Battlefields of Life

Seven-year-old Fred Goddard's life suddenly changed on a summer's morning in 1924 when he was taken away from his foster parents to his own family. Broken schooling and an apprenticeship in retailing that he loathed were followed by a job with the Central Sussex Electricity Company and many other part-time jobs, ranging from riding stables to cinema projectionist.
He enlisted in the army one year before the Second World War. He was assigned to a tank unit and first saw service in France where his escape from Normandy in 1940 has all the excitement of a thriller. Transferred to North Africa, he was seriously wounded and taken prisoner to be held in a POW camp.
On his release and after his marriage, he became a self-employed plumber, eventually owning his own firm. He visited Ireland many times and became a promoter of Irish music and learned to fly, something he had longed to do since his first short flight in 1929.
On retirement he travelled to Spain, Italy, several times to America, and many times to Ireland. In later years he had some interesting battles with the War Pension Authorities over compensation for the disabling wounds he had received during the war.
In the preface, Fred Goddard writes that he was reluctant to begin his autobiography. His readers will be glad that he allowed himself to do so.