There must be thousands of funny stories that relate to tourists.
One that I like to recall always makes me chuckle.
It was in about 1973, on a very sunny weekday afternoon. I had been posted for the day to the front door of 10 Downing Street with one of my colleagues.
At that time Downing Street was open to the public at both ends, and a good variety of people would gradually wander through, taking random snaps and asking if it was ok to pose with us by the step, so that they could get a picture of themselves in front of the famous front door of number 10 and a British Bobby or two. It was always a pleasure to meet so many people from different countries of the world.
Some way through the day, which would have been about lunchtime, my colleague popped inside number 10 to grab a sandwich and a cup of tea.
While he was inside, I stood firm on the front step, and kept a watch up and down the street.
It had become quiet, with only very few tourists at this point.
I became aware of a lone male in a dark suit walking up the stairway from the Horseguards area.
On reaching the top of the stairs he stopped by the gate and fence then stared all around. He then continued walking onto Downing Street and crossed diagonally across the street towards me.
I watched his every movement and waited until he came to a halt directly in front of me. There was no smile, no hint of any recognition, just a quick look up and down.
The man who would have been about 50 years old, took a breath and said
“Downing Street ”
I said “Pardon?”
He again said “Downing Street” No please or thank you, just Downing Street.
I was, I have to say, a little put out by his attitude, and said…
“If you go to the bottom of the road you come to Whitehall. Turn Left and walk up to Trafalgar Square.”
He was listening intently.
I carried on, “Turn Left and go beneath Admiralty Arch in the Mall, towards Buckingham Palace, then turn left by the Citadel” He still looked interested.
“Walk down past the Citadel and past Horseguards Parade, then in the corner where the grassed area is, go up the stairs that you will see, and you are there.”
With that the man just turned and walked away without a word.
I was still on the step some 45 minutes later, when I saw a man in a dark suit appear on the stairs to my right. He didn’t look overly happy as he walked straight across the road and up to where I was standing, and in a thick posh American accent said one word “Bastard”, before walking away, never to return.
Geoff Jackson, 10 Region, K Branch