John Hawkridge

“Unfortunately for me I got selected to be fitted with iron callipers. So all of a sudden you find yourself in leg irons, and you can hardly, you know from being able to run, they’ve put you in these leg irons, and you can hardly stand up, never mind run. And they put you in them, and they tighten all the leather straps on you when you’re in. You know, it’s basically, it’s just a form of torture; they’re just forcing your joints against what they want to do. And so, you find yourself, you might be wearing your callipers ‘x’ amount of hours a day. Now bearing in mind I could take these callipers off and run, and run, hop, skip and jump, that weren’t something that I enjoyed at all.” John Hawkridge
 
Born 19 August 1948
 
Educated Larchfield Residential School, Harrogate; Potternewton Mansion School, Leeds; Park Lane College of Commerce

Author of Uphill All the Way and Sticks and Stones

John Hawkridge Tape 1 Listen here:
Born August 1948, St Marys Hospital Leeds. Father was 26, Mother 27 Born with forceps marks on head. Mother, 4ft 11. Problem walking. Physio once or twice a week prior to school. Father was engineer with Royal Ordnance... 00:31:26

John Hawkridge Tape 2 Listen here:
Early memories including being in the pushchair on way to physiotherapy. In 1953, age 4, went to Larchfield Residential School, Harrogate, boarding from Monday night until Saturday morning. Few personal possessions allowed... 00:31:24

John Hawkridge Tape 3 Listen here:
Learned to cope with discipline; didn’t learn to cope with callipers and night splints. Walks on moor at Ilkley or by river at Knaresborough, occasionally to Harrogate. Two weeks annual holiday by coach to Filey or Bridlington... 00:12:59

John Hawkridge Tape 4 Listen here:
Hobbies and pastimes. Memories of television and radio programmes. Two-week holidays to the east coast at the end of July -- Primrose Valley, Filey and Bridlington. Model railway. Woodwork. Fishing. John left school at 15... 00:31:19

John Hawkridge Tape 5 Listen here:
Options towards the end of time at school; visiting prospective employers. New college in Leeds ‘The Branch College of Commerce’ in Park Lane. Disabled people were allowed to attend the school, although they needed... 00:31:20

John Hawkridge Tape 6 Listen here:
At school, influenced by vegetarian teacher - became a vegetarian for 12 months. Teacher, Mrs Hill, helped with entrance exam. Betty Clark ran cubs group in hospital. Cub and scout camps. Discipline at school. Bullied at... 00:27:39

John Hawkridge Tape 7 Listen here:
Went to Branch College of Commerce, aged 15. RSA stage 1 and 2 exams plus O levels. Other colleges refused to accept John as student. Started work and did day-release and night school (ACCA Accountancy). Open University... 00:21:01

John Hawkridge Tape 8 Listen here:
Describes Larchfield School, run by Leeds Education Authority. Attending as a boarder from the age of four. John’s disability being diagnosed; receiving physiotherapy. Disliked being away at school Monday to Saturday... 00:31:20

John Hawkridge Tape 9 Listen here:
Receiving postcards from grandmother [cont.] Physiotherapy sessions at Larchfield School. Moving up to juniors – better relationship with the teachers. Describes being fitted with iron callipers. Describes annual visit from... 00:29:24

John Hawkridge Tape 10 Listen here:
Easter 1957, John moved to Potternewton, Leeds, Special School. Preparation for 11+ exam. Not allowed to leave school, if disabled, till 16. Teacher Miss Graham. Teaching handwriting. Nature studies with Miss Clark who also... 00:31:22

John Hawkridge Tape 11 Listen here:
Potternewton Library. Major interest in fishing. Teachers Mr Atak, Mrs Southern. Allerton High School ran Christmas party for pupils from Potternewton. Mr Hyatt encouraged pupils’ interest in RSPCA and to become vegetarian... 00:31:11

John Hawkridge Tape 12 Listen here:
After 2 years, left with 5 O levels. A levels maths at night school. Mr Kilburn was the most influential teacher. Teachers Miss Hogarth and Mrs Holesworth. Potternewton reunions. Lifelong friendship with Miss Clark... 00:20:47

John Hawkridge Tape 13 Listen here:
Sexual awareness. Christmas party kissing under the mistletoe. In the summer of 1965 John started working for British Rail for £5 and 12 shillings per week. O Level Mathematics to get a rise of £3 per week. The office manage... 00:31:18

John Hawkridge Tape 14 Listen here:
Descent of Scarfell Pike.... 00:04:03

John Hawkridge Tape 15 Listen here:
When sitting for exams, going fishing, walking or climbing mountains, disability becomes only something that concerned you. Understanding your limitations. Gardening. John’s two Border Collie dogs. Not being seen as disabled... 00:31:16

John Hawkridge Tape 16 Listen here:
Descent of Ben Nevis with broken walking stick and boot. Back to the car by midnight, John had been walking for 17 hours. Gift of beer from fellow walkers. Five or six days in Shetland to recover. In 1975 John took a bus trip to... 00:31:12

John Hawkridge Tape 17 Listen here:
In 1976, went on cruise, started in Venice and around the Mediterranean, Greece, Egypt, Turkey and Yugoslavia. Second cruise around the Baltic and Holland, Poland, Finland, Sweden and Denmark. The pyramids, the Sphinx,... 00:31:23

John Hawkridge Tape 18 Listen here:
Went down the east coast as far as Miami. Rocket launch at Cape Canaveral. From Miami John went round the Gulf of Mexico through New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Houston, Texas and down to the Rio Grande. Mexico City. Monterey and... 00:30:11

John Hawkridge Tape 19 Listen here:
After 10 weeks, wife decided to leave John. Her grounds for divorce were annulment based on non-consummation but this wasn’t the case. Learning to deal with own house and garden. Travels to Tunisia and Sahara desert. Morocco... 00:31:24

John Hawkridge Tape 20 Listen here:
Divorce proceedings. Blind date with a single parent with a young daughter led to a relationship of 4 or 5 months. Burglary while visiting dying mother in hospital. John decided to get a sheepdog but it ran off. Got a Border... 00:13:12

John Hawkridge Tape 21 Listen here:
1982 alone for three years. Training dog was hard work. Neighbours had a 20-year-old mentally disabled son who damaged property. John decided to move nearer his father in Bradford and bought a 3-bedroom detached bungalow wit... 00:31:26

John Hawkridge Tape 22 Listen here:
TV company unable to sell the Ben Nevis programme despite some interest. Guardian and BBC interested in plans for Everest trip. John retaining water in his legs. Saw a specialist and had intensive physiotherapy. John was tol... 00:31:19

John Hawkridge Tape 23 Listen here:
Trip to Everest for BBC documentary. Narrow ledges at Namche Bazaar. Altitude sickness, diarrhoea at Tengboche Monastery. Differences of opinion with director regarding level of assistance required and topics to talk about... 00:31:20

John Hawkridge Tape 24 Listen here:
Memory of Tibet. Friendship with Outam Rei, Sherpa, and his visit to England. Hawkridge’s lecture series. People’s assumptions about disabled people. Uttam Rai’s trip around Lake District and southern Scotland and seeing the... 00:15:30

John Hawkridge Tape 25 Listen here:
Yorkshire Three-Peaks Walk. 40 miles walk in North Yorks Moors. June 1977: 100-mile Dales Way Walk. Developed blisters on feet and hands from sticks. Visit to Church of St Oswald. Walking with Philip Spence 1 mile per hour i... 00:31:41

John Hawkridge Tape 26 Listen here:
At Shap, John gave into the pain and got a lift home to Leeds with friend Ian Davison. Grasmere, Helvelyn, Ullswater. Lyke Wake Walk. Walk to Mount Everest. Pennine Way held no appeal for John. Rapport with fellow walkers... 00:23:40

John Hawkridge Tape 27 Listen here:
Born 1948 with cerebral palsy. John has climbed 44 mountains in Britain. His first book Sticks and Stones: The Autobiography of John Hawkridge was published in 1987. In 1989 he won ‘Man of the Year’ award for his sporting achievements. His slowness in walking... 00:29:52

John Hawkridge Tape 28 Listen here:
1973 John became a Scout leader in Leeds. School governor for 25 years. Lectures for charities around the country. Outward Bound courses for disabled people, using guidelines laid down by John, who became a governor of Outward Bound... 00:08:15

Download a transcript of the John Hawkridge interview (PDF, 1.01MB)