Thu Feb 18, 2010 4:52 pm by Magic1
For the first 16 years of my life I was known as Francis. In 1957, I was cornered in a tent in Cyprus and a bunch of really hard guys explained to me that roughie, toughie Paratroopers didn't have names like that and it had to change. At the time I was saving up to get married and sent all of my pay home to UK. Para's being what Para's were, used to get drunk most nights and smash up everything in sight including their own possessions, such as radios etc. In order to survive, every morning I would scavenge through th4 dustbins retrieving anything that had an electronic element, repair it, package it up in cute cardboard boxes covered on black masking tape and then sell it back to the owner !. In the 1950's anything that was different or not understood was called 'Magic' and that was the name that they gave me. When I left the army, I tried to adopt a more respectable name and for a couple of years called myself John. Then, as John I went to Africa to set up an air force for a small country, for famine relief .... and on arrival was introduced at the highest level as .... Magic !. Today I am not sure who I am really am .... and answer to Francis, John, Magic , JK. and 'Hey you' Oh yes, I have been called by a hundred other names as well Hi! .... but not to my face Hi!