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While Call Sign was wondering round
the LTFUC 80th birthday party celebrations at the
Grosvenor House recently, we bumped into a lady without whose
husband, Dial-a-Cab may never have started. Looking as wonderful as ever at the young age of 96, Millie Dunn was watching and smiling as hundreds of kids enjoyed themselves eating, drinking pop and watching the entertainment. The last time we saw Millie was 5 years ago at DaC’s 50th anniversary celebration when she and husband Lou danced the night away – well she was just a spring chicken of 91 then! Sadly, just 22 days later, husband Lou passed away at the age of 93. Lou Dunn passed the Knowledge on 20 February 1951 having done it by car! But it was towards the end of 1952 that his name was to become enshrined in the history of the London cab trade. Lou told Call Sign during a visit to Brunswick House in January 2003: "I was having a tea break in Wilton Road, Victoria with a few other drivers in November 1952. We were discussing the possibility of starting a Radio Taxi service for owner-drivers to compete with Lou Levy of York Way Motors and The |
GERRY’S MUM STEPS OUT - AT 96! |
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 Millie and Gerry at the party. Inset pic: Lou meets Brian Rice on his visit to DaC in 2003 |
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General of Brixton. Both companies had their own radio circuits, primarily for their own fleets of cabs. "We later spoke to a large number of owner-drivers who seemed enthusiastic about the idea. The prominent members of our organising committee consisted of myself, George White, Mr. Frewin, Charlie Watson and a Mr Woods. Cyril Lumley was appointed Secretary and RODA – The Radio Owner Drivers Association – was born. Word got around quickly and we soon had enough drivers to operate. Sadly, problems – mainly |
financial – beset it and it folded in the face of the new
oncoming ODRTS in 1953." Many believe that without the RODA lead, Bonnie Martyn may never have started our company and it is to people such as Lou Dunn that this trade owes so much. But back to the present and Millie, also the mother of DaC’s Gerry Dunn MBE (S84), still has that sparkle in her eye. "Say hello to that good-looking Chairman of yours for me," she said with a twinkling smile, "but how old did you say he was? I’m looking for a nice young man!" |
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RICHARD PICKS UP THE BUTLER! |
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When Richard Hill (L62) was sitting
on the Lincolns Inn Fields rank (WC3), he assumed that the
chances would be that his passenger would be connected to the
legal industry – the last person he expected to pick up was a
butler. But then again, this wasn’t just ANY old butler, this
was THE butler – Paul Burrell, butler to the late Princess
Diana. It was mid-afternoon when the trip asked Richard to pick up at the Royal Courts of Justice and to actually drive in. There was no passenger name. "In all the years I have been driving a taxi, I had never driven inside the Law Courts before. A security person guided me into the car park and as I got out of the cab to try to find out who my passenger was, I noticed a huge number of paparazzi just on the other side of the security barrier. They were all asking if I was there to pick up Paul Burrell, who had been giving evidence at the Princess Diana inquest inquiry, but I didn’t know so I said that I wasn’t. But I soon found out that it was Paul Burrell I was to take to an hotel not too far away. As he and |
 Paul
Burrell with Princess Diana. Inset Pic Richard Hill
three others got into the cab, a policeman
came over and asked me to stop at the main gate to allow |
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