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Climb aboard the 704 to Windsor

Great Grandad Ronald James is at the wheel

He drove the same Green Line bus every day in the Forties and Forties

Smog and chimneys gradually replacing the Kent and Sussex countryside

Walked home alone at 1am from where he left his bus at Woodbury Park Road in Tunbridge Wells

only to return a few hours later to begin the day’s service

There and back, there and back, there and back

 

Grandad (his son, Ronald George) was told not to learn to drive

Mum (his daughter) was too nervous to learn to drive

Me and Mum got the Maidstone and District bus everywhere

Paid a flat fare for the Wonderbus ticket. Got off and on wherever we liked

Travelled to different counties in a day, no more than five but more than three

Wonderbus wanderlust. Still be at home in time for tea

Straight to the upper deck of the double decker

Sat front seat on the right as that’s where was a thing of great wonder for me: the periscope

 

Day tripping with Mum, I was on a submarine

Intrigued by this rudimentary machine

Never quite sure if I was or not seen

I can still recall my fascination of the periscope

rather than name all the places I had been

 

The periscope - reflection and mirrors 

Great grandad keeping one eye on his passengers

Those lads at the back upper deck having a smoke

Peer down the periscope from my seat and sometimes you see the driver

If he looks up, game over

 

Years later, I realised I enjoyed looking at men

Life for me then was playing periscope

I got very clever. Very clever at seeing without being seen

Aged 16. Sweating on a hot day in Dad’s work van 

‘Who’s gonna wanna look at you?’, said Dad whilst stuck in a three mile traffic jam

Me, too nervous to take my shirt off but I wanted to be seen

Queer and visible

To be both the driver and the passenger

Never think twice about taking my shirt off

Playing periscope, heatwave ‘97

Kissing a boyfriend, shirt off, us only wearing shorts whilst sat back upper deck

Driver, glance up the periscope all you like

Next time, I’ll kiss him in my birthday suit