I was born in the United Kingdom, had a very nice childhood, lovely parents, I had an education which was interrupted at times with my illness, I found the headmaster at my junior school very brutal as he caned me constantly for not knowing the lessons, he did not take into consideration the serious illness I had suffered. My hands would swell and double in size as he caned me, he was a psychopath, who met his own kind because after each beating I smiled as if to say 'fuck you, you bastard' I never complained to my father even though I could not hold his hand - he once said to me 'Yorkshire Men do not cry son'

My father was a very brave man, he went down into the mines every single day he could, he was a face work, cutting coal with a pick and shovel depending on the height of the coal seam he could be laid on his back and side in an 18 inch seam, Sometimes the heat was insufferable or he was laid in water for eight hours, He was buried several times, when the roof collapsed but he survived and as he got older and more scars appeared, His lungs started failing him, it was hard to breath, He would spend hours sat in front of the hearth trying to get the coal dust up that was clogging his throat and chest.

Some people might say why go to work if he was like that get another job ? The answer as was given me was that he was a collier and would die being one, that was his life like his father and grandfather and generations of them. My brothers were also colliers as was my uncles and my school mates, My mother told my dad  'Leslie is never going down the mine
we need one son who can work without me worrying everyday like I do for you, our Tommy and Dennis.'

So I started my working life at the age of 15 yrs old, I was an apprentice fitter in a foundry that made equipment for the pits, because it was a mining area, the whole industry was related to the mining. I spent three years on a bench working the trade, and hated being cooped up in a large foundry I needed space and adventure, I could find plenty of space but the adventure for my mates was pigeon racing and greyhounds, Not enough for me.

One lunch time I walked down to the Army recruiting office, did a test came home with some paperwork, Told my parents I had signed on, My father I thought was going to kill me, Even though I looked down at him with my 6 ft spare frame,
When I explained my need to see the world to get away from the humdrum life of the community they acknowledged my thoughts and were a bit more happier.

After initial training I joined my regiment in Düsseldorf, West Germany, my new life had started in earnest the training and tasks given were very hard, but it was a lovely feeling, to be free from boring civilian life and have great mates, who would be my mates many years after leaving the forces. 'God Bless them'
 

Our major Far Eastern tour of service took us to the quaint Malayan town of Malacca where I met my first wife, she was a young Chinese lady, who entranced me within the first few moments of meeting her --- we were married for 27 years, and had two beautiful daughters.
 

Lesparkin