Supersonic Concorde was taken out of service in 2003
GETTY
There are certain events in a long life that come back to you with absolute clarity with the most minor jog of your memory. For me it was a recent TV documentary about Concorde and the battle in the 50s and 60s to be the first to achieve supersonic flight.
The Americans went too big; the Soviets did all they could to steal secrets from the French and British, who were working as a European team. Europe triumphed. Shame the French won the title, putting an ‘e’ at the end of the preferred English name, Concord.
It’s 20 years since she was finally taken out of service. I never got to fly in her, but Concorde was, and is, one of the great loves of my life. It began in 1976. I was 26 and working in Bristol. I lived in a lovely top-floor flat on the edge of the Downs with a flat roof and access to the perfect spot for sunbathing. I was relaxing in the sun when I heard an extraordinary noise.