A bitter pill for a bitter old bloke

Whereby hangs a tale.

Back in the dawn of civilisation (1973) I was in Lancashire Fire Service training School, Cumberland, as it then was, not having its own.

Shock, horror. I scored the second highest passing out score on record 94.4% I think it was, beaten only by 94.6%.

Since then Cumbrians have been known to score 96s and 97s and not come top.

Mose Todd is alive and well and living in Lancashire.

The bitter pill was that, up to the course I was on, and every course since then, the "Silver Axe" was awarded to the top recruit.
O.K. so it was chrome plated but it WAS a real live Fireman's axe.

I am not a happy chappie, it spent most of its days in a drawer bottom, I wonder why?

I even had to polish the tatty plastic thing to render it legible.
Back to where you started?