Donald Heaton (F 42-47) sent in the following, which appeared in the Bedford Blues RUFC handbook:

“I was born in Carlisle in 1929 and educated at St Bees School in Cumberland. My passion for ball games was mainly attributable to where I lived in Carlisle for twenty four years. Immediately in front of the house was the local grammar school playing field. Immediately behind the house were fourteen tennis courts, which led on to the Carlisle rugby ground, which in turn was next to the Carlisle United football ground. At the end of the road was a trout and salmon river. These facilities meant that for me, and for several boys of a similar age, playing games was essential to survival. When I left St Bees, I went to medical school in Newcastle, which at the time was part of Durham University. Sport continued and in 1952 I captained the Newcastle medical team that won the Northumberland Cup. After qualifying in medicine, I worked for a year in hospitals in the Newcastle region. While a medical officer in the RAF, I played both rugby and cricket. I believe I was the only national serviceman to represent the RAF at both of these sports. Following this spell, I went into general practice in Kempston, Bedford in 1957 and started to play rugby for Bedford. I also played cricket for Bedford Town and Bedfordshire. When my rugby-playing career finished, I served as a committee member for twenty years. I was also the unofficial doctor to the club and I can say that no Bedford player has had more stitches than Budge Rodgers! I remained in general practice in Kempston for 33 years and can now be found either on my allotment in Kempston or fishing in Northumberland. For 53 years I have been married to Eileen and we still live in the house from which the medical practice was run. We have two daughters and one granddaughter.”