Last October I published a great little story about a Water Orton pensioner named Tommy Downes who was awarded a Local Heroes Award by the Birmingham Mail for his bravery in seeing off three young thugs who had broken into his property. I spoke to Tommy at some length on the phone at the time about some of his other fascinating experiences in life but sadly never got around to doing a proper interview with him.
So what a surprise and a coincidence to learn that Jim Bob Spencer who writes our regular Pick of the Pubs feature is a close neighbour of Tommy's and has already beaten me to it and called round to Tommy's home to interview him. Thanks then to the formidable but absolutely diamond, Tommy Downes and of course to Jim Bob for the following interview. Oh, and talking of neighbours, yes that's Jason Donovan pictured with our very own Carl Chinn presenting Tommy with his award last year. Over to Jim Bob...
Tommy Downes
Jim Bob Spencer
A FORMER Desert Rat tells the story behind his medals and trophies – over a cup of his speciality coffee.
Tommy Downes, a 90-year-old great-grandad and widower, is a veteran of Dunkirk and the D-Day landings. He lost many friends but is proud of his bravery and achievements, and said: “I wish somebody would write a book about my experiences, but it’s the people with all the money - who were never on the front line - that get stories written for them.”
Tommy was never called up to fight the Nazis – he volunteered. At 18-years-old he was a plasterer, and remembers being disillusioned with the job.
“One day I just looked around at the older workers and thought ‘I don’t want to still be doing this in 20 years’, so the next day I joined the army. My dad went crazy.”
Tommy signed up on 22 April 1938 – a year before war was declared. He is most proud of his certificate of service, which gives him a glowing report for hard work and courage. He has a Military Medal for bravery, and star medals for service in Italy, Africa, France and Germany. He also has a couple of Iron Crosses – which he stole from German prisoners of war.
“We used to take their watches as well - I had 50 at one point. They used to do the same to us.”
Tommy gained his Military Medal when he was the sergeant in charge of making a lane in a German minefield; he checked the ground with a bayonet before British tanks moved forward.
Last year, when Tommy was making a cup of tea, three masked intruders smashed his patio windows with concrete and demanded his car keys. But his brave spirit was still alive and strong.
“I pushed them out of the way and shouted ‘over my dead body’. I was a Desert Rat in the war, so I’m not scared of anybody – and the car is my pride and joy.”
Tommy owns a Ford Focus ST 3, and has since been made an honorary member of the owners club. He also received a Birmingham Mail Local Heroes award, which was presented by Jason Donovan.
But Tommy feels that police and neighbours were not so supportive.
“I lived in Ladywood when it was all slums. One tap of water served 14 buildings, but the people were good. There is no sense of community anymore. The police took 15 minutes to arrive and I was charged £250 to have my window boarded up.”
It would be easy to write a book about Tommy – he has achieved so much. His house is full of trophies for every sport imaginable; he has played exhibition snooker matches against Dennis Taylor, and John Pullman – who was eight times world champion. He still loves sport and plays bowls three times a week.
He attended a VE Day celebration in 1995 and sat behind the Queen. He was then invited for luncheon with the Queen Mother at Marlborough House – where he got drunk.
“My wife and I were drinking Dom Pérignon all afternoon and ended up being escorted back to the hotel.”
In 1946, his wife came third in the Miss Great Britain competition, and he has many fond memories of her.
“She stole the key to Al Capone’s prison cell when we visited Alcatraz. I still have it.”
He has travelled all over the world, and treasures his photographs of places such as Singapore, New Zealand and San Francisco. There are snaps of him outside the Taj Mahal, and dressed up for the Mardi Gras carnival in New Orleans.
He was a member of the Masons, and speaks fondly of the voluntary work they did – he still remembers the secret handshake.
Tommy is still active and enjoys going to Drayton Manor once a month, “to see the people and go on a few rides.” He also takes pride in his speciality coffee.
“Add a dash of brandy in the morning – it’s a stimulant and wakes you up. Add a dash of gin in the evening – it gets you to sleep.”
Somebody could easily write a bestseller – and Tommy has the medals, trophies, photographs and artefacts to prove it’s a true story.
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