Page 70 - recollections of a life in Porthleven

Chapter 13

MY VERY SPECIAL DAD

I hope you don’t mind but I would like to continue from my last story when
I reminisced about Dad and I building our boat, ‘Our Janice PZ228’.

I know fathers are generally a very special member of every family, as my
father was to us, Margaret, Stephen and I. My Dad was a very large man,
approx. 18 stone in weight and extremely strong mentally and physically.
I’m not sure if he was born like that or if what life dealt him made him that
way.

Readers of my stories will know my Dad was widowed very young, he lost
his wife, Marion when he was in his early thirties. He brought up his three
children, Stephen (a baby), me (four years old) and Margaret (8 years old).
I’ve been told he and my mother also lost a baby boy before I was born. I’ve
also been told he had to fight the authorities to keep his children. Back then
it was considered a father was not capable of correctly raring his children.
If he had not been successful we would have all been split up and possibly
been taken out of the county.

As you know from my previous stories my Dad kept us together as a family
and appreciated the help given to him by my grandparents. Also the villagers
of Porthleven supported us.

My Dad was known for his physical strength as early as being a teenager
and into his twenties. He and his good friend Henry Walters, who lived on
Breagside in Porthleven used to visit the fairs and country shows when they
came touring our county. They didn’t go to spend their hard earned wages,
just the opposite, they would go into the boxing or wrestling ring and take
on the showmen. They had great success and earned themselves extra money.
They would travel all over the county from Penzance, Redruth, Bodmin and
even up to Liskeard which was quite a distance back in those days.

Dad must have been a good fighter as he never had his nose broken but I
can’t remember about Henry’s nose. After a few years of going around the