Born on May 2, 1936, to a loving couple, Alice and Jim, who already had daughter Gladys, age eight, and son Reg, aged six, who spent their whole lives in Fulham, SW London.
It was a happy childho...voir plusBorn on May 2, 1936, to a loving couple, Alice and Jim, who already had daughter Gladys, age eight, and son Reg, aged six, who spent their whole lives in Fulham, SW London.
It was a happy childhood even when war broke out when he was three and spent a couple of years evacuated down to Worplesdon just thirty miles away. This was certainly different from the confined space of a terrace road in Fulham, where the road was a major playground. In those days there were only a few cars parked, but now cars are even double-parked.
Schooling was pretty basic, failed the eleven plus, got another chance at thirteen to go to a better school, and ended at the prestigiously named Balham and Tooting College of Commerce. The name was the only thing that was prestigious, but he did manage to acquire seven O levels, which were enough to get him articles to study for a chartered accountant. After five years’ hard study, while working as an articled clerk, he qualified in 1959 the same year that he married Sheila, with whom he had three children, Mark, 1962; Michael, 1966; and daughter Nicola, 1968. All are happily married, with children of their own.
After twenty-one years, Sheila decided there was more to life and left for pastures anew. They have remained friends ever since. Then he had a most enjoyable two years when Sue, a junior typist in the office, came to live with him and the three kids. Sue was only twenty-one and, deciding she wanted children, left. He had been very friendly with neighbour Pam and was so lucky when they got together in 1982, and together with her two children, Tracy and David, they all became one big happy family. Unfortunately, the big C took Pam in July 2013, and Bernard was on his own.
It was during this time that he decided to write this book about his friendship with Joe and got in touch with many friends who had been around during those days, and this included Sue, who he had not seen for thirty-three years. By this time she had married, had three grownup sons, but when she accepted his invite for lunch at the RAC Club in Epsom, the old love light bloomed, and now they are together.
After qualifying, Bernard spent nine years as group accountant for a property company before accepting a friend’s invite to become a partner in the chartered accountants firm Nabarro, based in central London. Commuting got too much, so he bought a Honda 400 and, for three years, motor-biked to town. In winter this was too much, so he decided to move offices locally to Surbiton. Reaching the ripe old age of fifty-four, he sold the practice to his junior partners and has little since except pandering to the family, especially his fourteen grandchildren.voir moins