Stuttering Jack was born with a speech impediment. This meant he was targeted by colleagues. How did he cope?>>

"……if you stammer, try saying 'barrel locking nut retainer plunger spring'"

Jack is 68 years old, retired but keeps very busy playing carpet bowls, gardening, dancing and fiddling with a computer.

When I was a lad I had auburn hair, freckles and a stutter like a machine gun da, da, da, ba, ba, ba. Of course, at school I was always ribbed by my friends, and humiliated by my enemies, but I also had a temper, so I learned to fight.

Because I stammered, I kept my head down and applied myself to my studies. Consequently, I did quite well at school, coming top at maths, geography and science.

At seventeen and a half, I joined the Army. (I would've had to do National Service at eighteen anyway, so I joined as a regular.) I got all the usual nasty comments and humiliation from my platoon mates, who were encouraged by the training NCOs - they were worst of all.

Eventually, I became an NCO and had to train people myself. When I barked 'Quick March' the men would march off and if I started 'Ha, Ha, Halt' they'd all deliberately march into a brick wall, hedge, or fall into a ditch - collapsing in a hilarious heap!

Gradually, I learned to overcome my impediment. After all, if you stammer, try saying 'barrel locking nut retainer plunger spring' when giving instructions on the bren gun to thirty or so men.

When I left the army, at the age of twenty seven, I needed qualifications, so I studied at London University, where I had to give a talk on a specialist subject to the others in our group. I had to speak on the use of ' Cost Benefit Analysis in Public Projects' for ten minutes, to some twenty peers. It was frightening, but I got through it.

I seldom stutter these days, I faced my demons and overcame them.