Memoir of a Cheeky Chap

By John Pells

This book is a social history about the varied life of John Pells, born in Kings Lynn, Norfolk, from 1930 up to the present time.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley
• Release date: Feb 5, 2018
• ISBN: 9781370145843

John Pells

John Pells is now 87 years old. He is disabled, but still gets out and about on his mobility scooter. He and his wife, Pauline, live in sheltered accommodation, where they have lived for some 20 years. They join in social gatherings and go out together as much as possible, driven by their son, Robert. John has an active mind and enjoys his hobby of watch repairs. He is keen on sport, particularly rugby and football which he watches avidly on TV.

Book preview

About the Author

John Pells is now 87 years old. He is disabled, but still gets out and about on his mobility scooter. He and his wife, Pauline, live in sheltered accommodation, where they have lived for some 20 years. They join in social gatherings and go out together as much as possible, driven by their son, Robert. John has an active mind and enjoys his hobby of watch repairs. He is keen on sport, particularly rugby and football which he watches avidly on TV.

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Memoir of a Cheeky Chap

Published by Austin Macauley at Smashwords

Copyright 2018, John Pells

The right of John Pells to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the

Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All Rights Reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with the written permission of the publisher, or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1956 (as amended). Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

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A CIP catalogue record for this title is

Available from the British Library.

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www.austinmacauley.com

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Memoir of a Cheeky Chap, 2018

Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd.

ISBN 9781788233002 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781788232999 (Hardback)

ISBN 9781788232982 (E-Book)

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First Published in 2018

Austin Macauley Publishers.LTD/

CGC-33-01, 25 Canada Square

Canary Wharf, London E14 5LQ

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Acknowledgements

I would just like to thank my niece, Maureen, for all the help she has given me in putting the book together and getting it published.

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The Years Fly By

This is the story of my life from January 1930 until now, February 2016.

My name is John Pells. I was born in Pilot Street, King’s Lynn, which was known as the fisherman’s part and which was also the oldest part.

The Pells family moved to King’s Lynn from Newcastle upon Tyne in the 19th century. My grandfather married a local King’s Lynn girl from a North End fishing family called Fysh. They had five children, John, Tom, George, Lizzie and Mary. My dad, George, was the youngest.

He married a girl from a village called Grimston, just outside Lynn and had three children, a girl who was stillborn, then myself, born 1930 and my sister, born 1933. We left Pilot Street when I was two and went to live with my grandmother because my granddad died and my grandmother was confined to her armchair because she was unable to walk and had to be carried to her bed. Grandmother’s house was in George Street.

The yard where I was born, in a cottage in Pilot Street, was behind a pub called the Dog and Duck, which was next to another pub, the Fisherman’s Return and on the other side of the road was the Methodist Chapel and Benefer’s shop. There were many pubs in Pilot Street and North Street – The Fisherman’s Return, the Fisherman’s Arms, The Black Jake, The Naval Reserve, The Dock Hotel, The Victoria, the Dock Tavern, The Dog and Duck, Tilden Smith.

My dad worked on the Railway and my mother had been in service most of her single life, as she was one of thirteen children and her mother could not cope.

As I grew up, my sister and I got to know the other children in George Street and King’s Lynn. I started school in 1935 at the St Nicholas Infants’ School. I found out the first child waiting at the main door in the mornings got a penny, so I was first most mornings, as a penny got you a lot of sweets!

The teachers were Mr Fisher, the headmaster, Mrs Howard, Mr Parry and