Running to a STOP !

The day trip to France was to be the highlight of the European Studies course. The plan was to travel by train to the coast crossing the Channel from Dover. The night before the trip a twelve hour strike was called which meant that no trains would be running between Oxford and London. Undaunted our intrepid young teacher bundled the group of students into the School’s ancient minibus    and headed for Victoria Station to catch the train to Dover. Heavy traffic and an overheating engine meant that the party only arrived at Victoria Station with minutes to spare to catch the train A helpful railway worker found a space for the minibus on the concourse only yards from the platform The group including the teacher grabbed their bags and leapt on the train. Eight hours later a tired but happy group returned and waiting for them was not the minibus but a cordon of blue and white tape      and several very serious looking policemen. This all takes place in the 1970’s, a time when the IRA were active in London. When the teacher had rushed from the minibus he had pulled out the ignition keys and not noticed that the engine was still running. The discovery of the unattended vehicle in a public place led to the closure of the station  for several hours and a search by the bomb squad. In those more enlightened times the teacher’s story was accepted, the minibus released and the party returned to Oxford with tales to tell of their adventures.