Around 1970, the Force purchased a small number of Hillman Hunter Area Cars. They were not in widespread use throughout the Force area, so I am very grateful to Robin Bracey for sending me this photograph of one of them, which I understand was based at St Albans.
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Anyone on here know PC Tony Attrill from St Albans retired in 1999
We had one of these Hillman Hunters when I was stationed at Rickmansworth 1972/73
Monty, it was probably the smoke from your pipe which obscured your view. I am sure it was grafted to your lips.
I drove one of these as an area car driver based at Hemel Hempstead.
Didn’t really rate them, they were a bit heavy and sluggish.
I remember late one evening Tom Grundy, the Sergeant instructed me to catch a couple up who had just left the station and were heading towards St Albans.
It was teeming with rain that night and I lined myself up to take a long sweeping left bend at about 90 mph on the approach to King Harry lane, when I saw a glimmer of a light where there shouldn’t have been one.
I took my foot off the throttle and saw the outline of a mound in front of me.
I braked hard but went into a four wheel skid and a number of simultaneous thoughts flashed through my mind.
“They’ve built a b****y roundabout.”
“I’m going to hit it.”
“What will I put in my report.”
“This is no good, what did they teach me at the driving school?”
“Ah, cadence braking.”
So I went into a cadence braking mode on the straight bits, managed to get down to second gear, on the curvy part and finally came to a halt on the other side, having missed the roundabout, with my heart going bump titty bump titty bump.
I owe my miraculous escape not so much to any road holding characteristics of the car, they weren’t that good but to the instructors on my 5 week advanced driving course, who literally tore my previous driving system to shreds and built it up again.