I first met Fred in about 2005 when Rob, Joel Godfrey, Mike Clarke-Hall and I decided it would be a good idea to drive 2 dodgy old Fiat Pandas from London to Mongolia. Apart from Rob (who I think pretended to know more than he did!) we knew nothing about car mechanics. Before leaving for Ulanbataar, we sought help from Fred and Bill to get the cars ready(ish) and to pick up some rudimentary skills to running repairs. I remember Fred being thoroughly amused at what we were planning and disbelieving that our efforts would get us much further than the M25 but really supportive and encouraging. He was always a kind teacher- readily forgiving of our ignorance and generous with his time- and thanks to his help at least one of our cars (and all 4 of us) made it to Mongolia. Hanging out at the garage was great fun and Fred really made us feel like part of the family and hugely welcomed. He was one of life’s true gents.
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