1948 Start of my life and my twin sister also the national heath service later in the year Prince Charles was born. War was over Fathers were home and rationing was still in place. Looking back who could have seen the speed of all what was to come,let me take you through 1948 to 2008 and unfold my memories of this new era for that is what it was so many things were to change but at such a rate I sometimes wonder how everyone coped but cope they did.
My parents had three children before us and we were born in to a household that had enough kids there before our arrival. Dad was back from the navy and struggling to have full time work often being laid back to a part time week times were hard but thanks to my dads dogged intent to keep his family we were to have thanks to his hard work full bellies and a warm safe home showered with love from my mother and older siblings what a fantastic time and how lucky for me being the youngest apart from my twin sister an important 30 minutes the younger. It was a position in the family I thoroughly enjoyed and had many advantages that time would unfold. In truth my strong memories are from around 4 years of age I can remember seeing my one and only surviving grand parent my mums dad he was to my memory a big man with big hands he was cooking his days catch of crabs and lobsters ready to sell. The crabs were in a large copper boiler and I can remember the lid being pushed up as they crawled around and my grandad poking them back in with his copper stick. It was actually where he lived in Castle Town PORTLAND at the time but it was only my description of this story to my elder sister many years later that I had the pLace I saw him confirmed.I can remember going to the local corner shop in Wyke High Street and having to give over ration tickets and 3 farthings for our sherbet and liquorice tube abd bubble gums.I clearly remember our young soldiers returning from the Koreon war many of them so changed because of the terrible experience these young men had at the hands of the koreons. The early 1950s was to see the end of meat rations and later that decade building or rebuilding in some cases was to get in to full swing.This was when change started to move at the speed of sound, At this time work was to become a plenty Portlands Stone industry was thriving The fisherman were having new boats built, fish now being sent over to the Channel Islands and London fish Market Billingsgate Weymouth docks were busy with seasonal imports of tomatoes and jersey potatoes and British Rail ferries were in full swing with the train travelling along the road to the quay to set down and pick up passengers for the Islands The dockers with their bill hooks were ever busy and drinking heavily in the Edward hotel on the quay and of Course the Dagenham fourtnight for holiday makers was being a very lucrative income for the hotels and smaller guest houses not forgetting the beach traders with their huts selling mainly ice cream cold drinks teas and candyfloss Mr. Downton with his donkeys trundling back and forth along the sand. Good time for all the increase in work brought big changes to lifestyles for lots of people at last we were all to share a slice of the cake.I will return and add more content of my memories as I grew from boy to man and what life has taught me. THINKING BACK I SO CLEARLY REMEMBER SOMETHINGS OTHERS ARE PART OF A DIMINISHING MEMORY
I can so remember my eldest brothers time at Dartmouth colledge the excitement of my big brother coming home on leave and the tears shed on Weymouth Railway Station when his leave ended and he went back to the navy.So sad but he was 12 years my elder and I was lucky enough to have another brother only 4 years older this was the brother I grew up with and learnt from including how to drive and passing my test not long after my 17th birthday we spent a lot of time reluctantly on his part together and were close.Many years later although my relationship with my eldest brother had been in the main good was not the same as with my elder brother circumstance was to change this almost if you like fate was going to put in to place the years I had had with my elder brother for me and my eldest brother the senior by then of our family mum and dad no longer with us the difference being it was to be as we were both getting older but I was given back 7 or more years that I had missed out on when we were young we were to become very close and how I value that time before the cruelty of life was to take him from me and even crueller a year later my elder brother was to leave me to.Had I no longer the need of my brothers and they had given all there was to give. In truth I had not they had not I still feel the loss and miss them both terribly.I am lucky enough to still have my big sister and my twin and yes you may say that should be enough but no its not my relationship with my brothers was man to man with my sisters I love them both so much and I feel sad that a man that should be looking after the women he first spent his life with is of so little use to both of them now and still relies on his big sister to pick up the pieces for him. I resent being the last male of our family I dont want to die, I just wanted my brothers to stay here with me.I have digressed in my memories and will now get back to my growing up and early memories taking us up to the present day 2008.I HATED SCHOOL I REALLY DID It was the only hate I have ever experienced in my 60 years of life I remember my auntie taking both me and my twin on the first day she was more controlled than my mum and getting told from day 1 that I was different by my teachers I was but there again there must have been a few others I just did not get to meet them the other different ones what was my terrible sin I WAS LEFT HANDED but their dilligence paid off I am now hand bi dexterous not by choice by design their design. It was to be a miserable start and continued until 1963 the day I left Were there to be gains from the cruel experience of being different you bet there was it taught me how to stand my ground how to fight for what I believed in How to change a tool from one hand to the other and extend working time of a tired hand.All the things I experienced helped to shape the man I am today
