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Archie Greenshields was born in 1920 and brought up in Chichester, West Sussex.
After I left school and commenced working for a living I had little contact with my cousins, apart from occasional meetings perhaps in town. Any news I received would have been passed on by Mum. The War commenced and it was not until after peace was declared and I returned home again and tried to pick up the pieces in the various family relationships, when my cousin Bill returned so briefly into my life again.
Soon after I arrived home from Germany a huge Army tank rumbled its was down Kent Road causing many residents to appear from the houses. Much to my surprise it came to a halt outside Mum's home and I saw a figure that I soon recognised as my cousin, Bill Tyler.
He was in uniform and bearing the rank of a sergeant major. We naturally exchanged greetings as neither of us had met for many hears. He had heard from his mother that I had been released from captivity and so had decided to meet me in grand style. He did not stay long and promised to return.
He never did though and soon afterwards I learned that he had been arrested and subsequently sentenced at Court- Martial for stealing the tank and a sergeant major's uniform and of course served time in a military prison in his true rank as a private soldier!
I kept in touch with Auntie Nell who was eventually widowed, her surviving children had left home and the last news of Bill was that he lived in London somewhere and worked as a painter. I last saw Auntie Nell during the latter end of the 1970's, or perhaps the very early 80's. At that time Mum was given a cleaning job by Florrie who lived on the same Parklands estate.
It was Florrie's idea to keep her sister occupied following Dad's death and had her dusting and polishing a couple of times a week. I called over to Chichester to see her for some reason or other, guessing where she would be. Whilst I was with Mum, we walked a few houses from Florrie's home and called on Auntie Nell. She was pleased to see me again after so many years.
Archie Greenshield, West Sussex, 2001
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