Discovered books

Once my mother had decided to go into a care home, the arising consequence for me was how to close up her flat and all its contents.

With my sisters living miles away, everything involved was down to me. This in some ways made matters a bit more manageable.

To begin with, the larger items were quite easily disposed of - charity shops are abundant in Loughborough.  The better examples of brown furniture would be going to either of my sisters or be retained by myself.  Smaller items treated much the same, but then came the books.

Most of the books had been collected by my father over his lifetime. In very good condition, there was everything from The National Trust, gardening advice, churches in the UK, woodwork and an assorted array of autobiographies, novels, and periodicals.

It was amongst these that I found copies of two books by Howard Spring, gifts from my mother in 1940.  The first - ‘Fame is the Spur’ - he had lent to me as a teenager in 1960. This book is all about the nature of socialism, and personal ambitions. I remember him telling me this advice. ‘If you are not a socialist by the time you are 18, you do not have a heart. If you are a socialist after the age of 21, then you have no head.’

The second book, ‘My Son, My Son,’ was destined to remain unread by me for many years. This very poignant book is an in-depth read about a father’s ambitions for his son, and how the affairs of nations can wreak havoc with families and friends alike.  Its discovery has caused me to wonder if Dad actually intended me to read its pages now that I am past the age of retirement. I think that at 16 years of age, I would not have got past the first chapter!

David Taylor