Halcyon Days

Gordon Beard grew up in the small village of Lydbrook in the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire. The book covers the period before and during the early years of World War ll, from Gordon's earliest memories to the end of his primary schooling. Life in Lydbrook was busy in those days, and there is a wealth of description of village life, from the abundance of shops - including three bakers, numerous sweetshops, butchers and 'even a branch of Lloyds Bank' - to early school years, which Mr...
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Gordon Beard grew up in the small village of Lydbrook in the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire. The book covers the period before and during the early years of World War ll, from Gordon's earliest memories to the end of his primary schooling. Life in Lydbrook was busy in those days, and there is a wealth of description of village life, from the abundance of shops - including three bakers, numerous sweetshops, butchers and 'even a branch of Lloyds Bank' - to early school years, which Mr Beard appears to have thoroughly enjoyed, and, of course, the numerous cousins, aunts and uncles of his own family. Written in a wry, self-deprecating style, Mr Beard's reminisces are beautifully evocative, whether he is describing his physical surroundings, the goings-on of his rascally mates, or the tale of the pub with the room where, it is still told even today, they piled the dead bodies from some Civil War skirmish, '..although the said pub wasn't even opened until the 19th century, but we didn't know that and neither do the visitors.' As an insight into how life was lived in rural communities not that long ago, this book is a delight. For those who grew up in such communities, perhaps in Lydbrook itself, in the Forest of Dean or elsewhere, Mr Beard's book will prove to be a wonderful trip down memory lane.