John Cooper vividly recalls the dark days of the Second World War – air raids, rationing, Home Guard manoeuvres, prisoners of war on the doorstep and the excitement of VE Day – and the long, carefree days of post-war childhood that followed, when the pace of life was much gentler than today. The author recalls local shops, now long gone, such as Harriden’s grocery store and Mr Lines the blacksmith, as well as Harpenden’s two cinemas, in one of which he was briefly employed as a projectionist. Memories of the glittering Festival of Britain and Queen Elizabeth II’s Coronation celebrations, together with a nostalgic journey back to Harpenden, round off this trip down memory lane, which will surely appeal to anyone interested in the history of Hertfordshire within living memory.
