I think all steel erectors had to be a bit mad, I know our Dennis was, but then why else would you chose to do a job like that I suppose?

Down the side of that chimney is a lightning conductor, it's just a cable of around an inch or so in diameter, until at around forty feet up there's a thin ladder permanently attached to the brickwork that goes all the way up. If you look just below the road lamp on the photo you can just pick it out, that's what they went up.

Trouble is, because the ladder is permanently attached, and was made of wood in those days, being on the lee side it would have been very mossy and slippery. In pitch darkness, and after a night downing several pints of bitter that was no mean feat to accomplish.

Dennis moved down to London shortly afterwards where he ended up selling a haul of diamonds to a secretive London figure. He was told to meet the buyer in the toilets of a particular pub, where the diamonds would be paid for in cash. It was a large sum of cash for someone to have access to in the 1970's so the buyer had to be well heeled enough to pay the asking price.

He waited in the toilets as instructed when the actor Gordon Jackson came in, he was big at the time from filming 'The Professionals', and Dennis swore that it was he that bought the diamonds.

Fred Dibnah stayed around Bolton, eventually marrying my dad's best mates daughter who was thirty years his junior. His later TV persona was himself alright, but with added lapel holding and other such posturing which he thought gave him a certain gravitas.

A bit pissed off this evening, as my willingness to act before thinking has bit me back.

Decided to winterize the car today by adding a temporary grille muff of silver foil until I can make a more permanent fitting, and by putting in a fleecy roof lining. So far so good, I also fitted some even better LED tail lights that work nicely as can be seen above, the bulbs look like big pineapples.

What has annoyed me is my cack handed attempt to stop a draught which was coming from the bottom of the passenger door. On that side the bottom three inches or so of drip rail moulding is missing off the body, and I could see a slight chink of daylight right down in the front lower corner, where the door meets the door frame.

As it was freezing cold I didn't want the draught coming in, but also as it was freezing cold I did want a quick fix, so I placed my knee against the outside of the door in that place and gave two gently persuading pushes. They were more like leans on the door than pushes really, and as I stood back up to admire my handiwork I noticed that there now sat two perfectly formed kneecap shaped dents in the door!

On my way home this evening I was driving along a very familiar stretch of dark road quite nearby when a grey or possibly light blue 2cv emerged out of the darkness travelling in the opposite direction. I think we were both so surprised to see another 2cv none of us waved!

Ah dear Mr Nail,

WOW.....and WOW indeed !

I will appologise in advance.....this is off thread too....but as you started the thread and continued the discussion I hope its not a problem.....I just have to come back to you on your connection with Fred !!

Well I remember that first TV series (brass band playing carnival of venice....the tune now back in my head), in fact I have it on video tape - although no longer a player, loads on U tube. I remember liking what he did, how he did it and the respect he had for the skilled workers of the past. At the time I felt a bit annoyed by some of his other views.......funny as I get older I seem to appreciate those views too.....

Then got into the other things he did, the momuments and that amazing stunt to build a mine shaft in your own garden...how I would love to upset my planning officers with that one. There are as I am sure you know DVDs of him explaining how to rig a chimney etc......that whole ladder thing and knocking in the "dogs".....amazing....health and saftey these days might have a thing to say

Love that bit on the Bosuns chair....also cant help but snigger about the holiday he took Alison on when he (and her ?) were knocking down a chimney....I suspect she had a tough time. Also Sue too. Interesting that neither of them seem to have any trace on the web, but Shelia has loads. Also sons Jack and Roger get some publicity but daughters from Alison obviously play it quiet.

I brought some DVDs direct from him some time ago when he was ill and had a really lovelly letter from Sheila, hand written and very personal.

I find it very sad how it all went wrong at the end, his will and how the house, money and that amazing collection of equipment and machinary just seemed to cause such hassle. I was sad to read that now it has been settled and sold on it came a bit too late as some "gits" had got into his house and knicked all the good stuff mainly all the brass and such like for scrap.

I can see why people either liked or didnt like him, but I cant help but think fellas like him doing stuff by hand, working hard the old fashioned way and fixing, mending and repairing things seem in short supply.

I like the bit where he talks about being a steeple jack and says if you make a mistake its "an afternoon out with the undertakers!"

Your comments have made me smile big time and its fantastic to hear a bit more about him. I bet there is a lot the general public never knew and also a lot that was "for the cameras".....but deep down I reckon he was a top bloke.

Nice one O-N....thanks for that

Old-nail, you may shoot me down in flames for this, as I expect the answer is somewhere in this thread I just can't find it! Were did you get the led tail lights?

Ebay. If you just look for LED tail lights they'll come up. Mine were red ones, as in they light up red so don't just rely on the lens cap. You can get 25 facet or more, mine were the dearer ones but they do work much better, and another bonus is that if you put them in the brake lights too, when sat in heavy or traffic stopping and starting they draw less current so don't tire your battery the same.

Squeezebox there are a few unintended Dibnah connections with our family. Firstly Fred grew up with my uncle, they were mates and drinking buddies first, as well as sharing the same occupation.

Next was the Alison connection. She was round our house two or three times a week at one stage. I've not seen her for about six years because of my divorce and subsequent flight from Bolton, but she absolutely hated Fred by the end. She won't have a web presence because she is mortified for anyone to know that she was once married to him, in many ways he was a right bastard. She remarried in around 2002 but the poor chap David he was called, developed motor neuron disease, likely he'll be dead now too.

My dad's best mate was Arnold Grundy, he was a fellow milkman. They used to be darts mad those two, he and the old fella' was always out together on darts matches. I've never met his daughter Sheila, but I found it rather strange that she should fancy Fred. Also what struck me as odd was that she married an old steeplejack when her own dad Arnold died when he fell off a ladder at home!

The final connection was when Fred was in Bolton Hospice. My cousins wife Sue worked there at the time. Now Sue is a very down to earth gregarious type, just what you need really under those circumstances. She had worked at the hospice for several years and loved the job, but when I asked her about Fred she said he was the most obnoxious bloke they had ever had in there, truly ignorant.

Sorry to bust any illusions you have of the man but like any man Fred had many facets, the on screen persona that he cultivated for profit was the sanitised one. Certainly he was eccentric, at times he could be interesting, but always, always from what I know he was a deeply selfish man to the last.

It is always worth seeking out a Blaster Bates clip or two; master raconteur!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ekwxm9yU ... re=related

old nail i was interested in your led light thing. I have always thought it a good idea to have a brighter rear light for the 2cv due to safety considerations. Bear with me because i am really ignorant about mechanics/electrics etc. I thought you could insert a led bulb and hey presto....i dont know. I checked ebays 1632 led tail light listings but couldn't understand what you meant(told you i was ignorant). Do you have to buy a complete light unit(lens) and fix to car so you have 4 rear lights or do you modify the lights that are there or replace the citroen ones? I know this may sound daft to you but most of you people on the forum are very technical people and a few like me struggle to understand. Please show me the light....thanks

Rear light bulbs (side/stop/indicator) are prety much universal. What'll fit in a 2cv, will fit in a Ford Escort/Fiesta. So you should be able to fit a LED replacement straight in, no problem.

Hi Hardy.

They are just red led bulbs like these, I couldn't find the exact same ones that I got.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2-x-Red-39-LED-Brake-Tail-Light-Bulbs-1156-BA15S-12V-/270654775625?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item3f04482149

As the 2cv has separate brake and tail lights you can pop one in each for brighter lights. There are more expensive ones or cheaper ones, but so long as the pin pattern at the bottom matches the originals they're fine.

Thank you gents............i have seen the light!