My Wonderful Parents

Introduction

My Sister, Audrey and I are 81 and 83 years old respectively and from our perspective we had absolutely fantastic Parents. However, it may have been different from their perspective regarding us as children. However, one thing am I certain of that both my Sister and I loved and still love our Parents who departed many years ago because we were extremely lucky to have loving and understanding Parents from small young children to grown mature adults. Our own Children and their Grandchildren also loved their Grandma, Margaret (Peggy) and Granddad, Joe very much.

Gateshead-On-Tyne, Co Durham

Audrey and I were born in Maxwell Street near Saltwell Park, Gateshead-Upon-Tyne during WWII. The main North/South Railway Line was at the bottom of the Street. My Dad was working at Swan Hunters Shipyard Foundry with my Granddad Hogg, building Warships and Mum was a housewife looking after us. We were constantly bombed by the Germans but Mum and Dad looked after us well using the Air Raid Shelters and we survived the War years. Thank Goodness our houses were not bombed. These years were not easy for Mum and Dad as food was Rationed using a Ration Book and Identity Card, therefore Mum had to cook for us with limited food but she made sure Audrey and I had enough to eat. During the War in Maxwell Street, Audrey and I caught Scarlet Fever a very contagious and deadly disease. Mum and Dad had to have the whole house Fumigated, to prevent it spreading and it was very stressful for them. During the War when everything was clear, Mum and Dad took us to Saltwell Park which was quite close, at the weekends.

Ludham Village, Norfolk

After the War in 1946 my Parents moved to the Countryside to a small Village in Norfolk called Ludham. My Dad was a partner in a small Non-Ferrous Foundry and Mum helped in the Ludham Manor House. We lived in the Manor House Grounds. We used to play in the garden and Dad made us a Swing which was attached to a big tree branch in the garden. Audrey and I went to the local Primary School. Mum and Dad did not have much money but we had basic clothes to wear that were always clean and I had boots to wear to go to school. As Ludham was part the Norfolk Broads there was a lot of Rivers and large lakes called the ‘Broads’. At that time there were also Yachts with Sails and Motor Cruisers which the public families hired and lived on, and operated them by themselves for perhaps a week or 2 weeks. As I got older my Dad and I went Fishing a lot at weekends using our Bicycles to go to different Rivers and Broads spending all day from 4 am to 6pm which we both enjoyed very much.

I used to go with my Dad to his Allotment near our home where we grew all types of Vegetables, Tomatoes and Marrows. Audrey and I made friends from Primary School and the Village and used to go to our friends Farm many times. staying out to late at times which Mum and Dad were not pleased about, but they were always understanding, but worried about us.

My Dad was offered the Mangers job at a much larger Foundry in Norwich City, about 20 miles from Ludham. However, the nearest Train Station to catch a Train for Norwich was at Wroxham 7 miles from Ludham. My Dad used to Bike to Wroxham very early in the morning and back late at night from Monday to Friday which made him very tired. For that reason Dad decided to move from Ludham to Norwich, the capitol City of Norfolk in 1951. However, many years later Mum and Dad would return to Ludham to live for the rest of their lives.

Norwich City, Norfolk

After moving to Norwich in 1951 we lived in a Terraced House at 73, Salisbury Road, Thorpe outside of the City, I was now attending Secondary School called Crome School. However, I did not pass my 11 plus exam to go to High School, but Mum and Dad were not angry. The next Exam was to go to the Norwich City (Technical) College and Art School when I was 13. Both Audrey and I were interested in Art. As part of the Exam I painted the ‘Vesuvius Volcano in Italy Erupting’, at home. It was quite big and Mum kept looking at it and suggesting some changes which I incorporated. In the end it looked very good. This painting together with my improved academic studies allowed me to go to the Norwich City (Technical) College and Art School. Mum and Dad were very pleased, especially Mum, who helped me with the painting. My Vesuvius Volcano painting was framed and hung in the Crome School but I never saw it again. Audrey also went to the same College.

I had to go to the Norwich City (Technical) College and Art School on St George’s Bridge Street, which was about 2 miles away from home. My Mum and Dad bought me a new Raleigh Lenton Sports Bicycle for my Birthday. Audrey was told not to say anything but she told me where it was. I was also naughty because I took the Bike and showed my Dad who worked in the Foundry at the bottom of the Road. He was very angry as it was supposed to be a surprise. However, the good parents that they were Mum and Dad were happy I was so pleased. It was a Super Bicycle at the time with 3 Speed Gear and Dynamo Lights, that cost them a lot of money.

Keighley, Yorkshire

In 1957 I had just finished Norwich City (Technical) College and Art School and Dad had another offer to Manage a larger Foundry in Keighley in West Yorkshire. Mum and Dad decided to move the family including Gran Onions to Keighley in West Yorkshire. We moved into a small House No 1, Brier Street which was very near the Ingrow Railway Station. Dad bought a second hand Riley 1.5 Litre to go to work in the centre of Keighley. My Mum also found a job in the National Switch Factory (NSF) very near to our house. My first job after leaving College was at Keighley Lifts as a trainee Lift Estimator. This was mainly a Technical Task, selecting the Components and Lift Styles for Customers and then Pricing the complete package providing and Estimate for the Customers. Mum and Dad were very pleased that I started work. In 1958 I passed my Driving Test in a little Austin A35 with a manual gearbox. So my Dad allowed me to drive the Riley.

In late 1958 we moved into a section of a big Farm House, called High Wood Head in Riddlesden. This was a very old building built in the 16th Century with 27inch thick walls made of Stone. The back garden was full of Trees and was sloped very steeply. The Farm still operated with lots of Pigs. Dad loved gardening so he and I started to clear this very steep area at the rear of the house, digging out the roots of the Trees and then ‘stepping’ the slope to enable us to plant vegetables and flowers. To get to the House from Keighley Main Road there was a steep hill called Banks Lane. However, the view was beautiful looking over all of Keighley Town.

l joined the local Riddlesden Football Team and played other local teams in the Keighley area at the weekends whatever the weather. Dad used to come a watch me play and was very proud when I was selected to play for the Keighley and District Youth Team when we used to play other Towns Youth Teams in Yorkshire, like Harrogate.

At the same time I had the chance to become a trainee Cost and Works Accountant at a large Dry Cleaning company in Stanningley, Pudsey, between Bradford and Leeds about 1.5 hours by Bus from Keighley. I remember catching the Bus from Keighley Bus station at 7 am every morning but the rest of the Double Decker Bus was filled with Pakistan Immigrant Workers going home to Bradford after a night shift at the Keighley factories. It also meant I had to go to Night School in Leeds and Keighley. I discussed this with Mum and Dad and they were worried about the amount of traveling but agreed it would be a better job therefore I accepted. However later, I decided to stay at a boarding house in Stanningley, during the week to avoid so much travel which Mum and Dad felt better about.

In 1960 Mum and Dad moved to a bigger 3 Story House in Richmond Street near the centre of Keighley and the Foundry where my Dad was Manager. During this time Dad had been back to Ludham with Mum to visit friends and was very lucky to buy a old friends car, an Armstrong Siddley Lancaster (same as image) which had been stored in Barn for many years. I remember Dad and I used to go to Appleyards in Leeds to get the car serviced. At the same time we looked at all the Rolls Royce’s, Bentley’s and Armstrong Siddley Sapphire’s. After about a year Dad changed the Lancaster for a Armstrong Siddley Sapphire (same as image) at Appleyards which was a 3.5 Litre high quality car which Dad let me drive many times as he really was not keen on driving.

In mid 1961, I met my footballing friend in Keighley and he was looking to join the Royal Air Force (RAF). Although I was doing quite well and almost finished my training as a Cost and Works Accountant, I was not looking forward to being stuck in an office crunching numbers, so the thought of joining the RAF sounded exciting. When I spoke to Mum and Dad about it they thought after all the studying I had done it was a shame not to continue. Also I would be leaving home and Mum and Dad and Gran Onions who had been looking after me, whilst Mum was working. However, once again they left the decision up to me and they would support whatever I decided to do. On the 15 November 1961, in the Bradford RAF Recruiting Office, I and my friend joined the RAF .

Not long after I joined the RAF I had very bad news, that my Dad was in Hospital after an explosion in the Foundry in Keighley, whilst men were pouring metal into a mould which exploded. My dad happened to be walking past and molten metal went into one of his eyes, the other one was protected by the Trilby hat dad was wearing. He was rushed to a Bradford Specialised Hospital but they were unable to save Dads left Eye which was removed. I was able to return from the RAF only after the operation. However, my Dad was a very strong Man both physically and mentally and recovered relatively quickly, joking he could still beat me at darts even with one Eye, which did many times.

Whilst at Little Rissington, in October 1962 the USSR were planning to put Nuclear Missiles in Cuba, a country next to the United States of America (USA). The USA’s President Kennedy decided to block the Russian merchant ships nearing Cuba with the Nuclear Missiles on board. The USSR threatened to start a Nuclear World War if this was done. That being the case all of the British forces including the RAF was put on a very high state of alert ready for the war including me. Mum and Dad were very worried about the possibility of the UK going to war with USSR. However, this war was averted when the USSR saw that the USA was not going to back down and ordered their ships to return to USSR. During this time the WRAF girl called Jan who was on the same RAF Station as me at RAF Little Rissington in Gloucestershire, became very close. In 1963 we were married. Mum and Dad were a bit surprised but once again accepted the situation and gave us 150 pounds (2880 pounds today) for a wedding present, which I used to buy my first car, a Ford Mk 1 Consul.

Early 1964 some time after his accident Dad and the family moved to Steeton a small village outside Keighley, which was a new Housing Estate. Dad also changed his car and bought a new blue Austin A60 a new style family Car. I was now in the RAF and married but we came home on leave or at weekends to see Mum and Dad. Dad and I used to go out on a Sunday before12 noon to go to different Pubs in the Area for a few beers and a game of Darts or Dominoes, whilst Mum and Gran used to cook Sunday Lunch. We used to go to Haworth a very famous place, where the ‘Bronte Sisters’ were born, to a pub called the Black Bull which was at the top of the Haworth Hill, which is still there. In September 1964 my Son Kevin was born and Mum and Dad were very happy.

Dad and Mum were working and my Gran looked after them cooking meals and looking after the house in general. I remember we had a Coal Man delivering Coal for the fire. He used to chat with Mum and Dad about him being a Professional Wrestler in the evenings and weekends, when he had the time. This is when Wrestling was more to do with faking or pre-decided moves (image) which Dad I watched quite often, not the WWW Wrestling you see today.

Dad liked his Austin A60 but the winters in Yorkshire especially in the Moors districts like Keighley and Haworth it could be very cold and snowy. After having the A60 for some time, Dad changed the A60 for a new VW Beetle 1200 identical to the image. The advantage being, that it was Air Cooled and the car Heater, hot air, was almost instant and the road holding was excellent, ideal for winter motoring. Going to the Black Bull with Dad in winter was no problem for the WW Beetle.

In early 1966 I was sent by the RAF to Singapore (RAF Seletar) and Malaysia (RAF Butterworth) to support Malaysian confrontation with Indonesia for three months. In December 1966, I was sent back to Singapore (RAF Seletar) with my family for a 3 year posting. Therefore I lost contact with my Mum and Dad except for the occasional letter. So my recollection of what happened to Mum and Dad during this period is almost non existent. However, what I do know Mum Dad and Gran left Steeton in Yorkshire and moved back to Gateshead in Co Durham, around 1967 for what reason I do not know.

Gateshead-On-Tyne, Co Durham

Mum, Dad and Gran moved back to Gateshead in Brighton Road, Bensham, around 1967. This was not far from Maxwell Street and near Saltwell Park, where we lived during WWII. They were back and able to see my Aunts and Uncles and my Cousins that were still around at that time. Also Gran was back home and near her family again.

Soon after arriving back in England from Singapore in May 1969, I received a call from my Dad in Gateshead, that my Grandma was dying and could I get back as soon as possible to see her. As my ‘Gran’ as I called her and was very close to me, having looked after me whilst my Mum was working, I tried to hire a car in Bridgenorth where we lived (RAF Bridgenorth). However, because it was June (summer time) all the cars were rented out. I told the garage who rented the cars about my Gran and the owner said I could use one of the cars he had for sale and it was one of the fastest cars at that time. It was a Ford Corsair and because of that I reached my Gran in Gateshead, 200 miles away just in time to see her before she died on the June 18th 1969. Image is my Gran Onions and two of her children Mum and Uncle Ted.

Ludham Village, Norfolk

Not long after my Gran’s passing away Mum and Dad in 1969 decided to move back to Ludham in Norfolk as his previous business Partner wanted Dad to help with the Foundry again. Dad applied for a Council House and was allocated a small semi detached Bungalow, 5, School Close, near the centre of the Village and the Primary School that Audrey and I went to, many years ago. The other part of the semi detached Bungalow No 7 belonged to a previous colleague who worked with my Dad in the Foundry many years earlier.

During the 1970’s I was married and had a Son called Kevin. We visited Ludham very frequently as I was stationed at RAF Cosford, Shropshire, England, at that time. One of our family traditions was that the guys went for a beer on a Sunday about 12 o’clock and the ladies especially my Mum would cook Sunday dinner with Yorkshire puddings for us returning at about 1.30pm. My Dad and I always went out together at the Kings Arms in Ludham or the Dog Inn near Ludham Bridge or other local pubs near Ludham. We used to play Darts or Dominoes with friends. Although my Dad only had one eye he was still a good Darts player.

I was posted to RAF Cosford in April 1969 as a RAF Technical Instructor until May 1975 therefore I was able to visit my Mum and Dad quite often. I believe during this time but I’m not sure of the dates I lived in Ludham with my family for about 12 months at a bungalow Willow Way which was only 5 minutes walk away from Mum and Dad’s house. This gave me the opportunity to be near Mum and Dad and allowed us to go to many places surrounding Ludham together. I remember I had a Lassie Collie dog called Jamie. My Mum and Dad loved Jamie.

In July 1975 I was posted RAF Wildenwrath West Germany on the Harrier (Jump Jet) Force and my family followed. As Jamie could not go Mum and Dad wanted to look after him. Once again I was outside the country for another 4 years but I did manage to go back to Ludham once or twice during that time. Mum and Dad used to take Jamie to Cold Harbour on occasions. However, sadly Jamie died before I cam back to the UK.

Whilst in RAF Germany in June 1978 with the Harrier Force I was awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) by Her Majesty The Queen, the highest peace time honour I could be awarded. This made Mum and Dad very happy and on my return to Ludham in July 1979 we had a great celebration.

On returning to the UK in July 1979, I was posted to RAF Cottesmore, Tri-National Tornado Training Establishment ( UK, Germany and Italy) (TTTE) in charge of the new Tornado Aircraft Acceptance Team which the RAF received from British Aerospace in July 1980. This was a very busy time for me but we still visited Mum and Dad in Ludham quite often. I was very honoured to receive a certificate from the TTTE Commanders of all three countries. Also in April 1983 I was promoted to Flight Sergeant to take up a new post. Again my Mum, Dad and Audrey and I had a few beers to celebrate on both occasions in and around Ludham.

My new role in April 1983 was to be the Officer-In-Charge of the Harrier Aircraft Ground Servicing School (HGSS) at RAF Wittering. This was a very important position for me but I was still in the UK so our visits to Ludham continued on occasions.

In 1985 I was posted to RAF Laarbruch in West Germany in charge of a large team preparing the Tornado Aircraft in case of war with the Russia which was quite tense at this time. Once again I was abroad and it was difficult to make it back to Ludham to see my Mum and Dad. After a very difficult RAF Germany military exercise in 1986 in which for some reason I was selected to be tested to the maximum for 48 hours non stop with my team, I felt perhaps it was time for a change whilst I was only 45 years old. In July 1986 I resigned from the RAF although I was to be promoted to Warrant Officer and joined British Aerospace (BAe) in Warton Lancashire. This meant I could visit Ludham more often. Due to the Trade Unions objection to me being promoted to Senior Training Officer and Manager of the Information Technology Department that I created in a very quick time, the BAe Directors withdrew my promotion. I immediately quit BAe that shocked them.

In August 1988 I started my own Company, Computerised Training Systems Ltd (CTS) in Scunthorpe Lincolnshire. The company name was in fact chosen by my Dad as he asked me what we did, I replied Computerised Training, so he said just call it that. This meant I was extremely busy but I still visited Ludham on a regular basis as it was reasonably near. Little did I know the company would last for 33 years in several forms.

This period was both challenging and stressful but I decided to expand into the Far East and to that end I exhibited at Asian Aerospace 92 which was a great success as I was able to secure a contract with Singapore Airlines Engineering Company and later the Singapore Ministry of Defence. For that reason I spent quite along time traveling back and forth to Singapore. This put a huge strain on my personal life resulting in my wife and I parting. However, we both still visited my Mum and Dad in Ludham when we could.

Over the following years CTS expanded both in the UK and Singapore, I therefore decided to split the company CTS in the UK and CTS in Singapore. I therefore lived in Singapore from 1997 on a full time basis.

During the 2000’s this period was both very happy and very very sad. In 2000 I was married in Singapore to a Malaysian called Linda and in late November 2000 one month early my daughter Natalie was born. My Mum and Dad were very pleased to be Grandparents again. CTS in Singapore was doing well so we planned to go to Ludham at Christmas 2001 to let Mum and Dad see there 1 year old granddaughter. As it happened it was snowing in Ludham which was nice for Christmas. We met up with the family including my sister Audrey who lived not far from Ludham. We visited Tommy my primary school friend and his wife at their home and went to the Kings Arms pub. These are some of the images of our visit which was very enjoyable for all of us.

Natalie my daughter was 3 years old now so we decided to go to Ludham to see Mum and Dad in August 2003. My sister in law also joined us. As it happened the weather was very good. These are some of the images of our visit.

This image was taken as we were leaving 5 School Close Ludham to return to Singapore in 2003. It is very special as it is the last time I will see my Mum and Dad together.

During 2003 the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) disease broke out in Singapore after we returned from Ludham to Singapore. This had a major impact on my CTS Singapore company as all government funds were directed at fighting SARS. As it happened CTS UK wanted to provide me with work initially to do in Singapore. However, a big design task need to be done in the UK in 2004. Then things turned even worse.

I returned to Ludham on the 12th December 2004 as my Mum had a Stroke and was in Hospital in Norwich. On the 23rd December at 5am my Mum passed away. I was with my Dad at 5 School Close Ludham and broke the news to him. He was of course heartbroken as they had been together more than 60 years. Also my wife’s Father passed away in Malaysia only 5 days later on the 28th December 2004, so both of us were very upset.

I decided to stay in the UK and work with my Son on the UK’s projects. I acquired a small bungalow in Messingham near Scunthorpe as my wife and daughter would join me in February 2005. For the next few months we used to visit my Dad in Ludham but during this time my Dad had a Stroke and was in Hospital for some time. After visiting my Dad in Hospital several times, I needed to returned to Singapore and Malaysia regenerating my company CTS which lasted until December 2021 when I retired aged 80. When Dad was discharged it was decided by Dad and my Sister Audrey to move from 5 School Close to a Nursing Home near to Audrey,s house in Caister On Sea. He remained there, with Audrey looking after him and taking him out until he passed away.

After this I never went back to the UK, although I talked to Dad at least once a week on the phone. We had planed to go back in May 2013 to see Dad but unfortunately he passed away on the 6th April 2013 aged 95. Throughout my life my Mum and Dad have always been upper most in my thoughts as they were the best people on this planet who supported all of our families and were loved by all of us. I still miss my Mum and Dad as they wonderful people and parents. God Bless them.