10 at Dalkeith. There was a full house and Mrs Wright was telling me that the Main Chapel at Mortonhall Crematorium had been packed to the doors with friends paying their respects. The Esk 42 Chapter laid on a lovely buffet and also produced a silver claret jug which is to be presented in John Wright's name at Royal Arch bowling competitions.