91Čȱ¬

The nice folk of Gladstone Road got together for a street party when the war was over, and Rita and I painted glass jars to make pretty candle containers. The venue was outside our house of course, so that the Godfrey piano could be dragged out for Mum to play.

What a day to remember it was when Leo arrived home at 3 a.m. in the morning. The red cloth hanging over the fireplace with the words “WELCOME HOME” picked out in cotton wool, had been put up but we didn’t know exactly when he would arrive. I came down the stairs to see Mummy hugging Leo in the hall…”My son, my son”….what a moment to see….this was not a film, this was real!

Leo was hungry and he had some Shredded Wheat with hot water because we had no milk in the house. I sat on his lap. How wonderful that our big brother was home.

The next morning I awoke to a lovely new sound. It was Leo, playing the old Godfrey piano, and I heard the familiar songs of the time. Rita and I were both presented with brooches from Greece and I proudly took mine to St Johns to show my friends. It was in the shape of a golden fish, a flat fish with little diamonds. When I came home Leo had gone to be with his wife Gwen, and daughter of 2 ½ years, Maureen. Leo had not seen Maureen before. I thought about it all…

(Well — Joan would be home in 1946…..she’ll sing to me….Peggy will probably be the first one to get married….Rita wants to put on a show for charity in the old back shed, - there’s plenty of room and we’ll do “Gone with the Wind”….things were happening and perhaps I could learn to read music if Mum could afford it….I’ll be nine next year, perhaps the shops will have some more bananas….I’ve only tasted one….now we can have proper holidays with Aunt Mercy and Uncle Maurice in Chippenham, with ice cream and custard made from goats milk….perhaps I could cope with my tonsils instead of having them out….

Yes things really are going to get better….)

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