Rick Scollins was an excellent military illustrator with several Ospreys to his credit, and my friend. He died of a congenital heart condition in 1992 shockingly curtailing a very promising career. He was also a wag and a dialect performer and expert - his own broad Ilkeston anyway. He wrote a series of books of funny examples which is still in print.

Ilkeston is going to name a street after the lad; 'Scollins Court' is currently under construction. He would have been chuffed to bits.

I went to his house once with Oxford-educated and rather plummy Paddy Griffith. We got lost and Paddy got out to ask a flat capped pedestrian for directions. When he got back in the car he said 'That chap called me 'Duck' - twice .'

Rick's book series is called 'Ey up mi Duck'.
 
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