4th-4th-08 I began this Chapter, 1. 27April 08. 9:45am.

I learn something every day.

My father was a most remarkable man, or so I thought, however I have to admit that was my opinion and I made that decision of my own free will.  Why?

Well, because as I grew up from a young child to a young woman, living with him in the same house in fairly close proximity, you soon begin to learn a lot about a person, what they liked and disliked, all those small personal habits, the good and the bad, and especially when living in those kind of conditions, all of us together my parents, two brothers my young sister and myself.   Our home was a little cottage in the country, it had two fairly large rooms, one large living room and one large bedroom.

In the living room was the fireplace where most of the time a fire was burning and on the trivit at the side of the fireplace sat a large iron kettle which was always kept filled with water from the cold water tap in the kitchen sink, and always kept ready for all our needs, ie a pot of tea which incidently seemed to give my mother enduring energy and seemed to keep her going from morning till night, that kettle of water was also used to top up an enamel dish kept in the sink in the corner of the kitchen, and used for us to wash in,and also used to wash the dishes and small articles of clothing, in fact to wash anything that it was necessary to wash.

That kettle of water was used for most every need requiring hot water, because unfortunatly we had no hot water supply into the house.

Now this room with the fireplace, was used to eat in, and to sit in, it was our kitchen as well as a living room, in it against one wall stood a magnificent "Mahogany Press"with beautiful carvings around the top, it was one of my mothers many, !prides of joy, a large table stood in the centre of the floor and six dining chairs, tucked underneath, two armchairs one for mam and one for my father and a couple of small stools, the dining chairs we used to sit on near the fire, otherwise we sat on the mat in front of the fire place, which was great. And the other room, well that was our bedroom, mother and my father my sister Liz and me. How I did like our bedroom, my parents bed was a huge bed with wonderful brass bed ends, I think I will remember that bed for ever, I would love to have one exactly the same, one day, you never know.

Liz and I slept in a fold up bed, it went into a cuboard in the day and folded down at night, it was very comfortable and very soft, our sheets were as white as snow, on top went two blue blankets and a smashing flowered quilt, in the window hung lacy curtains and in front was the oak wood dressing table with its three large draws and in them were most of our clothes, a large mirror on the back and on the top was some of the lovely ornaments my father had brought home for my mother, !from the many places he had been on his seafaring travels around the world.

The only day my father did not work was a Sunday and I loved Sunday,That day was very special.

                            It was our day and it was just for us.

Elizebeth and me would climb into the huge bed, and my father would tell us stories, he sang us songs, told us poetry, and played the Chanter from his Scottish bag pipes. Mother would bring him a large mug of of tea and us a glass of lemonade, wonderful memories.
 

I believe my Dad had lived a full and adventurous life he had travelled far and wide, And Sailed the Seven seas as he said,, and in the seas he had seen many strange creatures or so he told me, he had done many things, he told me stories of where he had travelled, India Africa. Going through the Gulf of Mexico, where he said it was so hot all they could do was to lie down on the deck, until they had sailed through. My dad told me all these things and I believed him, I new it was all true he never told me a lie, only when it was for fun.

My father was a very wise man and as he had travelled far and seen many things and met all kinds of people of many nations, of all colours and creeds he had learned a lot of the ways of man, who to trust and who to not, I have to admit there were not many that he did trust, he told me many stories about many things and tried hard to make me wise in the ways of man.

However as we children tend to do, I was inclined to laugh at some of his advice and some of it went in one ear and out of the other, but not all went astray, as I came to realize in later years.

When he was quite young circumstances way beyond his control had played a big part in his life he had been one of eight children his parents had not been poor, nor were they rich, however they had lived a comfortable life they had owned property and had also had there own business, a grocery shop which his mother had looked after and his father and uncle had there own fishing boats, there life had been comfortable and all had gone fairly well untill tragedy befell them, my fathers brother died and now all things changed, there was another family to support, another family to feed and another one to cloth,six more chilren to care for.

As there was not any help in those times the full resposibility fell upon his parents, now they had two familys to care for and it all fell on his mother and father.

When he reached the age of twelve he decided to leave home, he would lift the burden just a little of all those children they had to care for, maybe one less child might help, one less mouth to feed one less to look after, " and so off he went to sea, to seek adventure, To sail The Seven Seas, as he put it. What a brave boy he must have been at twelve years of age, what a young man.

He then signed on as a cabin boy. When I think about all the things he told me, it makes me wonder about life today.

This part of his life must have been very hard for him leaving home so young having to fend for himself, he must have been very lonely, coming as he did from a big family, however he somehow got through that time, he survived, many did not, and so began his journey through life.

That life at sea helped to mould him into the young man he was.

That life made him the man he became. My dad.

             A war loomed on the horizon , soon it came, "The first world war ,1914- 1918."

By this time he had become old enough to be enlisted into the, Armed forces, at the very young age of Sixteen yrs. He put himself forward, To do his duty, for King and Country, for his fellow men, along with many others,  Brave young men, as my father later said of them all,