It's the dying days of World War Two, and a child is born during a dramatic air raid that badly damages the family home and destroys the midwife's bicycle. At least, that's what George East's mother told him in later years. But then she also claimed that the painting-by-numbers picture of a bunch of sunflowers in the passageway could be a preparatory sketch for the real thing by Vincent Van Gogh. George's beloved but eccentric mother also claimed royal blood and that her ancestor and not Captain Hardy was the sailor Lord Nelson asked for a kiss as he lay dying on board HMS Victory. In Just a Pompey Boy, best-selling author George East recalls growing up in Portsmouth directly after WWII, when fitted carpets, double glazing, central heating and TV celebrities would be seen as far-fetched science fantasy. In a memoir that is funny, sad, heart-warming and always immensely readable, the author recalls a very different time to be young and alive in a characterful if war-battered city which was the Nation's premier naval base. A time when bomb damages were literally adventure playgrounds, food rationing was still in force and post-traumatic stress and even the concept of Health and Safety regulations had yet to be invented. As George remarks at the start of this first volume of his memoirs, the past has been said to be a foreign country; to the young people of today, this tale of a distant but golden childhood may seem to be about life on a very distant planet...

About the Author
By any definition, George East is a proper Pompey Boy. This engaging memoir tells of life in a bomb-ravaged Portsmouth directly after World War II. Nowadays his writing takes him around Europe and beyond, but as George says, wherever life leads him he will always have 'Pompey' engraved on his heart.

Reviews
Good grief! The old rogue's still at it. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 November 2020; Reviewing George East's books is always a delight, . . . and also dangerous. He's been there and dunnit, as I know to my cost. I once met him in deepest France and have been counting my spoons ever since.; As someone who has only been passing through Portsmouth for over fifty years I find these photos and stories a compelling read. My part of the UK suffered similar disasters after World War 2 and offered equally wonderful delights to me as young bad lad. Read this and recall what life really was like in 'the good old days'. You may be surprised. I know I was. J.Veale. Writeaway



Book Information
ISBN 9781908747662
Author George East
Format Paperback
Page Count 230
Imprint La Puce Publications
Publisher La Puce Publications
Weight(grams) 300g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 19mm