This is 101 year-old WW2 veteran, Verdun Hayes, who has recently broken the world record for being the oldest man to jump out of an airplane for a sky-dive, here in Somerset.
What they fail to mention is that he was wearing a parachute at the time. The coward.
I jumped out of a plane once, I was 20
ReplyDeleteI had more to lose
Weren't you thrown off a plane for being drunk?
DeleteNo! Never where did you dream that one up
DeleteIt was just a pleasing image. A joke! Don't turn into Ursula!
DeleteI don't think there is any danger of you doing so, John, but should you ever find yourself at a crossroads please don't turn into Tom. He is a dead end.
DeleteU
More of " route principale" me thinks
DeleteYou like Culs de Sac, don't you Johny?
DeleteOh, ok - Périphérique would be more accurate. U could be considered as the Road to Hell, sans handcart.
DeleteSans sense of humour, sans anything...
DeleteA sense of humour is EVERYTHING! old bean
DeleteOh, hell no!
ReplyDeleteNo jumping out of a perfectly good plane for me!
I don't mind the jumping, it's hitting the ground which I don't want.
DeleteIt's not the fall, it's the sudden stop.
DeleteWOW .... Verdan has got a lot of bottle !!!! Good for him. Makes doing a bit of housework look pretty lame !!! I need to get a life !!! XXXX
ReplyDeleteVerdun . Bloody spellcheck !! XXXX
DeleteA few years ago we gave an elderly German WW2 bomber pilot a tour of Bath in a light aircraft. It crashed on landing!
DeleteWhen I read this in the paper I did for a second wonder if to put it on my bucket list for my next birthday - then decided perhaps not.
ReplyDeleteMy friend it for charity and his chute failed on the first jump. He remembered the emergency one just in time.
DeleteI just use an inflated lorry inner tube around my waist, and bounce when I hit the ground.
ReplyDeleteDo you still need one?
DeleteI wonder if Mr Hayes' family or doctor gave his jump the thumbs up?
ReplyDeleteFormer President George Bush senior did a similar jump a few years ago. (I will let others supply a punch line.)
I think they all did. There were about 4 or 5 generations of family jumping with him.
DeleteMany men are named Verdun here who lost Father's at Verdun in 1916 in WW1. My father lost his father at Ypres and was named Jack. I am glad the Verdun here lived so long and did the sky dive.x
ReplyDeleteAs in, 'I'm alright Jack'? No, I doubt it. My father was old enough to pretend to help load the anti-aircraft guns on the Embankment when he was a London kid. He would be 110 years old now if he hadn't gone and kicked the bucket.
DeleteI think there must have been a Royal Anglian regiment at Verdun. My father was Jack after his father. He would have been 101 this year if he was still alive but he kicked the bucket at 50.
DeleteThat is obviously far too young. Do you have clear memories of him as a dad?
DeleteYes,very clear, but only through the eyes of a child. I was 16.
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