By Sarah Newstead

Last updated at 17:57, Friday, 11 February 2011

An off-duty Ireby police officer went above and beyond the call of duty when he saved Wigton’s scouting bus from a German scrap yard.

From left, Adam Jackson and Catherine Jackson; back, from left, Caitlin Martindale, Sam Horton, Molly Coleham, Ryan Martindale and Joseph Jackson with their bus

Graeme Hodgson travelled more than 1,600 miles and spent two weeks on a rescue mission to save the bus when it broke down in Germany.

Last week he was presented with a model of the Renault bus by the Wigton 1st Baden-Powell Scouts group as thanks.

Julie Bryceson, leader of the group, said: “I don’t know what we’d have done without him.”

The ordeal began when Mr Hodgson, a roads traffic police sergeant with Cumbria Constabulary, volunteered in his free time to drive the mini bus to a European jamboree near Frankfurt.

The scouts were to fly ahead while Mr Hodgson, who has two children in the group, would drive the bus over with the gear.

The problems began on the journey to Ramsgate when the tyre burst, and as a result Mr Hodgson and the bus missed the ferry.

“This was the start,” said Mrs Bryceson. “We should have known!”

But Mr Hodgson persevered and caught a ferry the next day. He drove through Europe to reach the jamboree and took the scouts out on a day trip.

“They were on their way back when we got a phone call,” said Mrs Bryceson. “The radiator on the bus had gone bust.”

Mr Hodgson limped the bus back to camp and arranged for a radiator to be shipped from Munich.

He replaced the radiator but when the engine sprang into life, water spurted everywhere. The head gasket had gone. The scouts group were quoted 2,500 euros to get it fixed.

“That just wasn’t an option, because in our insurance cover, it said that if the repair costs exceeded the value of the bus then it wouldn’t pay out,” said Mrs Bryceson.

Scrapping the bus was the only option. But it is essential to the group, who laboured to raise funds to buy it several years ago after vandals destroyed their old bus.

They also had to find a way to get their camping gear back to the UK. Not to be beaten, Mr Hodgson rallied.

“Graeme took the head off the engine and wrapped it in sacking. Then he took made his way back to England.”

It was repaired at Geoff Rudd’s Kirkbride garage. Then Mr Hodgson, along with a scout leader from the north east, took the head gasket out to Germany to rescue the bus.

“He got it back to England, but it broke down again! It was the alternator,” said Mrs Bryceson.

“He got the AA out, who put it on the back of a wagon and drove it back to Kirkbride.”

The young scouts had been oblivious to events, enjoying the jamboree and flying home as planned. But Mr Hodgson was exhausted.

Mrs Bryceson said: “He went to Germany looking clean-shaven and fresh and came back looking haggard!

“In my 30 years of scouting, I’ve never presented anyone with a thanks badge – lots of people help out. We’ve got a great group of parents and when we need help, we get it.

“But this was above and beyond the call of duty.”

First published at 14:26, Friday, 11 February 2011
Published by http://www.cumberlandnews.co.uk