THESE two men were members of the Golden Shoe Club, which was dedicated to foot safety.

Edward Gray and Kevin Comely had had lucky escapes when they dropped heavy equipment on their feet at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, in Harwell, near Didcot, in 1982.

The fact that they were wearing protective footwear and escaped unscathed entitled them a club tie, pocket penknife and a certificate.

Mr Gray, a mechanical craftsman, of Brookmead Drive, Wallingford, was handling a trolley with a two-ton load on it when his foot was trapped underneath it.

He said: “It took the leather covering right off the boot and exposed the steel underneath. I’m lucky not to have a broken ankle.”

Mr Comely, a fitter’s mate, of Lake Road, East Hagbourne, was handling a 40lb piece of brass plate when it slipped from his fingers and crashed on to his left foot.

He said: “The metal toe cap did its job. If it hadn’t, I’d most certainly have had a few broken toes.”