Donald Heaton (F 42-47) sent in the following,
which appeared in the Bedford Blues RUFC handbook:
“I was born in Carlisle in 1929 and educated
at St Bees School in Cumberland. My passion for ball games was mainly
attributable to where I lived in Carlisle for twenty four years. Immediately
in front of the house was the local grammar school playing field.
Immediately behind the house were fourteen tennis courts, which led
on to the Carlisle rugby ground, which in turn was next to the Carlisle
United football ground. At the end of the road was a trout and salmon
river. These facilities meant that for me, and for several boys of
a similar age, playing games was essential to survival. When I left
St Bees, I went to medical school in Newcastle, which at the time
was part of Durham University. Sport continued and in 1952 I captained
the Newcastle medical team that won the Northumberland Cup. After
qualifying in medicine, I worked for a year in hospitals in the Newcastle
region. While a medical officer in the RAF, I played both rugby and
cricket. I believe I was the only national serviceman to represent
the RAF at both of these sports. Following this spell, I went into
general practice in Kempston, Bedford in 1957 and started to play
rugby for Bedford. I also played cricket for Bedford Town and Bedfordshire.
When my rugby-playing career finished, I served as a committee member
for twenty years. I was also the unofficial doctor to the club and
I can say that no Bedford player has had more stitches than Budge
Rodgers! I remained in general practice in Kempston for 33 years and
can now be found either on my allotment in Kempston or fishing in
Northumberland. For 53 years I have been married to Eileen and we
still live in the house from which the medical practice was run. We
have two daughters and one granddaughter.”