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| a 1960's 'surfers cross' |
The first time I saw an iron cross was around 1968. An older kid from up the street had one around his neck and told me it was a 'surfers cross'. Soon after that I started to see these medallions showing up all over school. At the time, you could buy one in just about every size and color at the boardwalk shops in Wildwood, NJ. That's where I remember getting my first surfers cross.
Little did the Baron Manfred von Richthofen, AKA "the Red Baron", realize while he was flying over the skies of Europe during WW1, that he would become world famous for not only shooting down over 80 allied planes but also for the iron cross. He later went down into history as the most famous fighter pilot of our time.
I think if it were possible for someone to roll around in his grave, then the 'Red Baron' must have rolled around in his grave in December of 1966 when the Royal Guardsmen came out with their Christmas song 'Snoopy VS the Red Baron', catapulting the Red Baron into a resurgence of fame.
Meanwhile, in the newly emerging chopper culture the surfers cross got hijacked by Hollywood, and the biker scene as a badge of honor. Here's Peter Fonda as 'Blue' sitting on his Harley with an iron cross medal worn proudly around his neck during the 1966 movie, 'Wild Angels'.
At some point in 1969, I can remember going to Bonds shopping center and buying the Red Baron car model. Models were the coolest thing for an eleven year old kid back then, besides riding your Sting-Ray bike.
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| the model |
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| the real thing |
Weeks later I went to the same store and bought the Red Baron skull model, complete with a base plate shaped into...what else?....an iron cross!
So, finishing my story about stopping by my Mom's house this week and my early fixation on the iron cross takes me back to 1969. I can remember my father cementing over the hole that was created from removing our outdoor garbage pail just to the right of our backdoor. If you're old enough to remember the separate garbage pickups in Upper Darby during the 50's and 60's, then you must remember when the township trucks drove down the back allies to collect your garbage. You'll probably never forget that stench that surrounded those garbage trucks, especially during the summer!
Anyhow, as I was finishing up helping my Dad that day with our concrete job I asked him if I could sign and date it. He agreed, so I picked up the first twig in sight and scrawled my name into the cement when the idea entered into my mind. I ran into the house, up the two flights of stairs to my bedroom, grabbed 'it', and turned in one motion back down the same path I had just traveled to the 'sacred site' in what seemed like a only few seconds.....with the iron cross from Red Baron's skull in my hand.
I can remember my father smiling as he said "go ahead Greg, but nothing else after that!" Upon hearing those words I quickly pressed that cross into the wet cement with a grin that I can still remember 44 years later. In fact, I have the same smile on my face as I'm writing this last sentence!
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| The late great chopper builder, Indian Larry and his famous iron cross tattoo |
