THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE — created by Valerie Martin, contains scenes from her home village of Findon, West Sussex, U.K.

DEAD CERT IN FINDON

Copyright Valerie Martin 2002

First published in Along the Furlong in October 2002

Did you know that a movie was made in Findon based on one of Dick Francis' books?   Did you know that Findon was a film set?

Richard Stanley Francis was born in the autumn of 1920 in south-west Wales and was the son of a jockey.  To be precise it was a Sunday and the date was 31st October.   As he grew up, he could have been described as horse mad and later horseracing mad.

He served in the Royal Air Force for six years during World War II piloting fighters and bombers, including Spitfires and Lancasters between 1943-46.

Dick became a National Hunt jockey.  He rode more than 350 winners.  He was Champion Jockey in 1953 and 1954 and was retained as Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother's jockey for four seasons.  He came to the notice of everyone (even those not interested in racing) when riding her horse, Devon Loch, in that ill-fated Grand National of 1956 (in the days before it was called the Martell Grand National).   Devon Loch had the race in his pocket when he inexplicably gave a half-leap only 50 yards from the finishing post.   Sprawling and unseating Dick, and leaving the roaring racing crowd stunned.  Debate still rages as to why this incident happened and it so puzzled Dick that (more than ably assisted by his wife Mary who was not particularly keen on horses), he became a thriller writer in 1957, inventing mysteries of his own.    The couple wrote a total of 42 novels together over the years and it has been reputed that she kept in the background because in the early days her husband's name gave more credibility to the cover of the racing stories.   It has been reputed that he was no good at English lessons at school.  

From then on, a racing thriller was written each and every year to the gratification of millions of avid fans — and a copy was  forwarded of each to the Queen Mother.  The books have sold over sixty million copies worldwide, in thirty-five languages.  One of the first of these best sellers was entitled Dead Cert published in 1962.

Dick also wrote a weekly column for the Sunday Express but his racing forecasts were rather hit and miss — perhaps a little more miss than hit.  As in 1962 when he assured his readers that the Grand National was “rarely if ever” won by a racehorse over twelve years old or one that had not won all season.  Captain Ryan Price immediately stepped in and  proved him to be totally wrong when he went on to win with the Findon trained Kilmore that very year.

Dick's son, Merrick, was employed as the Captain's assistant trainer by 1967.  He rode regularly as an amateur jockey.  His father purchased for him a cottage in Findon and they named it Crudwell (after a great horse that Dick had ridden often). 

In February 2010, I received an email from Neil Rogers-Davis in Angmering...  "Hi Valerie....I once met Dick Francis and his wife c.1968/9.  His son, Merrick lodged with my mother-in-law, Doris Potten, for several months in Seldens Way, Durrington, when he came to Findon to work with Ryan Price. This would not have been before June 1968 as this was when my wife left home after our marriage which freed up a room which Merrick rented. The purchase of the cottage “Crudwell” in Findon may not have been until late 1968 or early 1969.

Merrick was a charming and polite young man. Unfortunately, at 6 feet or so, he was probably too tall to be successful as a jockey and constantly struggled to make the weight. I think he then went into racehorse transport before becoming a trainer himself.

Regards, Neil"

Merrick had taken another step by 1971 and was enjoying working as Josh Gifford’s assistant trainer.  He married his girlfriend, Elaine Bidgood, a local butcher’s daughter, and the wedding took place in June in the parish church of West Tarring.  Six years later it was to end in divorce.

By 1974 it had been decided by the powers to be to make a film of Dead Cert for the big screen.  Shooting commenced in July that year and starred the now well-known Judi Dench and her real-life husband, Michael Williams.  It was directed by Tony Richardson, whose successes had already included such box office triumphs as “Look Back in Anger”, “Saturday Night and Sunday Morning” and “The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner”. 

I give you now the story of how the book by National Hunt jockey Dick Francis came to be shot as a film in Findon. 

Yes, the film is truly Findon based and was made partly on location inside and around Downs House in Stable Lane; in the Downs stables; in Nepcote Lane; around Nepcote Green (Wattle House and ancillary shed in the background); and around the hurdles on the Gallops below the Mill House where the Findon Windmill once stood.  Nearby Fontwell Park supplied the local racecourse scenes.

Judy Bradley (Josh Gifford’s secretary at that time) played a small walk-on part in the stable scenes, as did a very young looking Josh Gifford in a weighing room shot.

Dick Francis' son, Merrick, was in charge of the racehorses on the Dead Cert film set.  I understand that there were rather too many hiccups with the running of his horses.   The continuous film-takes made the Findon creatures nervous and skippy.

Judi Dench was actually frightened of our racehorses and Michael Williams was rather miscast to portray the bad-guy.  He appeared as a 13 stone jockey — and a rather rotund 13 stone at that — and he didn't have the look of a jockey at all. Equity sent two or three stunt men to Findon to add a touch of authenticity to the scenes but they did not have the appearance of jockeys either. 

It was originally anticipated that Dead Cert would be the first of a racing series based on Dick’s books.  The Dick Francis fans waited in anticipation.   Oh dear!   Unfortunately, it proved to be a total disaster as the storyline was chopped and changed around so much during actual filming.  The News of the World held it in contempt  and printed “it’s a lame loser” and The Daily Telegraph chipped in and ridiculed the film’s “improbabilities and absurdities”.  

Dead Cert ran for three weeks in the capital and then went for general release.  I think the film must have been considerable fun to shoot in Findon but was a complete fiasco as a box office puller. The Director, Tony Richardson, as much as admitted that the film was a non-starter (sorry about that) even though he had hoped it would be a commercial hit. 

Dead Cert was the first Dick Francis story to hit the big screen and the last; no one has attempted one since.  What a shame.  I have seen Dead Cert and can immediately see its flaws — but I liked it simply because it was filmed in Findon!    Wonderful to be on the edge of my seat and watching for local views of our village of bygone days.

To see a video on Dick Francis, click on...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/books-obituaries/7237004/Dick-Francis.html

Continue if you would like to read Whatever Happened to Michael Robinson?

THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE — www.findonvillage.com is a continually growing record created exclusively for documenting life in Findon.