Looking Back

I am having a lot of time to reflect on my past lately, things have been brought into focus rather when I have been looking at my children seeing how well they have done, and how did I stand up as a father for them. It set me thinking about my own mum and dad just how good were they? I can honestly say brilliant.

I was born at an early age in the maternity unit in Old Town in Swindon Wiltshire, on December 25th 1941, to Mellissa and Douglas Large, the first few years are a bit of a blur really until my brother Jeremy came along on July 14th 1944. My world was turned upside down by this momentous event I was no longer the apple of everyone's eye, I suspect it was around this time I started playing up, I was to young to see that I was getting just as much attention as my brother, the strain I put on every one must have been awful. Eventually I was sent to boarding school in Sussex, it was alright in fact it was more than alright I actually enjoyed it. The shock to my system was when I was not sent to Mayfield Collage with my class mates, but sent with my brother to St Gregory's in Cheltenham, I was bullied for a while perhaps because academically I was ahead of most of my classmates,that soon changed though.
My eleven plus exam was not entirely a success I did not get into Cirencester Grammar School much to mum and dad's disappointment they had both attended, instead I was sent to the newly opened Deer Park School, it was unusual at this time being set up in an old army camp the classrooms were Nissan huts. This was I think down to the government of the time trying to get schooling to the masses they commandeered any buildings deemed suitable. Secondary Modern was the way to go children of all abilities streamed and educated in the same place, although not eligible for a Grammar School I was always in the A stream at this place. In addition to the usual subjects we boys were taught metal work, woodwork, mechanics, all the things thought necessary to help us find a job on leaving school. About this time I developed an interest in geography and history as well as English literature, I devoured any books I could find on some of these subjects I was particularly interested in modern history the war and some of the great men of our time Brabazon of Tara, Winston Churchill, Lloyd George, my heroes were like were the pilots and air crews who grabbed my imagination, of course I wasn't thinking of the hardship and suffering so many endured during the conflict, but it made great and exciting reading.
During my final year I decided I wanted to be a woodworker, dads boss new somebody who new somebody who got me into a firm of architectural craftsmen HH Martynn and Co in Cheltenham I was excepted on a five year apprenceship not altogether a happy time,