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Helping hand to new life for Joe

17/ 6/2006

A GIFT from the government opened up a brave new world for a disabled Second World War veteran.

In September 1949 Joseph Blease of Holborn Street was the recipient of the first hand-controlled car in Rochdale.

The specially fitted Morris Minor, which had all the controls on the steering column, was one of 1,500 presented by the Ministry of Pensions War Pensions Welfare Service to disabled ex-servicemen throughout the country.

In addition each new car owner would also receive an annual grant of £45 for maintenance, petrol and new tyres and the Ministry would both licence and insure it.

The only cost to the driver would be for a driving licence.

Handing over the car Mr J Lord, chairman of the Rochdale, Bacup and District War Pensions committee, said the car was one of which anybody would be rightly proud and in making the gift the government were paying a small but sincere recompense to a man who had suffered in the service of his country.

Mr Blease admitted to being a little overcome by the generosity shown to him and said: "I thank the Ministry very, very much. They are doing a grand job for us."

It was on 17 February 1945 that Mr Blease had been shot in the spine while advancing through Reichwald Forest with the Oxford and Buckingham Light Infantry.

After 12 months in hospital he was discharged paralysed from the waist down.

Since then his journeys had been restricted either to those on his motorised tricycle or lifts from friends.