A Boy from Haggerston

A Boy from Haggerston by Ben Flude A book that vividly shows the hardship of life for working class for Londoners before World War 2. The Author tells his life story, from humble beginnings in London's East End to the beginnings of a professional career and married life in Surrey. Ben Flude's Mum was from a large East End family brought up in a two-roomed flat. His Dad was from a family of Umbrella Makers, who transferred his skills to begin a career in servicing early aeroplanes for the Royal Flying Corp at Croydon Aerodrome. Ben's Mum had a good job working in the canteen of the Bovril Factory in Old Street, but, convention insisted she had to give it up as soon as she got married. So, everything changed when his Dad died unexpectedly from a perforated ulcer, at only 28 year's old. The book tells the story of how the family coped, not just with poverty and poor housing, but with war, evacuation and service in the Armed Forces.