A Northern Childhood

This book chronicles the author's early life, from their birth in 1948 in austerity Britain to leaving school in 1964. It evokes memories of a poor but happy childhood, with a focus on the Cooper family and their struggles to survive in post-war Britain. The author also discusses their school life, including their first school, Parkfield Infant/Primary, and their later experience at Hollin Secondary Modern School. Football is an important part of the author's life, particularly their love of Oldham Athletic.

Format: Hardback
Length: 126 pages
Publication date: 04 November 2021
Publisher: Grosvenor House Publishing Ltd

This book chronicles my early life, from my birth in 1948 in austerity Britain to leaving school in 1964. The book is written very much through my own eyes, evoking memories of a poor but happy childhood. Life in what is now a distant bygone age was a lot simpler, and any pleasures were something you wholeheartedly embraced, as they did not come along too often. It has been said many times that everyone has a book in them, and had been at the back of my mind for many years, without a clear idea of what my book would be about. With hindsight, I think the idea of this book was always there in my mind, as I remember vividly the first few lines, which simply describe the end of my childhood, as I waited for the no. 17 bus to take me home after my last football match. It was August 1964, and my first job awaited at the Cooperative Wholesale Society in Manchester. The Cooper family was probably no different from any other family on Pershore Road, working hard to survive in post-war Britain, and my parents striving to bring up their children with relatively little money. My mother (our Mam) was the rock of the family, the glue that held it all together, and was fiercely protective of her children. My father, I am sure, had his demons, and only having one leg for almost 40 years of his life would not have been easy, both physically and psychologically. I did find it difficult to talk to him at times, and with hindsight, regret not having had a closer relationship. The greater Cooper family were an interesting bunch, but had many secrets and numerous fallings out. Things changed slowly in the 1950s, and this was epitomized in my school life. My first school, Parkfield Infant/Primary, was a throwback to the old days, with some of my teachers having taught my mother, the maxim being children's s.

Weight: 252g
Dimension: 134 x 211 x 15 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781839758706