I’m remembering a very hot August day in Enfield, Greater London where I grew up through the 1960s and 1970s.  It became known as black Wednesday between me and two of my friends, the exact date and exact year I can’t say. Not because of no other reason than I can’t remember!

My friends and I were still in junior school, so that ties the time frame to 1973 or there abouts.  To set the scene for you, my friends and I had a hobby; cart racing or as we called it go cart racing.  The basic idea [for the ladies amongst us is] you find an abandonned child’s pram, with hopefully all four wheels and two axles intact.  Once the wheels and axles were removed the rest of the pram was scrap.  The basic go cart consisted of a longish plank of wood and two small pieces of wood, which served as the mountings for the two axles.

Steering was crude.  Normally just a large nail or screw inserted in the front piece of wood that mounted the front axle and wheels – sounds complicated?   Nah!  Trust me it wasn’t, a rope was attached to the outer ends of the front axle and there you have it steering.  A seat was fashioned from a discarded orange crate, not very comfy for a stocky middle aged man, but fine for a nine year old.

These machines were too complicated for a nine year old to build, so good old dad always constructed these crude racing carts.  Once built, propulsion was easy - involving a big hill and gravity!  In the long hot summers of the 70s we raced down hill for hours.  The 1970s was the last time I can honestly say Britain had summers, rather than damp humid overcast days.

So the background is set - save the names of my friends, accomplices, racing cart drivers, call them what you will.  For the record it was Stephen, Ricky and of course myself – David.

The start of black Wednesday began a week before on a Sunday.  My parents were lucky to have such a large garden living in London, at the bottom of the garden was a very over grown ornamental show piece.  It wasn’t tended by my parents at all, however there was an arch double sided at least ten feet high used for a climbing frame for roses, long out of use and bare.  This particular afternoon the whole family were enjoying the sun and sipping lemonade when I said, “Dad – see that frame there?  Couldn’t that be converted into the best, fastest, longest go cart ever?”