People

I was born in Gottingen, Germany, in 1950. My father was posted there after the war. He served in the army for 22 years, and walked with a limp from shrapnel in his leg. I came to England when I was five. I don't have any memories of my time there but I'm told I spoke...

I was born in Hillingdon, Middlesex, in 1935. My brother was 13 years older than me and my sister 12 years. I think my dad said to my mum 'Would you like an Easter egg?' many years later and I was the egg! Our house was full of music. On my mother's side, I have a...

My family, on my dad's side, has lived in Southwater for about 180 years at Great House Farm. My uncle, Barry still farms there. We moved to nearby Dragons Green when I was four, but there was so much work to be done to the house when we bought it. My parents, Clive...

I was born in Stafford. My parents both played the piano, my grandmother was a successful opera singer and we recently found out that one of my ancestors was a soloist at many of Handel's concerts in England. So, there is a strong musical background to my upbringing....

I was born in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1941. My dad was an engineer and went out to South Africa and married my mother. I went to Roedean School, the sister school of Roedean in Brighton, and I had a wonderful time growing up, completely unaware of the politics...

I was born on 17th October 1921 in Plumstead, South East London and shortly after my parents moved into a council house in Eltham. We were very much a working-class family. My dad was a civil servant earning three pounds and 10 shillings a week. My parents raised four...

I was born in Kampala, Uganda, in 1956. Because of the British Raj, a lot of Indians were invited to travel to Africa as well as other places in the British Empire to establish their own businesses. My father owned a provision store in a relatively small town called...

I was born in Brockley in south London in 1924. My father served in the Merchant Navy and then the Royal Navy, and fought at the Battle of Jutland in the First World War. He served on HMS Caroline, which is now moored in Belfast. I believe it is the last boat from...

I was born in Croydon in 1925. My father had been a professional soldier in the First World War with the Cheshire Regiment. He was gassed three times, wounded twice, and was involved in several key battles. Towards the end of the war, he was in charge of a burial...

I was born in 1939 in Whitton, near Twickenham, as the eldest of five children. My father was a good engineer. He made scientific instruments and later went into business on his own. During the war, I can remember standing in the garden and looking at the planes...

I was born in London in 1931. My father was chief auctioneer at Christies and my mother was a wonderful pianist. She was in cabaret act called ‘That Certain Trio’ and they played the Savoy and other high-profile venues. My parents divorced when I was four. I lived...

I was born in Dublin in 1940. My dad worked in the Irish Hospitals’ Sweepstake, which was a form of lottery, one of the biggest on the planet at the time. My grandfather was one of the founders of the Sweepstake, which helped build hospitals all over Ireland. My...

I was born in Mottingham, South London in 1917, during the First World War. I was fortunate that my father was in the building trade and so he was not called up. I had an older sister, Beryl, and a younger brother, John, and we enjoyed growing up in the countryside....

I was born in Kannur in southern India in 1919. My father was out there for many years in Bombay as he was a broker in the tea trade. I have a lot of memories of my early years in India. We came to the UK when my father was on leave and I moved here permanently with...

I was born in Upper Tooting, South West London, in 1917. My father was a bricklayer and was in the building trade for most of his life and didn’t make a lot of money. I played cricket and rugby at school, and on sports day I turned out and ran one mile. I wasn’t all...

I was born at Little Bridges Farm on Station Road, Southwater, on 10th June 1925. My family has lived here for 300 years. When I was growing up in Southwater, there were about 1,000 people in the village. Everybody knew each other. I am saddened by what has happened...