Frank Leonard Dolman (‘FL’ in competition riders’ parlance) was born in Fulham, west London. When the Second World War broke out, baby Frank moved with the maternal side of his family to the Cambridgeshire village of Fulbourn and lived, from then on, within cycling distance of Cambridge city centre. Frank’s father, Leonard, joined his family after the war ended.
Luck and ill-luck plays a role in all our lives. In his early teens, Frank lost almost all vision in one eye, the result of a schoolboy incident. For some, such a setback could ruin adulthood. Not so FL – if anything, it spurred him on, the words ‘never give in, never be beaten’ being applicable. Most people he encountered were unaware of his impairment and his bespoke engineering skills demonstrated what can be achieved with one eye. Of course, there were regrets – that he couldn’t be accepted for National Service was one such disappointment.
Along with his wife Margaret, Frank was proud of his daughters Wendy and Hazel, and he was lucky to have a career he enjoyed throughout his working life until retirement in 2004. Aged 15, he was accepted to begin training as a research technician for the Cambridge University Engineering Department, where, for 50 years, he worked on student-related tasks and many research projects for university and industry. Knowing his working roles, many of us who visited Frank at his workstation could only smile – his domain looked like a motorcycle dealer’s workshop, except much better equipped.
Galloping Gert
One day in 1956 was a ‘landmark moment’ for Frank, starting 67 years of
