Dear Diary:
The 1950’s were exciting!
My Dad was a Scenic Artist with The Court Players, a theatrical company which (by the nature of their work) were often moving around the country as seasonal contracts changed. His responsibilities included the design and painting of the scenery for the shows being presented.
Mum and Dad’s recollections of “home” included numerous lodgings from the Midlands, to North Wales and to the North East and North West coasts of England. Constantly moving around did not provide opportunities for me to have many friends however, it did give me a high degree of independence.
It was in 1950 that I had my first adventure! It was at Bridlington, when I would have been almost 4 years old. I was about to experience the world!
We were in lodgings there when someone asked “Where’s the little lad? I haven’t seen him for a while.” Thence began a thorough search of the house, the garden, and the street outside but there was no sign of me. Then the search broadened as people went off on their bikes, and in their cars.
I had decided to go off on my own so I took my little friend Arberbar (phonetic) and went off down the road. Arberbar was what I called my pillow, which tended to go everywhere with me.
I was eventually found at Bridlington railway station, clutching Arberbar and pointing through the iron railings saying “Trains! Trains!” As Dad remembered the situation “We don’t know how you did it. The station was well over a mile away and you had to cross a main road to get there!”
They think that I must have heard the trains and decided to investigate. What an adventure I must have had!
A New Direction Perhaps? 
Whoa! Only 4 years old! Glad your little adventure turned out safe and its cool to know you still have a love of trains!
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That would have to be the first of many adventures! 🙂
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Colin, I’m absolutely loving your Diary entires! 🙂
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That makes me very happy. Given your age (based on “90’s kid”), it will give you an insight into how things used to be….. and more education is always a good thing.
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Sure! It will, of course! 🙂
& let me tell you that, I love history! & your stories of your childhood are indeed very interesting! 🙂
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Your parents must have been worried!
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The theatrical profession was apparently a very close knit community. As soon as I was missed, the story goes that everybody got mobilized and started looking. Yes, no doubt they were worried, but they had ample help in planning search areas.
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and it was a simpler time.
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Perhaps, but recovering from WWII, unemployment, rebuilding, food scarcities, rationing etc. would have made things “less simple”. My life, being so young, was of course very simple!
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perhaps safer is what I meant. No one would kidnap you.
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Brave little lad. How exciting it must have been!!
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I am sure it was but, unfortunately, my memory cells weren’t up to speed at that time. Dear Diary – Page 3 includes some actual memories of the time and by Dear Diary – Page 6, all memory cells are up and running!
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I’m glad those were days when a wandering child was relatively safe from evil people and there was less traffic. You must have been walking as fast as your little legs could move. Are you still fascinated by trains? 🙂
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I create UK railway routes for a commercial train simulator as a hobby. Perhaps that answers your question? 🙂
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A life long interest. I’m impressed
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Ah, the good old days… 😉
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Life was simple then, but I suspect that has little to do with the world (England was in post WWII recovery mode), and everything to do with the mind of a 4 year old boy!:)
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And so lucky, that back then, you were less likely to come to harm.
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