K7
The triple-mayor’s poem (which he never got to hear)
When I met Bob Roe, triple mayor of Carnforth, Lancashire, neither of us knew he was on the last two years of his life. A life he lived with a certain amount of eccentric character, but a down-to-earth morality that meant even a lefty red socialist Scotsman like me couldn’t hate his Tory ways.
Bob became involved in local politics after getting angry about the state of a service in Carnforth. He complaint to a councillor, who told him, “If you fell that strongly, do something about it.” Thus over the years he served as town mayor on three occasions.
Among his many activities was an interest in the Canforth railway heritage community. The 1945 movie Brief Encounter was shot in the train station (which has been preserved in that era) and the Flying Scotsman, for a long time, resided in a nearby train shed.
He told me a lot of interesting stuff about trains and about the gas trade; and one night we landed on Malcolm Campbell and his fatal water speed record attempt in Bluebird in 1967. We discussed Campbell’s final words as the hydroplane crashed – “I’m going!” and Bob said, “There’s a poem idea for you.”
Had I not been wanting to write about K7 for years? It’s my kind of subject – a loner rebel doing things his own way despite the exterior pressures of compromise, and a near self-destructive stubbornness that might take him too far.
The magic moment came when I matched “I’m going” with “I know” – and immediately my Story Engine had Bob himself among the Bluebird crew at Coniston on the morning of January 4, 1967.
I decided on a repeating “I’m going” structure since anyone who cares knows the reference, so it would be a pleasing payoff; and anyone who doesn’t might also like it as a poetic payoff. I also decided to cram in as many words as I could that go with “blue” as an additional challenge.
The poem takes place in two time zones – the “now” as K7 prepares to race, and the “then” as the pressures build up on Campbell himself. And if you’re wondering what “whopped” means, it’s a reference to Mr Whoppit, Campbell’s talisman teddy bear, which also rode with his dad, Sir Malcolm Campbell, in his own speed record attempts.
I also had a mad idea to make use of my boat for the video, and project a stylised image of Campbell onto the canal at night, while running the engine to generate a wash. Thanks to movie-maker extraordinaire Hal Sinden for sharing my enthusiasm over the concept and my delight when it worked – well, nearly.
These things take time, of course. It was fated that I completed K7, with wonderful music from Mike Astley-Brown (returning for another session after sending Just The Dust towards a million views) in time for Bluebird to run at Coniston again for the first time since Campbell’s death. It was also fated that I didn’t complete it in time for Bob to hear it. He died in October 2024, aged 71, and I’m very glad to have known him, even for a short time.
Gratitude to The Bluebird Project, helmed by another loner rebel, Bill Smith, for permission to use their footage of K7 running at Bute in 2018 after they recovered and rebuilt her.
The ray of steel cut through the mist and took a swooping turn
At the far end of the ice-edged lake in a wash of wilful glow
The lady of the smooth lagoon had seen curses in the cards
‘I’m going, he’d said, ‘I’m going’ ~ and she had begged, ‘Don’t go’
Skippered at a master’s hands she set off on a run
If any flags caught bonnie eyes then only he would know
The mordant man of money had warned of ruin in delay
‘I’m going, ‘ he’d said, ‘I’m going’ ~ to be curtly told, ‘Well, go’
It might have been a wayward wave or a log awoke from sleep
But she began to tramp and twist in a battle for control
The muted bear of memories sat always at his side
‘I’m going,’ he said, ‘I’m going’ ~ and it seemed to whop, ‘Let’s go!’
Her nose turned brave towards the moon; she seemed near set to fly
Until the deep tore back her tail and cast a deadly roll
I saw what I’d been afraid to see; the radio made it true;
‘I’m going,’ he said, ‘I’m going’ ~ And I said, ‘I know.’
