COVENTRY MESSAGE BOARD

Coventry has had a number of eccentric characters, I suppose Happy is the most well known.
Harry Deakin who lived at 111 Spon St was Coventry's backwards walker. A street cleaner he mostly walked backwards and once won a bet by walking backwards from the Rainbow to the Sportsman's Arms and back again in 27 minutes. That was back in the 50s and he was 66 years old then.

Jock Strapp wrote:Coventry has had a number of eccentric characters, I suppose Happy is the most well known.

alias Herbert Betts, 1896-1976.

Jock Strapp wrote:Harry Deakin who lived at 111 Spon St was Coventry's backwards walker. A street cleaner he mostly walked backwards and once won a bet by walking backwards from the Rainbow to the Sportsman's Arms and back again in 27 minutes. That was back in the 50s and he was 66 years old then.

Not come across that one before Jock but if I do again I'll certainly remember

I didn't place this on my post about Mr Deakin because its of very poor quality.



As an apprentice I ( occasionally ) went to Coventry Technical College to be taught the mysteries of the radio set and later TVs I started there in 1948 at the age of 15. Although well under age I often visited the Old Dyers Arms and the Summerland. I suppose it was because of my size that I got away with it. I did hear about the backward walking man then although I never saw him.

Thanks Jock, the press cutting is perfectly legible to me.

The bookmaker was almost certainly Jimmy Cleverley who once lived at the same address as Deakin and was in the habit of making silly bets like that one.