Autobiography

Godfrey was permitted a monthly visit at
Dartmoor, and because he was so far away
and we were so poor, we were given free
tickets for the train, but on a specific date and
time. If my mother was ill it would stand to
reason the ticket would not be wasted and I
would go in her place.
It was no big deal, because even before my
teens I would be left in charge of both my
brother and sister when my mum was out
working. In fact, I was eleven going on 27; I
already had pubic hair and stood out physically
from the others at school camp when we were
showering because of my advanced puberty.
School camp in Yarmouth was pretty basic, but
it was a change of scenery; there was plenty of
porridge for breakfast and I enjoyed the
sports. I even won the cross-country and was
awarded a Churchill Five Shilling piece, which I
cherish to this very day.
I felt I had a talent for cross-country, but it
was a difficult sport in which to progress as
there wasn’t a lot of country to run through in
the part of the East End where I lived and it
lacked the popularity of other sports.
Yet there were times when even sport couldn’t
distract me from the shortcomings of my
father.
I have to admit that there were moments in
my life when I yearned for him. I disliked him,
but I still yearned for him and had this deep
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