The Life and Times of Revolving Ron: Anecdotes of a Not so Modern Revenue Man
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About this ebook
The book details his adventures on his journey, in the 1960s , from a wet behind the ears rookie, to an experienced revenue man.
Richard J West
Richard began his working life as an HM customs officer, where he was awarded two Queen’s Commendations for outstanding success in the line of duty. Since then he has run his own building and construction companies for 35 years, not only giving him an extensive grounding and practical knowledge of the trade – collecting qualifications in electrical engineering and plumbing along the way – but also an understanding of the demands and stresses of the business environment. In 1996 he founded The Priory, a complementary therapy centre. After completing five years of study both in the Reiki discipline – he is a Usui Reiki Master and teacher – and also with personal mentors, Richard became a Healer Member of the National Federation of Spiritual Healers. Richard is also a member of the Spirit Release Foundation. He was a serving member of the Council of the British Society of Dowsers and on the Professional Register since1995. Richard has worked for many years as a successful geopathic stress consultant , water dowser, and ghost buster both in the UK ,USA and in Europe.
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The Life and Times of Revolving Ron - Richard J West
THE LIFE AND TIMES OF REVOLVING RON
ANECDOTES OF A NOT SO MODERN REVENUE MAN
48_b_PIC.jpgRICHARD J WEST
40998.jpgAuthorHouse™ UK Ltd.
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403 USA
www.authorhouse.co.uk
Phone: 0800.197.4150
© 2014 Richard J West. All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Published by AuthorHouse 03/20/2014
ISBN: 978-1-4918-9627-3 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-4918-9628-0 (hc)
ISBN: 978-1-4918-9629-7 (e)
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
CONTENTS
Dedication
Preface
A Brief History of the Customs Service
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
DEDICATION
I wish to thank the Waterguard website for providing me with historical data and photographs. Also, thanks to John Latter for his South Pier image.
PREFACE
W hen I first thought of writing this little book, I imagined it would be a useful way to leave a story behind that my children and grandchildren might like to read. Also, I hoped it would give them a sense of what life was like for me in those formative years, when everything seemed possible and life was lived to the fullest!
In the course of my research, while I strained against my creaking memory to recall events, I was blessed to make contact with many former colleagues and friends with whom I had not spoken for over forty years. For this, I shall be forever grateful.
Every twist and turn of my trip down memory lane has brought back feelings and emotions of a life that I cherished and enjoyed to the full while it lasted.
The adventures and special people that I met on the way will never be forgotten. I owe a debt of gratitude to them all for making me the person that I am today.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE CUSTOMS SERVICE
I t began in 1203, under the reign of King John: collectors of customs were appointed by royal charter to collect duties for the Crown. The history of the customs (and later Customs & Excise) has been a long and illustrious one, spanning over eight hundred years!
As soon as medieval taxes were charged on imports and exports, people began smuggling—hiding goods from the prying eyes of customs officers! In the eighteenth century customs duties were levied on such luxuries as silk and lace, tea, and brandy and tobacco.
Down the centuries, not much has changed, but the cargos of those far off days are a far cry from the illicit imports of today’s world.
002_a_PIC.JPGThere are records dating back to 1648 detailing how customs revenue cruisers were employed (together with mounted horseback patrols) to catch smugglers as they beached their illegal cargos and spirited them away inland. The smugglers headed for the underground tunnels and caves that developed under even the smallest of seaports. There is even evidence that the contents of the crypts of local churches were employed to conceal contraband!
In the middle of the eighteenth century, it was estimated that half of the tea drunk in Britain was illegally imported. The illicit tea went to the rich and the paupers alike.
The smuggler has been consistently romanticised, but the reality was quite a different matter. They were harsh and brutal, and they subjugated the local populations with violent reprisals on informers. Murders of revenue men were common, as was the corruption that enabled the apprehended smugglers to evade the harsh penalties that were in force.
In those days the customs service was divided into three parts: the coastguard; the landing service, which dealt with legal imports and collected taxes; and the Waterguard, which apprehended the smugglers and provided a deterrent for potential smugglers.
The excise service was, as it had always been, concerned primarily with the collection of inland duties on goods such as alcohol and tobacco. The duties were levied when the goods were manufactured. Over the years, duties were levied on strange items such as salt, paper, and windows!
Initially, the Waterguard officers were managed by the landing service. This arrangement, however, proved to be a failure because the Waterguard officers were strong, independent men, who had a completely different outlook on life—they did not take kindly to being under the control of office-bound tax collectors!
Robert Burns and Thomas Paine were once Waterguard officers.
In 1809, the Preventive Waterguard was established, but by 1816, the revenue cruisers had been withdrawn in favour of a Navy-run scheme. The Navy’s aim was to catch the smugglers when they came ashore. This coastal blockade, as it was known, used methods that were harsh, uncompromising, and quite effective. The coastal blockade operated until 1831, when it was absorbed into the coastguard service.
In 1909, the Customs & Excise departments were combined into an organisation known as Her Majesty’s Customs & Excise. Still, the Waterguard steadfastly maintained its identity in the face of all the changes. It continued to operate in the face of the newly imposed bureaucracy until, in 1972, HM Customs & Excise was reorganised.
The proud Waterguard tradition was effectively brought to an end when it was combined with headquarters staff and officials from other government departments. The purpose of this move was to prepare for the implementation of the new value-added tax (VAT).
Many preventive officers were designated executive officers and obliged to fill vacancies within the VAT service, which was struggling to find enough staff to handle the new tax collection work.
These unattached executive officers were liable to be sent to any part of the United Kingdom to fill new vacancies as tax collectors. This arrangement resulted in many men who had been recruited specifically for their outdoor skills to leave the service.
It was a sad day for the proud Waterguard service when, in 2008, the preventive functions of HM Revenue & Customs (and any remaining preventive staff) were transferred to the new UK Border Agency (UKBA). The UKBA included customs, immigration, and parts of the Metropolitan Police, and they sought to protect the United Kingdom from the rising tide of terrorism, illegal immigration, and smuggling. An era had ended.
CHAPTER 1
Beginnings
R on was puzzled. How did this happen? he wondered. He had never known what he wanted to do with his life; rather, he had followed his nose to see where it led him.
And here he was, about to begin a career as a customs man. He had a new uniform, which was complete with shiny brass buttons,