far-flung EMPIRE w
HERE’S TO OUR
An account of a Colonial upbringing
Tony Orchard
far-flung EMPIRE w
HERE’S TO OUR
An account of a Colonial upbringing
Tony Orchard
far-flung EMPIRE w
HERE’S TO OUR
An account of a Colonial upbringing
MEMOIRS Cirencester
Published by Memoirs
Memoirs Books 25 Market Place, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, GL7 2NX info@memoirsbooks.co.uk www.memoirspublishing.com
Copyright ŠTony Orchard, March 2012 First published in England, 2010
ISBN 978-1-909020-25-2
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Although the author and publisher have made every effort to ensure that the information in this book was correct when going to press, we do not assume and hereby disclaim any liability to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause. The views expressed in this book are purely the author‘s.
Printed in England
Part of the proceeds from the UK sales of this book will be donated to Combat Stress, a charity dedicated to the mental welfare of ex-service personnel.
Here’s to our
far-flung Empire
‘Had it not been for World War Two and the ‘miracle of Dunkirk’ I, along with thousands of other children with parents in the colonies of the then British Empire, would have had an upbringing restricted to boarding schools in Britain, with holidays spent with other folk in loco parentis. ‘However, once out of the box aged just fourteen, I enjoyed a liberating run for the next seventeen years, seeing much of the world and living in three British dominions… ‘Such an upbringing was out of the ordinary. It contained some lows, some long plateaux and many more highs and if, as they say, variety is the spice of life, then mine had it in spades…’ Tony Orchard was born in Kenya in 1926. Most of the next fourteen years were spent at boarding schools in England and on holidays with relatives and guardians. Dunkirk provided the catalyst to joining his parents in India, thereafter traversing the British Empire from Bengal to Barbados, and Sydney to southern Ontario. Published by Memoirs 25 Market Place, Cirencester, Gloucestershire GL7 2NX. Tel: 01285 640485 Email: info@memoirsbooks.co.uk www.memoirspublishing.com
ISBN 978-1-909020-25-2
9 781909 020252