Coming To Devon

A Memory of East Prawle.

We were living in Barry Island in south Wales, I was getting ready to take the 11 plus, one day when I came home from school my dad was waiting to tell me that we were on the move to Devon. We had spent four years on the Nells Point navy station and it was time to move on. We arrived at Kingsbridge train station and a taxi was waiting for us and what a journey it was, all the way to Prawle Point signal station. What a place to be with no transport and no electric, only oil lamps and the toilet across the yard. One good thing was that my dad didn't have to go far to the signal box. School was next to think about, it was a long way to go to the village and school, later my dad bought me a second-hand bike but oh, the hills and the narrow lane, pits everywhere, and several times I went over the handlebars. The school had really smelly toilets, earth closets, and big wooden seats to get on. The teacher was nice though, Mrs Tabb. I remember they had a coal fire in the middle of the classroom. The winter of 1947 was bad, my dad came to collect me from school and we had to walk on the hedges, the snow was so high.

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