Having been prompted by my son Andrew to put down on paper what I know of our family from years gone by, so it is not lost when I die, I decided to write a version of my family history, or that part of it which is known to me from what little my father was told when he was young and from what I know of my mother's early life. Naturally I have had to improvise in many areas, especially since he was not inclined to talk about some things he had experienced so I have done my best both to see through his eyes and also to relate many of my mother's experiences.