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Iunfaithful to Arthur if he hadn't been sick all over me on the journey back to Bristol

The next day I toldon who the bloke was After all, she hadn't met him, and was never likely to Mum told me to keep , and even if I did turn out to be pregnant, no one would be any the wiser, as Arthur and I would be married by the time anyone noticed

HARRY CLIFTON 1920-1933

1

I was told my father was killed in the war

Whenever I questioned my mother about his death, she didn't say any i on the Western Front only days before the Arned Grandma said my dad had been a brave man, and once ere alone in the house she showed randpa rarely offered an opinion on anything, but then he was deaf as a post so he ht not have heard the question in the first place

The only other man I can remember was my uncle Stan, who used to sit at the top of the table at breakfast ti I would often follow him to the city docks, where he worked Every day I spent at the dockyard was an adventure Cargo ships coar, bananas, jute and s I'd never heard of Once the holds had been emptied, the dockers would load them with salt, apples, tin, even coal (my least favourite, because it was an obvious clue to what I'd been doing all day and annoyed ain to I knew not where I alanted to help , but he just laughed, saying, 'All in good tih for ot in the way

I was sent to Merrywood Eleht it was a complete waste of time What was the point of school when I could learn all I needed to at the docks? I wouldn't have bothered to go back the following day if ates, deposited me and returned at four o'clock that afternoon to take me home

I didn't realize Mu Uncle Stan in the shipyard

Once Mu around in the yard until she was out of sight, then slope off to the docks I ates when she returned to pick me up in the afternoon On the way ho I'd done at school that day I was good atbefore she discovered that was all they were: stories

One or two other boys fro around the docks, but I kept er, and used to thuot in their way I also had to keep an eye out for Mr Haskins, the chief ganger, because if he ever found , to use his favourite word, he would send me off with a kick up the backside and the threat: 'If I see you loiterin' round here again, my lad, I'll report you to the headmaster'

Occasionally Haskins decided he'd seen me once too often and I'd be reported to the head me back to my classroom My form master, Mr Holcombe, never let on if I didn't show up for his class, but then he was a bit soft Whenevertruant, she couldn't hide her anger and would stop my halfpenny-a-week pocket ular leatherings from the headmaster and the loss of my pocket money, I still couldn't resist the draw of the docks

I made only one real friend while I 'loitered' around the dockyard His name was Old Jack Tar Mr Tar lived in an abandoned railway carriage at the end of the sheds Uncle Stan told me to keep away from Old Jack because he was a stupid, dirty old tramp He didn't look that dirty tobefore I discovered he wasn't stupid either