I was born of humble beginnings in 1930, to a working class family in Greenford, Middlesex, England.
Bombed and machine gunned, as a child, by the German Luftwaffe in WWII.
After the war I achieved the rank of Bombardier in The Royal Artillery. I also held, for a short time, the heady rank of Sergeant.
My story from childhood, before the second world war, through my adventures as a young lad and in the Boys Battery, Royal Artillery at Woolwich. Then my further adventures from one end of the world to the other and back again.
I visited numerous different countries, many for only a brief time, but countries that I would never have had the opportunity to see, if I had not enlisted in the armed forces. I endured experiences and observed sights that left me amazed and certainly widened my knowledge of the world, other countries and other nationalities.
One of the greatest achievements of my life as a soldier being provided with the opportunity to meet and befriend some of the finest people I could ever wish to know.
I wish to stress that I am no author, have no literary skills, and left school at the age of fourteen. These events are written to the best of my ability and memory.
N.B. This story has not been written to describe the British Army, the Royal Artillery, or anything else in particular. It is simply a description of the life of a young lad who volunteered to give his services to his country, for any eventuality that may arise, and to explain his life from birth to present day.
To any readers who may enjoy reading this book, I would greatly appreciate it if you are able to provide a review. For those that do I would like to thank you most sincerely.
Sadly I did not maintain a diary at any time during my life. Should I have done so, experiences related here would have been far easier to remember.
Needless to say, everything here is purely from memory. Conversations and dates may not be precisely accurate, but as near as possible. In saying that, I have related names and experiences as close as I can recall from memory.
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