My name is Kathleen Margaret Skeet (nee Cuthbert). I was born in Stowmarket, Suffolk March 27th 1929.

My Mother, Margaret Alice and my father, had six children. Three boys, three girls. Peter was the eldest, then Michael William. Next was Diana Mary, then John Fitzmaurice (Fitzmaurice being a family name from my mother's side. I think it was her mother's maiden name.) I was born after John; Patricia Anne was the last born, a twin, but the other one died before birth, and that really upset my mother.

My father's name was William Townsend Cuthbert.

Peter had no children and was only married a short while before divorce. Michael has one child Alan. Diana has one child Paul Emile. John has four children, David, Jane, Shirley and Stephen. I, of course, have Veronica, my pride and joy. Pat has no children. Unfortunately my father died before he could inherit any of his father's wealth (my grandfather Cuthbert).

My father only earned thirty shillings a week and my mother had to feed and clothe eight of us on that. The rent for our bungalow was two shillings and sixpence a week. We always had plenty of really lovely home cooking. If only I could cook as well as she could.

My father often beat her up. I don't know how she survived and coped with us all. I never remember her smacking me.

Every time he hit mum she had a friend who was married to an ex-sailor, Fred Handley. He was just like Popeye the Sailor, and was he tough?

He would knock dad flying across the room and dad would shout out 'Stop it Fred'. He couldn't take it or give it back to him!

It is ironical I should marry a man?? Just like him. He didn't hit me because I warned both of my husbands to be that if they laid one finger in anger on me they would come off worst. I would make them suffer for all that my mum went through. But Norman, my second husband used mental cruelty.

Mother eventually left my father and took John, Pat and I to live in London where she had been a housemaid before she married. The lady she worked for was Mrs. Blomfield. She had a chauffeur, ladies' maid and cook. While my poor mother worked very hard keeping the flat cleaned, we would be taken to Hyde Park in the car. Other times the ladies' maid would take us out and we would go back to lovely ice cream cook had made for us.

After that we came down to Worthing to stay with my aunt Cath for two weeks. During that time war broke out, it was 1939. We then became evacuees and that's another story.