I transcribed my grandfather’s story many years ago, some years after his death but whilst my father was still alive and able to help me make contact and share copies with close friends of my grandfather and near and distant family members. There is also a copy in Birmingham Library, lodged there by Carl Chinn who also kindly wrote a piece in the Birmingham Mail as part of its ‘Old Brum’ magazine features.

Book and newspaper article

But it is in re-visiting my grandfather’s story now that I have once again picked up his hand-written notebooks and it’s like newly finding a lost precious object.

There are tapes too, where he recorded his story but those I will need to find a way to clean up. For now I want to spend time with his notebooks where he scribed his childhood memories and reflected on the wisdom of his years.