Tim Carroll on sharing snacks with the extraordinary space traveller
Thirty years ago, I met Buzz Aldrin (still with us, at 96) in a Heathrow hotel. I was with ‘Jimmy’ James (1915-2008), famed veteran of the Great Escape, that wartime adventure immortalised by the 1963 film.
Jimmy made 13 escape attempts during the war. He was recaptured every time. ‘I’m the most unsuccessful escaper ever,’ he said in his strangulated, upper-crust accent.
He had been at an autograph convention, signing photos, books and other memorabilia for fans. He was exhausted and longed for a good lunch. The minder from his publishers was unsympathetic. She would allow him a 20-minute break in the canteen, where ‘a selection’ of sandwiches was available.
The canteen was a wretched affair of grey metal tables and chairs. The sandwiches were wilting in a dispenser. As I looked around for help, my eyes settled on a vaguely familiar figure who seemed to be enjoying one of these execrable gastronomic specimens.
He was engaged in a noisy argument with a fellow American, who was accusing him of dishonouring their country’s good name by taking part in a crass money-making exercise.
‘It’s Buzz!’ said Jimmy, waving excitedly at the second man to walk on the moon. Buzz beckoned us over to join him, as if we were long-lost friends.
Jimmy told him what we were after. Buzz offered us the remainder of his sandwich. It took all our communal reserves of good manners to turn him down.
Buzz, still arguing with his compatriot, pointed us to the far end of the room. ‘On the other side of that door, there’s a long corridor that leads to a bar.’
As he spoke, Jimmy’s minder entered the canteen – but didn’t see us. ‘You’d better skedaddle,’ said Buzz.
We thanked him profusely and legged it to the door at warp factor five. As we went through it, we saw Buzz tell the woman, pointing in the wrong direction, ‘They went that way.’
We were free! Drinking Guinness in the bar, we raised our glasses to Buzz, thanking our lucky stars our paths had crossed on that grey afternoon. Today, 30 years later, it gives me a little buzz to know I once played a small part in making Jimmy’s 14th escape attempt a success, of sorts, aided and abetted by one of the most famous space travellers in the universe.
