This Lancastrian steeplejack and television personality was gentle, outspoken and self-taught. A father of five and thrice married, Dibnah described himself as “just a bum who climbs chimneys” and once stated: “If you make a mistake, it’s half a day with the undertaker”. He had no time for “fancy London types” and took the view that: “We’ve become a nation of conmen, living by selling double-glazing to each other”. His type sadly won’t be seen again.
Two stories to keep beside you
Nancy Cunard (1896 – 1965)
Described as “the queen of the jazz age” and “a fashionable poor little rich girl and muse”, this heiress to the Cunard shipping fortue took being bohemian to new heights.
Emeritus Professor Jane Somerville
This “straight talking” cardiologist told Kirsty Young on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs that “it was much more fun to be mafioso and naughty” than being “prudent” but it’s for her pioneering work on congenital heart disease that she’s best known. A mother of four and the “mother of GUCH”, Somerville’s ex-fellows set up […]
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2 comments
He is missed.
More on icons like Fred please Matthew.