What a plonker!

[Guest]

Keith, just off on a slight tangent which might be of some interest to you, as a spotty teenage youth, I had the pleasure of shaking Uri Gagarin's hand when he visited the U.K. after his historic space flight......I have a huge commemorative medal which he gave my father for being "The only true worker amongst all these dignitaries here tonight." At the time my dad was a big wheel in the local unions, and managed to blag a ticket to the 'do' where Gagarin was Guest of Honour.Please excuse the minor high-jack..

Ron

The same sort of thing happened to me. When in a team commissioning the electric controls for a big hot reversing mill, plate mill and rod mill complex, on the day the first ingot ran a whole gaggle of suits arrived. I was very dismissive of them (privately of course) because we had been the ones who helped to design it and get it working and they were on a junket, but later I realised that they were the people who had taken the risk of such huge expenditure, supplied the capital etc. (Some would have been bankers but their horns did not show.)

[Guest]

Keith, just off on a slight tangent which might be of some interest to you, as a spotty teenage youth, I had the pleasure of shaking Uri Gagarin's hand when he visited the U.K. after his historic space flight......I have a huge commemorative medal which he gave my father for being "The only true worker amongst all these dignitaries here tonight." At the time my dad was a big wheel in the local unions, and managed to blag a ticket to the 'do' where Gagarin was Guest of Honour.Please excuse the minor high-jack..

Ron

Ron, that is amazing, you shook hands with Uri Gagarin, a legend! Wow! The best I have achieved is the signatures of Buz Aldrin and Michael Collins, both of course from Apollo 11. I desperatly wanted Neil Armstrong as well to complete the set but no way could I afford it. I am sure you will never part with your medal, a fantastic piece of history.