Bedford, the Embankment 1921

SILVERY OUSE

I was a summer season driver of these boats during my college holidays in the early 1960s. We operated four boats, Silver Foam, Silver Stream, Silver Crest and my own boat, Silver Dawn, which I believe came from the Norfolk Broads.
The mornings were spent at Fenlake cleaning and polishing to the high standards demanded by Mr Smith (`The Guvnor`). We then came up through Bedford Lock for an afternoon of trips. We mostly ran to Newnham Bridge, but occasionally ventured to Queens Park, although the river was shallow here and I once hit a submerged log by the Britannia Ironworks. Some evenings we ran private hire work and I twice drove the regatta boat (mainly supplying crates of beer to the umpires!). My fellow driver, Stan, nicknamed me 'Dexterous Ted' after the well-known cricketer, Ted Dexter, either as a compliment or a joke.

Working memories.

I was the main weekday driver of the launch photographed during the student holiday periods of 1955-1958.  When I drove it, the name was 'Silver Stream'.  It was the largest of a set of three electric launches which carried paying passengers for trips of about 40 minutes duration from the steps on the downstream, north side of the town bridge.  Typically this launch would carry about 40 passengers maximum.  Silver Stream was a magnificent launch to drive, giving a silent drive, almost no water disturbance up to the 6 knots maximum for the river, and had a tubular rudder form which surrounded the propeller.  This permitted a very tight turning such that most of us could turn round in places where the river was reduced in width to one and a half times the launches length.  The two sister launches were smaller.  Silver Spray was a shorter less sleek version of Silver Stream and had a single section canopy (possibly in the background of this photo coming downstream).  It would seat around 30 people.  Silver Foam was a conventional shaped craft with square bow and stern and seating about 15-18 passengers.  During the 50s these launches were owned and operated by a Mr Smith from his home on the riverside near Cardington.  The premises are now somewhat extended and known as The Barns Hotel.  The barn which I believe is now the present hotel's restaurant, was the winter quarters of this fleet for servicing etc.  I was told that Silver Stream and I think Silver Spray started in the pleasure market in late Edwardian times.  Silver Foam having a less elegant profile was probably added later.

Swimming in the river at Kempston

Great times were had at the river at the bend as we children called it, we would make mud slides down the banks.  What fun we had.  There was always a good crowd there on a Sunday afternoon, but now its all quiet, no swimmers, the bend has long since gone.

The RAF and Cardington

As RAF children, all three of us were christened in the picturesque church in Cardington, which is the unofficial 'favourite' church for RAF personnel! I obviously don't remember my own christening and wasn't about when my older brother was held over the font, but I do remember my sister's christening because she's nine years younger than I, so the memory is quite vivid. I also remember making much earlier visits to the charming old pub - as far back as when I was only two years old, in fact! - before we were posted to Cyprus. Not allowed into the pub itself, the kids would play outside, rain or shine, but I was awaiting heart surgery and so could only sit and watch, unfortunately! I enjoyed the lemonade and packets of crisps with the ltitle twist of salt in blue paper, but I never ate the pickled cockles that the grown-ups would bring out to us on the jar's lid. Yugh! I've no idea if the area has changed - I haven't been back there in over 40 years! It was so beautiful, though, even with the huge barrage balloons overhead.