As a child in Chandler’s Ford, Christmas was a special time for my family and me, albeit mostly during WW2, as I was 5½ at the outbreak.
I was, to all intents and purposes, an only child (my sister, Jean, died from Scarlet Fever aged 7, 4 years before I was born), so, I guess, understandably, I was ‘spoilt’ (so I was often told). [Read more…] about Christmas Then and Now


I was about 13 at the time, and attending Peter Symonds’ School in Winchester. A friend, and fellow student, was Don Broomfield, whose father was the Police Superintendent at Eastleigh.