Captain Slog: Star date – Saturday 7 July 2012; Hertford. Day 50 of a 70-day journey of the Olympic Torch Relay around the United Kingdom before finally using the flame to light the bowl in the Olympic Stadium at Stratford. During its travels, it has been to Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England; even spending a day in Dublin. The torch had left Chelmsford at 07:00 that morning on its way to Harlow. The next scheduled stop was the Lee Valley White Water Centre at Waltham Abbey. This is a purpose-built facility for the canoe slalom & sprint events. The torch had survived its journey on an inflatable dingy along the Olympic course ..without a ducking. The advance warning signs had been out there for days. The Olympic Torch Relay was coming to Hertford …so therefore expect delays. There was no excuse for not knowing there would be predictable traffic chaos on Saturday morning. The Farmer’s Market had never known such popularity, even though the sentiment was slightly displaced. The opportunistic street sellers had been out early doing a brisk trade; selling union flags, replica Olympic medals and vuvuzela-style horns. East Herts Council were responsible for decorating the town with flags and bunting.
If anybody who wanted to witness the effects of anarchy, all they had to do was observe the mass of humankind. Each person was trying to get a better view of the torch. It was an anthropologist’s dream. Anybody doing a thesis in copy-cat behaviour would have had a field day. The roundabout on the releif road was full of people wanting to get a better view. The police turned a blind eye to pedestrians walking in the middle of the road. Traffic enforcement officers were redundant since there was nowhere to park. At 10:00 it all kicked off in the environs of Hertford. The van carrying the Olympic torch and its carriers arrived at the designated spot in London Road (A414). The first signs of the Olympic torch were the flashing lights of the police escort; followed by short blasts of their sirens. Then there was an assortment of unmarked police cars, local volunteers, special constables, community support officers …and real policemen; each had their respective hi-vis jackets with their own distinctive lettering across the backs.
Next came what appeared to be all the police motorbikes in Hertfordshire; they had all been washed and polished for the occasion. The outriders were resplendent in their black uniforms, crash helmets, leather gloves and fluorescent jackets. The police could not believe their luck; for a change they were not the baddies. They were full of fun, soaking up the carnival atmosphere and high-fiving the crowd. No more filling out 14-page forms for racially aggravated crimes, handing out ASBOs for the local yobbos and being abused by the public. This paved the way for the sponsor’s segment of the parade. First, came the red Coca Cola float blaring out music and handing out FREE bottles of their product, second in line was the Samsung lorry with a giant video screen and cheerleaders up top, thirdly was the Lloyds TSB wagon (you would have thought they would have better things to spend their money on at the moment). This was just the warm-up act for the main event of the day …the Olympic torch.
I assume that Charlotte Brown, 60, of Berkhamsted who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis started the Olympic relay because the torch moved very slowly as it circumvented the Gascoyne Way roundabout, adjacent to M&S. With that the torch disappeared into Hertford town along Fore Street. At the Corn Exchange it turned right into Market Place. At Barclays Bank, it turned into Railway Street, along the outskirts of Bircherley Green towards the old Christ’s Hospital boundary. At the T-junction it travelled a short distance along South Street before it re-joined Fore Street. By this time the torch had been handed over to Julie Smart, 39, of Roydon Road who was running at a faster pace. At the Gascoyne Way roundabout the torch was passed on to the next person in the relay team, on its way along the Ware Road. If you blinked you most probably missed it, especially with everybody jostling to get a better view of the Olympic Torch and its bearer. With that the air was filled with a slight precipitation; within another 10 minutes, the heavens opened and deposited a large deluge of rain in a short period of time.
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