I was born in the United Kingdom, had a very nice childhood, lovely parents, I had an education which was interrupted at times with my illness, I found the headmaster at my junior school very brutal as he caned me constantly for not knowing the lessons, he did not take into consideration the serious illness I had suffered. My hands would swell and double in size as he caned me, he was a psychopath, who met his own kind because after each beating I smiled as if to say , 'crack on' I never complained to my father even though I could not hold his hand - he once said to me 'Yorkshire Men do not cry son' my father

My father was a very brave man, he went down into the mines every single day he could, he was a face work, cutting coal with a pick and shovel depending on the height of the coal seam he could be laid on his back and side in an 18 inch seam, Sometimes the heat was insufferable or he was laid in water for eight hours, He was buried several times, when the roof collapsed but he survived and as he got older and more scars appeared, His lungs started failing him, it was hard to breath, He would spend hours sat in front of the hearth trying to get the coal dust up that was clogging his throat and chest.

Inside a coal mine




 

After initial training I joined my regiment in Hilden near Düsseldorf, West Germany, my new life had started in earnest the training and tasks given were very hard, but it was a lovely feeling, to be free from boring civilian life and have great mates, who would be my mates many years after leaving the forces. 'God Bless them'

Our major Far Eastern tour of service took us to the quaint Malayan town of Malacca where I met my first wife, she was a young Chinese lady, who entranced me within the first few moments of meeting her --- we were married for 27 years, and had two beautiful daughters, Theresa and Susan.

They are now beautiful young women. They have done well in life and have two great husbands. Noi already knew Jay and she met Paul before he married Theresa.


Noi's 50th Birthday, February 1990, We had a meal in our favourite restaurant With our daughters, Noi died the following month whilst we were abroad on holiday, A tragedy.