Happy And Very Very Sad Days

A Memory of Cowplain.

WE LIVED AT COWPLAIN FROM 1965 -77. MY FATHER BOUGHT A HOUSE WHILE STILL IN THE NAVY ON CHAPLINS ESTATE AT ALBRETIA AVENUE . I WAS SIX YEARS OLD THEN AND MY SISTER WAS THREE ALL SEEMED TO GO WELL UNTILL 1966 WE LEFT FOR ADEN AS DAD WAS BASED IN BARAIN THEN IN 1967 THEY WITHDREW FROM THERE WE RETURNED AND DAD WAS SENT TO CHATHAM IN 1968 WE RETURNED IN 1969 I LOVED THOSE HOUSES I SAW THEM BEING BUILT THEY WERE STEEL FRAMED PROPERTYS AS THE LAND WAS VERY BOGGY AND IT WAS SWAMPY THEN IN 1971 MY FATHER DECIDED TO WRECK MY HOME LIFE BY SENDING ME OFF OVER 70 MILES TO A BOARDING SCHOOL MUCH AGAINST THE REST OF THE FAMILYS WISHES I REMAINED THERE FOR FIVE YEARS AND I WAS EXTREMELY HOMESICK FOR MANY YEARS. I LEFT THE BOARDING SCHOOL IN 1976 AS THE OGRE OF A FATHER STOPPED ME LEAVING SCHOOL IN THE SUMMER OF 1975. SO I HAD TO WAIT UNTIL 1976 T0 GET BACK TO THE HOUSE I LOVED BUT MY FATHER HAD LEFT THE NAVY IN 1975 AND WAS FINDING IT HARD IN SIVVEY STREET AND SPENT DAY AFTER DAY JUST DOING NOTHING. SO HE GOT HIMSELF BADLY INTO DEBT AND WAS FORCED TO LEAVE THAT LOVELY HOUSE I SO LOVED AND MOVE TO CHARLESWORTH DRIVE WHERE I FOUND IT HARD TO ADJUST AND WHERE FATHER AND THE FAMILY STAYED UNTIL 1980 AND AT XMAS TIME WE WERE FORCED TO MOVE AGAIN BECAUSE HE HAD GOT HIMSELF IN A HOLE.THIS TIME HE HAD TO SETTLE FOR A HOUSE SMALLER IN ABBOTTS CLOSE IN PURBROOK AND HE WAS GETTING NEARER AND NEARER INSOLVANCY.HE MOVED FROM THERE IN 1983 TO STAPLE CLOSE WHERE THE BALLOON WENT UP AND ON THE 25 DECEMBER MY FATHER COMMITTED ADULTERY. AND MY MOTHER LEFT HIM TAKING MY SISTER AND ME WITH HER TO A RENTED PROPERTY IN LEIGH PARK. LATER IN 1985 MY FATHER WENT BANKRUPT. MY SISTER AND I BOUGHT OUR OWN PLACE THAT YEAR AND OUR MOTHER CAME TO LIVE WITH US THE FOLLOWING YEAR. FATHER DIED IN 2014.ALAN EBURNE