THE BATTLE of BRITAIN

Goodday!
So, how many noticed the spelling mistake in my last blog? Well, I can tell you, 123 and the mistaks? Barbican...that place in Plymouth where the Pilgrim fathers set off for the New World. However, all I can do is blame it on my recent cataract operation...I am pleased to say not only has my eye sight improved, I can now read without glasses...amazing.
  I don't often have a rant, but on this occasion I feel justified. I had a slight muscle injury through running...it happens occasionally. So, armed with the knowledge that Ibuprofen eases the muscle ache...Into Boot's  Pharmacy in Plymouth, Devon, and was told the cost was £4, 20 for a small pack of 400 mg strength tabs. Whoa, whoa, wait one cotton pickin' minute. How much I wailed?. Nah....cheaper in the Co-op... I walked down the street and bought 24, 200 mg tabs for 72 pence. Boots, have been found guilty in my court, and the Co-op....pass on every count. Message, I shall give Boots Pharmacy a miss.
   Had breakfast in a place mentioned several times in my book The Mystery of Conan Blake... in Honiton, Devon. Just as it was in my book, (my agent and I had a working breakfast there) it is the best coffee in town, beats Costa...and cheaper.....Costa's 'Flat White' is Aussie....or tries to be. The reason they just haven't got it, it's just as I mentioned in my book: Conan... I mentioned the coffee bar in the Berlin, Humboldt University. The young person who operated the coffee machine operated it like a maestro. If only we could emulate the Spanish and Germans...and the French...?
  I think I had better point out, I have no business connection with Cafe Bar 102, except that it has  atmosphere and those running it are polite, and professional. Nuff said on the matter.
   This year there is a special interest in the Battle of Britain, that battle fought above the skies of the southern  and eastern counties of England. I mentioned part of the Battle in my book, A Hurricanes Tale and my new book, working title: The Battle of Britain, sub title..St Crispins Day 25th October 1940. If you should ever go to the church on Biggin Hill airport, (an ex-Battle of Britain base). Look at the memorial window, dedicated to the pilots who fought from Biggin Hill or as it was known, 'The Bump'. There is a quote from Shakespeare's, Henry V. We Few, We Happy Few..  To be published in June. My book is a follow up to A Hurricanes Tale.
Just checkin' the time, is it 15:03 on Saturday or is it...er...or...? I suppose I could ask  the Home Secretary...!

LesLunt.com
www.leslunt.blogspot.com
 

A day out in Paradise

The new cycle path from Exmouth in Devon to Exeter is to be experienced, though I admit I only went as far as Topsham where my favourite coffee shop serves one of the best...however, I digress. The cycle path passes along one of the most beautiful views in the whole of Devon. The River Exe and the estuary.
   A heart stopping moment when passing the Commando Training Centre, Royal Marines. It's  quite a few years since I was there. From the bike path it looks as if there are major changes taking place...I think to myself, good, because it means the government we have, might at least recognize the work undertaken in Afghanistan (Excercise Herrick)...In my book Logan's Touch, I do mention the CTC(RM)...and one of my characters is based on a real person..However...
   The tide is out, and most of the waders, Avocets, Curlews, Oyster Catchers are in abundance...I am pleased that my latest book, The Mystery of Conan Blake is doing well in the Kindle charts. and I am thinking of a follow up to A Hurricanes Tale. Two books are already in progress, I shall refrain from naming them in case of name theft.....It does happen.

LesLunt.com

A little touch of Cleggy in the night

....I am in Plymouth, Devon, walking around the Brabican, from where the Pilgrim fathers set off in the Mayflower. I have been here many times before, this was once my 'patch' and I look out for familiar faces. There are none.
   I am looking for Robert Lenkiewicz, not him personally, because I know he is dead. I am seeking his mural, painted on the side of a house in the Brabican. There is a reason. In my latest book, The Mystery of Conan Blake, I mentioned Lenkiewicz as one of the few artists who could replicate the work of the 17th century masters who painted the ceiling in Schloss Charlottenburg, Berlin. Lenkiewicz certainly could have painted in the style of Hann Trier, one of the artists who painted some of the Schloss Charlottenburg's ceilings when they were restored after the war.
   For a few minutes I was distracted by finding a pub by the name of The Dolphin. I have many happy memories about the Dolphin. But first let me tell you about its history. When the Tolpuddle Martyrs returned from Australia in 1836, they stayed the night at The Dolphin, in a room overlooking the harbour. I remember my pal Billy Holmes, the landlord, serving some of the best Bass around, and it's a great pleasure to find the pub now sells, Tribute beer, a Real Ale..
   On with the search for Robert Lenkiewicz, artist, of exceptional talent, and a character, often seen in the pubs in the Barbican. I stumbled upon his truly magnificent work on a wall just past the Plymouth Gin factory...it has almost disappeared. A criminal act perpetrated by someone...the city council perhaps, or the landlord, who knows? It's certainly neglected, I suppose after the artists death. (he was quite young, and had previously had a heart by-pass-operation....All it needed to protect it was coat of varnish....
   Bare discernable were some of the Plymouth characters I knew from being a social worker in the district.  (Lenkiewicz painted many people he found 'interesting'. I searched for a pal, 'Gordon' who worked at  the Wolseley office on North Prospect...featured on the 'Mayflower' in armour....he was fading fast...
   But most important, I remembered a lecture Lenkiewicz gave in a Plymouth theatre. It shook me rigid when he virtually admitted he was a paedophile. He admitted to an audience of around 200 people that he found children sexually attractive....I wanted to stand up and protest, ( I was a social worker in the Brixham and Paignton office in Devon, and it turned my stomach...a strong hand held me back...
   But I digress, turning towards the harbour I found the Mayflower steps where tradition tells us the Pilgrim Fathers left to go to America. They weren't all they are made out to be either, but that's another story. I walked to the Hoe, that magificent ampitheatre where Francis Drake played bowls then defeated the Spanish. I like Drake, first of all he was a pirate, so he can't be all that bad....or was he? Whatever, maybe he was, maybe not.. his family still farm near where I live in East Devon. He once owned a pub which is reputed to be 1000 years old...yes, you read it right. 1000 years, mentioned in The Doomseday Book...It had originally been a monastery. It serves Tribute and Otter ales, and Doombar of course. It is now owned by the village. Unique I say!
   Onwards...overlooking the harbour, from where in 1967 I saw Sir Francis Chichester return from his round the world trip, in his little yacht, Gypsy Moth, and knighted by the Queen. I could not but help noticing, there was not one Royal Navy ship around. Shame on you Cameron and Clegg. A million old sea dogs will curse you both, (as well as a few million ex-Royal Marines, which very neatly brings me to one of my best sellers, originally published in the USA, and now on Kindle, Logan's Touch,'with a sub heading: Once a Marine always a Marine.
  It was Charles Schulz of Peanuts fame who encouraged me to write, I met him in the cardiac wing at Santa Rosa hospital, a wonderful man. he passed on in 2000.
  So there it is, six books on the amazon web-site....two on the stocks...
A Happy Easter....2012.

http://www.leslunt.com/     http://www.leslunt.blogspot.com/    vantagebooks@rocketmail.com

contact me anytime. Les Lunt

A word about 'The Mystery of Conan Blake.'

The phone rings, you pick it up...and there is no one there...only there is. On these occasions I don't get angry, and most importntly I don't press the 'call back' button. Whoever it is who calls, it is imoortant to me that they keep calling, for I know it is not a nuisance call. To me its important. Someone WANTS to speak to me, but for some unknown reason to me, they can't bring themselves to do so. It's not a problem..
Now, there is always a reason for this.just maybe it's an old 'flame,' who wants to hear my lovely scouse accent again... Which isn't really a scouse accent anymore...or they fear that I'll turn up on their doorstep with a buch of roses!...i would never do that. cos friends are valuable to me, and I treasure them.
Maybe it's some old rival...there must be some out there ....somwhere!..perhaps not. I never got into singing like Bizet's Pearl Fishers, which does remind me of college days...maybe that's a clue...college days....'up the M1..she said..when really it was the M6..I hope she finds that as amusing as I do. Woodiwiss East will never be the same.
Which brings me to my latest book which will be on sale next week sometime. In my last blog I mentioned the working title...It will now be called The Mystery of Conan Blake. And it is a mystery. Berlin is the backdrop but Devonshire in England is featured, so to is The Royal Devon & Exeter hospital  (My mate is an orthopod) We are real ale buddies and birdwatchers, although I confess we do spend too much time down at the Devon Locks pub on the canal tow path in Exeter. What a beautiful city Exeter is. If you are ever passing by pop into the Well House Inn in Cathedral Square, goes back centuries and is actually owned by the Cathedral.....so they say!.. ,
In The Mystery of Conan Blake the main character is a dcotor...and I keep mentioning real ale...Sorry, but my main charactyer Conan likes his real ale..and its an intrinsic part of the book...but so too is Berlin and a pub we found called The Inn of the Last Instance...I'm not kidding...and the food..great stuff German food...but heavy...
that brings me to diet. I am overweight....so with this in mind I have rtreived my bike and now am a regular along the tow paths in Exeter..but I digress... 
In my last blog I mentioed my book A Hurricanes Tale, and in the book I mentioned the lady in the Ice Cream shop in Honiton who worked in the shop for 70 + years. I spoke to her son on Tuesday, he confirmed her age, but as I said she has now passed on... 
On the cover of the book you will see The Brandenburgr Tor...and The Cafe Bar 102... This is our hangout in Honiton, Devon. The reason being is you get a real cup of coffee. Other coffee shops are getting there slowly, like Starbucks and Costa  who insist on putting hot water in the coffee and far too much milk. Do that in Italy or Spain or even Berlin and they'd chop your hand off...I still say the English don't know how to make good coffee...too much milk. While in Spain try a Cortado!.Enough!.
I must record here that we (my agent) are pleased with the response to the recent promotion of Logan's Touch. It is selling well and   reached almost Jack Reacher in the sales charts.!
I called in at The RD&E hospital last week, (my eyes were misbehaving)...and now  learn I have to have a cataract operation. I mentioned it to my mate, and he offered to do my cartilage while I was there...I politely refused....one surgeon in my eyes the other scrabbling in my knee cap..I think not.!
But, if you care to look at amazon and my page les lunt on Kindle, you will see The Ghost's of KG40 has a new cover... as usual wireframecgi.co.uk/publishing did a magnificent job, and well done to the artist, Phil.
If there are any mistakes in this blog, ie, grammar or spelling, my excuse this time is cataracts..I'll let you know how I got on!
www.leslunt.com

A thought about my books

The small town of Totnes in  Devon is famous for a few things, not least Babbage's computer. If you don't know about Babbage, then go the Totnes Museum. While in Totnes, spend a night in The Royal Seven Stars Hotel...if you are lucky, or pay more, you might get a four-poster bed.
It is the Royal Seven Stars Hotel which features in two of my books, the Best Selling The Ghosts of KG40 and Unintended Consequences. Both are now available on Kindle.
The Ghosts of KG40 , unlike the paper back edition, the Kindle edition has many photos given by the families of the German and British crews involved including the burial sites of the German crew, and the farmhouse on Anglesey, plus much more.
Now as someone has pointed out to me, The Ghosts of KG40 deals very little with the German Geschwader, and focuses a lot on 101Squadron RAF, based at Ludford Magna. True. Much of the book is based on real people, Charlotte for example. However, Merv Shipard and Doug Oxby were a famous Night Fighter team, in fact Doug was one one of the highest scoring Night Fighter navigators. (eleven victories). And Merv Shipard , an Australian fighter pilot was an 'Ace'. So...
Totnes features in those two books., I am often asked, 'Is there any truth the story about the German airman found up on Galleons Bower?' Well, there is. First, Galleons Bower. I moved that from Dartmouth to Totnes as it suited my purpose. Secondly, a body was discovered, and it had all the Luftwaffe regalia, including a Knight's Cross.....but read Unintended Consequences. The real answer lies in there. Yet another mystery I set my readers...
My latest novel, will be published in March 2012. It is not the much vaunted Zen and the Art of Social Work, that is a long term project and ready for late 2012. its working title is: The Mystery of Andrew Redkite. Bear with me on this one. My trip to Berlin has borne fruit. What a wonderful place Berlin is, and the Alexanderplatz is so evocative it makes you want to tell a story. Evocative I hear you ask? Well, yes. its perfect, ex-Eastern Sector, still remnants of intrigue...what more does a writer need. plus of course a good story.A divorce in the offing and of course murder...
Now...I have a lot of mail about A Hurricane's Tale. From the outset let me tell you this story is fiction, however, with that out the way, I wanted to write something for the younger reader, but readable by adults as well. I had one email asking, is it suitable for kids as someone dies in the book. Well, lady, people do die, and they did die in droves during the war, let's not forget that. We can protect our kids from certain aspects of life,. but dying....er no... get on with it.. .
One email asked if it was true, in the book, about the young lady who served Max ice cream in 1938 and was still serving in the shop some seventy years later. True. In Honiton, Devon, there is an ice cream shop at the top of the town, (her son now owns the business). What a character! Unfortunately she has now gone to that great ice cream factory in the sky. ...Forgive me Nancy!

Publication date of my new book. end of March 2012.

LESLUNT.COM       @LESLUNT    (Twitter)
   

Logan's Touch

Some years ago, in fact many years ago now, I was in hospital in a place called Santa Rosa, California. Now, you must be wondering where this is going, but bear with me, please.
It was one of those occasions that we now call 'life changing'. I was in the cardiac unit, a place to avoided at all costs. I was puzzled. For most of my life I had been very fit, I had served in the Royal Marines and done the commando course at a place called Lymstone in Devon England. (I mention this in my book Logan's Touch') I had also been a teacher of physical education in England...could run 20 miles without effort. But heart disease is insidious. However, thanks to three brilliant doctors to whom whom I shall be eternally grateful, Dr Greg Gullow, my GP in Sonoma, CA. Dr Stan  Mogelson, a cardiologist, and Dr  Keith Korver, surgeon. Without their intervention I would not be here. No kidding!
   And one more and I reach the point of my blog, but he wasn't a doctor. He was a cartoonist by the name of Charles Shultz. Okay he's famous. But he visted the cardiac unit regularly where he had had by pass-surgery. He encouraged patients, (like Henry V before the battle of Agincourt)...in Shakespeare, 'For forth he goes and visits all his hosts, bids then good morrow with a modest smile and calls them friend, brother'....I digress. he was a great hospital visitor, and in the unit, there were cartoons on the walls....a great guy, sadly no longer with us.
   I looked forward to his visits after my surgery, (I had a triple-by-pass)...we talked about Europe, Germany where he obviously had a connection....and he was interested in my past. Being in the field of child protection was close to his heart.... no pun intended. I had worked the streets of Liverpool, England, and later as a social worker ( this part part of my life will be published in Zen and the Art of Social Work later this year, 2012.).
   It was Charles who encouraged me to write. and here we are, some twenty years later, four books on amazon.co.uk and amazon.com  with two others published in the USA, and two 'on the stocks' and a third being planned which involves yet another visit to Berlin. (This is a city, for some very odd reason I find fascinating. Everywhere I go I feel I have been there before. I cannot explain it...maybe on my return I will find the answer.
    I had a similar experience when visiting Stuttgart for my book, The Ghosts of KG40....In my book the old grammar school Eberhardt Ludwigs Gymnasium is featured, (a 15th century school, where two of the students were involved in the plot to assasinate Adolph Hitler, (also see previous blogs re Hitler family)  Graf Claus von Staufenberg and his brother Berthold. Coincidntly I picked up  the school's Blue Book, and Charles Shultz's name is in it....another book, Fred Uhlman's 'Reunion' is a brillant book about the school before the Nazis came to power. Persecuted by the Nazis Fred later left Germany for the USA, where he had a career in writing..
    So, the circle is nearly complete. it remains to be see where I go from here...maybe that archaeological dig in Leicestershire at the site of Richard the third and Bosworth, The battle of Bosworth....(the real site is a mile up the road by the way!) or Azicourt, my favourite (Agincourt to every Englisman) ;We Few, we Happy Few. We band of brothers'. I think Bill Shakespeare got it right, don't you!

leslunt.com       tweet  @leslunt.     vantagebooks@rocketmail.com

A wonderful day out in England

Birdwatching...Yes, true, I went to Topsham in Devon, and as a member of the RSPB I found Bowling Green Marsh...a 'hide' where we could watch many waders of all kinds..(it is here that I show my ignorance as I am fairly new at the is game in England). But there were Snipes and Avocets, a gent standing next to saw a Kingfisher, but there were many many more.
  In Spain I belong to the Costa Blanca Birdwatchers......and the birds are as one might except, quite different. Saw a Golden eagle and Buzzards feeding up in the mountains around Xativa, and many many more.
  Getting back to Devon, it is no secret that CTCRM is just along the River Exe, to the left of the hide. Now that brings back many memories! A mud-run (just for fun) said the corporal Marine. It was a long time ago and I am sure commando training has changed, but I must point out, I was only a Reservist...Ah, as someone pointed out, there are Reservists in Afghanistan....I take my hat off to those lads. Again, CTCRM is mentioned in my book, 'Logan's Touch.'..Major Harry Kewell....meets Wes Van-den-Heuval in the Mess....
  Which brings me to the end of a five mile walk (all around Topsham) with coffee in a great coffee house (I don't know the name)....it's on the left as you head out of town...But before I leave I must point out the Globe Hotel. (This is a 16th century old coaching inn....They have Doombar beer...to the uninitated, it's in the league of Spitfire, or Tribute..even Otter beer, which reminds me of a second book..A Hurricane's Tale. Flying along the Otter Valley....magic!
What a wonderful day, the estuary bathed in sunlight...easy enough now to forget the mountains around Xativa, and bask in the beauty of the River Exe.

All of a sudden people are noticing that Ed Milliband is not the Leader some people (exclude me from this) expected him to be (is this a case of mistaken identity with brother David?) So much for the wonderful leadership election process Labour has. Brother Dave stood by astonished that something like this could happen to him!
Somewhere in the deep recesses of Cafe 102 (my local watering place) I heard a voice say that we should bring back Tony Blair.....Whoa..Whoa. One cotton picking minute I said...Wait...just maybe she was right...Just maybe...
Okay, Okay, before we resurrect Blair, perhaps we ought test it in court. I know people say he should be before the International Criminal Court at the Hague, But so too should others. Thatcher for example...remember the Belgrano...my, my.....We have some of the greatest legal brains in the world living in the U.K, so why is it so difficult to bring these parties to court? Anyway, back to the business of resurrecting Blair...(or not)
The Spanish judge, Baltasar Garzon, who nailed the little ex-facist dictator of Chile, Augusto Pinochet(Pinochet is another who suffered an exterme rapid loss of memory), or one of his just and upright colleagues, should look again at Blair. Test it in court. If Blair is innocent of the charge let him stand for re-election of the leadereship... unless of course being a multi-millionaire he's too damn busy making der dosh to save the country...
So, where are we? Cameron is riding high in the polls. We are being shafted over the NHS (45% of hospital admissions can be private patients)...Give way you poor NHS patients for those bring der dosh into the 'business'.
And as for Blair...can anyone tell me how he can sleep at night? Perhaps he's reading Logan's Touch. (on Kindle I expect) that book caused a storm of protest in the USA when it was published where most Americand thought Ireland was a place just to play golf, the people were very short with funny hats and drank something very dark and quite unpronouncable...The the crap hit the fan on 911, and people remembered Logan's Touch and the IRA...suddenly it dawned on a few that terrorism is connected to the IRA..Wow a revelation! and all that dosh collected at the local Fire House in New York which went to Noraid....there was  a connection...and quietly, oh so quietly the collecting tins were removed...
But, let's get back to the leadership of the Labour Party..by the way is it still New Labour? Anway, forgive me for pointing it out yet again...Labour should be riding high, and we haven't got an effecttive leader...Yet!.
www.LesLunt.com
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A little known fact about Adolf Hitler

In my book, The Ghosts of KG40 I had one of my characters say that Adolf Hitler was thought to have attended the art school in Liverpool sometime around 1912. When I attended the art school, (it was called Liverpool College of Art by then) there were still rumours that Hitler had at one time attended.
I have in my posession, a copy of the birth certificate of William Patrick Hitler who lived in Upper Stanhope St, Liverpool. showing he was born to Alois and Bridget Hitler, Alois was the half brother of Adolf.

Is it too much to surmise that Adolf came to Liverpool to see his brother, and his new nephew, and Bridget.?
The Ghosts of KG40 is not so much about ghosts but th elives of some of the bravest men whoever served to defeat Hitler. I mention a ghost at the art school in Liverpool in the main text. It was well known fact that the main lift in the old building was haunted. During the war, men and women firewatchers were based in the building to ensure that if any incendary bombs landed they would be quickly dealt with. Often they were disturbed by the lift moving up and down...with no one in it. It was always checked for electrical faults, none were ever found.
The Ghosts of KG40 mentions a pub favoured by the art students, Ye Cracke is just around the corner in street, it's a great pub..I even mention the fact that some say the ghost of John lennon is has beeb seen here. It's very likely I suppose for he often went there. (I can vouch for this as I was often there as well)!
How strange that on most mornings travelling to the art school, I would travel from Speke (Western Avenue) on the same bus as George Harrison whom I knew fairly well as I had bought my first motor bike off George's brother Harry. I also went to the the same primary school as Paul McCartney. Not that I knew him well, he lived a stones throw from myhouse in Goldfince Farm.
So, a little hsitory. Students should look deeper into the early life of one of the world's greatest tyrants, and if so, go liverpool, so much history is there waiting to be uncovered.
www.leslunt.com

The St Pauls Protest

Watching the the European Imbroglio this week, one can't but wonder where the Labout Party is? The first question I ask myself is who is the Labour Party? Surely they are mortally wounded by Tony Blair, and a few of his cohorts, Mandelson for one. Now Lord Mandelson. Now I had a university education, not quite Ivy League, but I did work for a living, for 20 years in the field of child protection. So I can speak as a 'worker'...I even acknowledge John Prescott's contribution, working on ships as a steward, but his betrayal, like that of Mandelon is in my opinion, Treasonable to the working people of great Britain.
Lord Mandelson and his property deals make the average worker spew with anger. Prescott cavorting in lavish hotels and spending cash like it was Monoopoly money. A retired miner I know who is suffeirng the effects of working beneath the Yorkshire Dales, for what is really a pittance in terms of compensation. We learn of Executives getting 49% pay rises. It's enough to make you riot on the streets. Don't. The only people allowed to effectively take money out of your pocket is the Bankers and the city. Our Tax system (remember the very top companies who's bosses have received 49% pay rises, don't pay tax. They are off shore, check out Jersey. Or rather don't because you will be on the streets or at least at St Pauls Cathedral.
So, I condem the members of the Labour partry who with their Cambridge and Oxford degrees, (who incidently have't done a days tap in their lives) we the ordinary guy in the street don't want you...Sir Martin Sorrel claims a £1,000,000 is not a lot of salaryand described it as 'very low. (That is his base salary).
Are ordinary folk in England totally and utterly frightened to protest and say, enough is enough Thatcher, by the way has claimed £500, 000 'expenses') Sort of 'benefit'. She is in every way a benefits claimant, 'cept of cours she's already mega rich.
So our 'shadow prime Minister is weak, (Cambridge University) and never done a days tap in his life. His brother who I actually like is no different, not a days tap..More than likely never 'clocked on', wore dirty ovweralls, or taken kids into care whose parents had sexually abused them... A very nice man, and more likely to take over from his brother Ed, but David is clever by far, and is very ambitious...The name Milliband will, in my opinion join his fellow well educated 'Labour' men. Our biggest mistake was to listen to the well educated, oily (Blair) and who have never worked for a living, in favour of men who have experienced 'life', that's why Paddy Asdown is always listened to, he's been there, a very popular man, so too the Beast of Bolsover...and Tony Benn. , a bomber pilot during the war....nuff said.

Beatles?

I think I mentioned in previous blogs my association with the Beatles. It began when I worked with Harry Harrison, the brother of George Harrison. I bought Harry's motor bike, a Cotton, 250 cc Indian. One day Harry came to me and asked if I would varnish his younger brother's guitar...'sure' I said....24 hours later he took it back to George. I hope it looked better, for certain it looked a million dollars better, and no doubt sounded better!
I later sold my motor bike to my pal Ted, I had damaged the gear box....Ted didn't mind as he pushed it all the way to Old Swan in Liverpool.
My dad was a pal of George Harrison's father, also named Harry. Harry as the world knows was a bus driver. He could never pass me in the street driving his bus...without offering me lift...rather like a taxi! I travelled on his bus often and free!
Working with Harry Harrison (George's brother) was short lived. Harry left our place of work to live 'over the water' in Ellesmere Port...I lost track of him after that.
George and I go back a long way. On my way to art school...(the same art school where John Lennon studied art)..he and Paul McCartney would get the number 80, or 82 bus, in Western Avenue, to Liverpool. The 80 went by Penny Lane..where often the conductor would shout out 'Penny Lane'...I often sat next to George because we both smoked cigarettes then...Paul I knew as he lived in Western avenue. We had attended the same Primary School.
A friend of my father, Tommy Jordan suggested to Harry Harrison that as an artist, (although working with my dad as a painter) that I might wish to paint a portrait of George. Harry did eventually approach me and I subsequently painted George's portrait...a nice commission, I do believe I was the only artist to be paid by George's parents for a painting his portrait. I had recently placed two pictures in the Royal Academy summer exhibition.....I was handsomely paid by Harry Harrison....but rejected by the academy! You can't win 'em all!

Hello All!