Re: Pat Ritter. Books
Posted: Wed Dec 02, 2015 9:37 pm
'His Life Worth Living' - Page 5:
About twelve or thirteen years old I did my share of housework, clean floors, make the fire in the kitchen and later, occasionally cook the Sunday roast and vegetables for dinner. A big range, which is a stove, both the range and the hot water system used a lot of coal. When I was fifteen years old I played Santa Claus and went around the beds filling the Christmas stockings with nuts, lollies and a toy.
My brothers were taken to a Navy School. None of them wrote to me and as I had no addresses I couldn't write to them. I remember my eldest brother Bert my other brothers, Fred and Charlie, from photographs. John, I met when Eva and I went to England in 1959. Fred, on my next trip to England, but, they were complete strangers and I had nothing in common with them.
I liked school and learned to like sport especially running. 1923 or 1924 I went with a party of other boys to the Wembley Exhibitions in London. The School Master asked if I had any money. I told him four shillings. He gave me a strange look. I thought I was a millionaire. Obviously he thought differently. The Board of Guardian under the Poor Law Act gave me this money.
At Beechwood one of the many cross roads of my life happened. I won a place at Hatherleigh School, twenty boys and twenty girls to a class. I was in 3B. Nothing memorable academically with my ability but I was good at sport reaching the finals in soccer with a gold and silver medal. The football grounds at Newport were in the country, about one mile away. We won the match. I was on a high. No celebrations afterwards only a mile walk back home telling everyone we won. Oh yes. That was all. I was on a high for about three hours. After all these years the indifference still hurts.
I was first in high jump, also first in throwing the cricket ball. This is one of the things which happened often. On this day I was sent out onto the grounds with a message from the Headmaster to the Master of Sports who was training a squad in throwing. I did not think much of their efforts so I asked for a throw. The others threw forty to fifty yards. My first and only throw seventy yards. In the finals I threw over eighty yards.
TO DOWNLOAD THIS BOOK: CLICK HERE: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/591980.
About twelve or thirteen years old I did my share of housework, clean floors, make the fire in the kitchen and later, occasionally cook the Sunday roast and vegetables for dinner. A big range, which is a stove, both the range and the hot water system used a lot of coal. When I was fifteen years old I played Santa Claus and went around the beds filling the Christmas stockings with nuts, lollies and a toy.
My brothers were taken to a Navy School. None of them wrote to me and as I had no addresses I couldn't write to them. I remember my eldest brother Bert my other brothers, Fred and Charlie, from photographs. John, I met when Eva and I went to England in 1959. Fred, on my next trip to England, but, they were complete strangers and I had nothing in common with them.
I liked school and learned to like sport especially running. 1923 or 1924 I went with a party of other boys to the Wembley Exhibitions in London. The School Master asked if I had any money. I told him four shillings. He gave me a strange look. I thought I was a millionaire. Obviously he thought differently. The Board of Guardian under the Poor Law Act gave me this money.
At Beechwood one of the many cross roads of my life happened. I won a place at Hatherleigh School, twenty boys and twenty girls to a class. I was in 3B. Nothing memorable academically with my ability but I was good at sport reaching the finals in soccer with a gold and silver medal. The football grounds at Newport were in the country, about one mile away. We won the match. I was on a high. No celebrations afterwards only a mile walk back home telling everyone we won. Oh yes. That was all. I was on a high for about three hours. After all these years the indifference still hurts.
I was first in high jump, also first in throwing the cricket ball. This is one of the things which happened often. On this day I was sent out onto the grounds with a message from the Headmaster to the Master of Sports who was training a squad in throwing. I did not think much of their efforts so I asked for a throw. The others threw forty to fifty yards. My first and only throw seventy yards. In the finals I threw over eighty yards.
TO DOWNLOAD THIS BOOK: CLICK HERE: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/591980.