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Bernie
Quayle
Sir Bernard -
Knight of the Turntable
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George
Turnbull was the detective inspector in charge of the raid on
the casino which opened in 1964 and was then operated by a group
of Americans. As a result of the raid, uncle George had
worked closely with the FBI in London and had made friends
with one particular agent. George phoned him and they
discussed my application, next thing I knew, my visa was
approved!
My departure date was just two weeks later and I was relieved to
know that WNOX had not given up on their offer. They asked
me to get myself off to Carnaby Street and get kitted out in the
latest mod' fashions, they even wired me a clothing allowance!
I was told to collect my airline tickets from BOAC and at their
office in Regent Street, I was questioned about the name on the
ticket - Sir Bernard. That was my first inkling of what
they had planned. For two weeks, WNOX had been
promoting the arrival of "Britain's Top DJ" I'd
been dubbed a Knight of the Turntable and called Sir Bernard,
oh, and by the way, the American pronunciation of Bernard,
rhymes with hard.
When the plane touched down in Knoxville, I couldn't believe my
eyes, there were literally thousands of people, many waving
banners with my name on them. I was asked to stay on board
while the other passengers disembarked. A red carpet was
rolled up to the steps and 2,000 people rushed out from behind
the barriers. Don Armstrong, ran up the steps to greet me
and began interviewing me - live on the radio. I was then
greeted by the mayor of Knoxville who presented me with the Key
to the City. The University of Tennessee marching band
were playing the God Save the Queen and I was presented with the
very first Triumph TR6 to be imported into the States - my name
was emblazoned on the side.
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Following the ceremony at the airport, I was driven
in the TR6 ahead of an 80 strong motorcade complete
with two police motorcycle outriders in to the city.
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