Synopsis
This autobiographical novel is not only the true story of a child s upbringing by his grandparents in the 1920s, but also a story of the villagers on the Isle of Wight. Through Charles Lansley s research of his late father Peter Lansley s manuscript, most of the characters have been identified along with their places of residence, memorials and places of interest. We learn about the local milkman, the butcher, the shoemaker and other trades persons who made up the community, including Peter s nursery teacher. But also, through his grandfather s love, we gain a child s understanding of God and the afterlife. We join Peter at Christmastime for Stir Up Sunday, sips of Guinness and many amusing misunderstandings. We experience various adventures with his girlfriend Victoria in the grounds of a local manor house and at the village creek. Through the stories and anecdotes, we gain a greater understanding of what family and village life was like in the 1920s when the steam train ran supreme, when there was no electricity or telephone, when the house was lit by an oil lamp and candles, when the range was used for cooking and when it was normal for a five-year-old to walk into the village alone. This book is a delight as a story and as a description of rural life in a time gone by. It should appeal to both those who want to relive the innocence of childhood and those who enjoy learning about local and social history.
About the Author
PETER STARK LANSLEY A SHORT BIOGRAPHY Peter was born in Portsmouth and died in 1999 on the Isle of Wight after 80 years of a varied and interesting life at sea and in aviation. Between 1938 and 1939 Peter was a radio engineering student at the Municipal College Portsmouth, now the University of Portsmouth. His course was interrupted by the outbreak of war, so Peter joined the Merchant Navy on the staff of the Marconi International Marine Communications Company as Radio Officer and went to sea on board M.V. Port Hobart. While serving on MV Wandby as Second Radio Officer, his ship was sunk by a German U-boat off the coast of Iceland after being torpedoed on 19 October 1940. He served as a radio officer aboard various ships until being released from the Merchant Navy in 1946 on medical grounds. After this, he worked for the Ministry of Aviation as a telecommunications officer based at Eastleigh Airport, now Southampton Airport, completing his aviation career at Heathrow Airport before retiring to the Isle of Wight in 1981. Peter loved writing and was a member of the Southampton Writers Circle in the 1950s during which time he wrote numerous short stories and the notes that were to form his book Pon My Puff!
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