David Mitchell

I was born to a poor family in London's East End Docklands in the 1920s. I was given a free camping holiday by the Toc H Charity Organisation together with other children from poor families. It was the only holiday we had in a our boyhood lives. During this holiday we were invited to the magnificent home of a brave Lord & Lady and we saw, for the first time in our lives, how the wealthy lived. Many of us had never seen a bathroom before - nor an inside toilet. At home we existed in slumlike conditions without bathrooms - and all toilets were situated outside. Although only a boy, this experience gave the author much to think about and he resolved that his life would be devoted to becoming a wealthy man and living something like the Lord & Lady. He made tremendous progress in his endeavours to achieve his ambitions but he did not quite manage to attain the level he first aimed for because at a crossroads in his life he and his wife had to decide: WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT IN THIS LIFE? MONEY? OR THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS AND CONTENTMENT? They decided they wanted much more to taste the good life rather than make more money. i.e. whilst they were young enough to enjoy it.

They therefore retired early from his successful confectionery business, built a beautiful villa overlooking the Mediterranean, and went there to live for 9 wonderful years. My book A BOY FROM NOWHERE in two volumes, is the story of how the author, developed a burning desire to leave the East End behind and be a somebody in this hard world - he was not prepared to be a nobody. He was proud to be successful in business although poorly educated and was without any qualifications whatsoever.