Dermot Leo Curran was born in Dublin on 08 June 1917, the fifth son of Martin Curran, a Dublin Metropolitan Police Officer, and Margaret Curran. Known as Leo to most of his friends, he was educated in St Patrick’s School, Drumcondra, and St Endas and McGuire’s colleges in Dublin. He left Dublin in 1935 for England as very little work existed. As his education warranted, in 1937 he applied for a commission with the Fleet Air Arm and the Royal Air Force. Due to external factors (which could be the basis of another tale), he was not accepted for a commission. He was however accepted in the RAF as an Aircraftsman for training as a wireless operator/air gunner. During World War II he was posted to Bomber Command and experienced the war from front line positions during the Normandy Landings. After the war he worked in Westminster College with the technical staff for 18 years. In 1954 his wife Ivy died at the young age of 33years, leaving him with four young children to care for. Sometime after Ivy’s death, Dermot met and married Mary O’Rourke and it was toward the end of 1966 that Dermot took Mary and most of the family to Australia on an assisted passage. In Australia he engaged in many jobs but two years later booked a passage back to the UK.
He rejoined the Inner London Education Authority as a Physical Training teacher in mainly aqua sports and taught children from many schools in south London. He holds diplomas and advanced teacher and examiner qualifications. He became an instructor of the Royal Yachting Association and an examiner for the Duke of Edinburgh outward bounds awards. He has swam with several Channel swimmers and to this day maintains his love of the sport and can be found in The Ponds at Hampstead Heath, London, where he has now achieved the coveted status of patriarch among the swimming fraternity who know him as Leo.
The first ‘adventure’ in the following pages known as The French Trip details how, on his travels, he spied lots of people using small mopeds. It was this that inspired him to invest in purchasing a 50cc Honda moped on which he did at least 12 Ends trips (sometime 2 in one year). These continued until he was about 84/85years old. The second ‘adventure’ entitled Land’s End to John O’Groats details but ONE of these trips and a selection of photographs depicts some of the scenery and weather conditions endured on these trips.
Dermot has camped and trekked in many places throughout Britain. He has also hitch-hiked through Canada and USA on a number of occasions – beginning from Toronto and heading westward to Vancouver and back again to the Atlantic Coast at St John, New Brunswick and southwards to Boston and back to Toronto. Another occasion he worked with his son Andrew (who lives in Canada), in Yellowknife, in the Northwest Territories, teaching Indian and Eskimo children swimming and canoeing skills. This was something he thoroughly enjoyed and was tempted to sell up and move to Canada. His last such trip was in May/June 2006, when he celebrated his 89th birthday by hitching across Canada.
He is indebted to the many, many people he has met on his travels and especially those who helped him when he though his luck had run out.
He has made his home in London and now at 92 years he continues to keep active with his ‘Freedom Pass’ travelling about London and suburbs and walking for about ten or so miles a day to keep fit and active and has walked from London to Brighton on several occasions. He still rides his trusty cycle, mainly to transport him to Croydon Market, which is about 6-7 miles from his home, to stock up with his week’s supply of fruit and vegetables. He lives a Spartan frugal life without any of the trimmings of ‘modern ways’. He is looking forward to his 100th birthday.
He is truly an old timer who has witnessed many facets of an adventurer in war and peace.
My congratulations on making an opening move on what is probably one of the most interesting lives of anyone I know. Most people have a story (or two if they are lucky) to tell from their lives. But Dermot the hermit has truly adventured.