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My family, mother Emily, father Sydney, younger sister Pamela and myself, lived in Henniker Gardens, East Ham, London E.6.
When I was evacuated to Buckland, Nr. Farringdon, my mother and sister went to Hadleigh in Essex, not far from Southend on Sea to live in digs away from London.
My father joined the Police Force as a War Reserve Policeman, based in the West Ham division, having served in the First World War.

As my story tells I was evacuated for most of what became ‘phoney war’ and returned for most of the bombing. One night a 50lbs bomb hit our house in Henniker Gardens, whilst we were in the shelter. The bomb was so small that it took out our upstairs and ruined the downstairs leaving the terraced houses on either side severely damaged but habitable. The Family moved to the next road, Montpelier Gardens.

Soon after I was evacuated again to Marchants Hill Camp School at Hindhead in Surrey, which is my second story on its own page.

Some personal information. I was a boy scout then Assistant Scout Master with the 47th West Ham Scout Group from about 1943 until I joined the Royal Navy for two years as a National Serviceman, in August 1952. I was a member of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve for 1949 to 1963.
I was elected to the County Borough Council of East Ham as an independent Councillor in 1960, which in 1964 became the London Borough of Newham, the council retired from in 1974 following my move to Watford.
In 1992 we moved to the village of St Osyth near Clacton on Sea and in 1999 I was elected as an independent member to Tendring District Council. In October 2001 Tendring adopted the Cabinet system of government, since which I have been a member of the Cabinet with responsibility for the Environment.
For four years from 2000 to 2004 I was Chairman of St Osyth Parish Council, which during that period was one of the first seven towns or parishes in England to be designated a 'Quality Parish Council' by DEFRA.
My e-mail address is [michaelt@nse.co.uk] for anyone wishing to contact me
28/12/05