My parents were divorced after the war

My mother was given custody of me after the divorce. But my father protested. and the matter went to the courts. He had to show he had a  job, a place to live and someone to look after me.

Those matters were resolved in 1948, in the meantime I stayed with ‘Aunt’ Gwen at Cowplain, while my father waited to leave the RN.

He was living in barracks and would come over to see me most days. i distinctly remember having and Aunty Gwen wash, which meant sitting on the kitchen table and being vigorously  scrubbed clean with a flannel  and soap from a  bowl of hot water

These were the best and kindest people in the world and we would often refer to an Aunty Gwen wash over the years when I needed a good clean up.