DAVID “DAI” KING’S WAR David receiving a certificate from our President, Air Commodore Vivian Warrington. Major Manford of 3 Para is the officer.
In the spring of 1933, David was with his friends playing with hoops and unfortunately he was hit by a car; his and not the car driver’s fault. He ended up spending thirteen weeks in Monmouth hospital with a broken leg. He remembers being quite spoilt. He also remembers having lovely times with his both his grandparents who lived at Harewood End. He was in the Boy Scouts, the Choir, and later joined the St. John’s Ambulance Brigade. Firstly he was in school at Raglan and later Monmouth. In 1937 he remembers the Coronation of King George V1 and Queen Elizabeth. By then. David and family were living in Dingestow. In August 1938, his happy school days were over and he started work in the September. He started as gardener’s boy working with his father. Over the next few years he worked himself up the ladder, working at Cefntilla Court where he became head gardener. He then went to work at Lydney Park. In 1943 he joined up. In December 1946 he returned to Lydney Park and later he met Brenda. On September 16th 1950 they were married and began their life together at Cefntilla. They had two daughters Rosamund and Dorothy which made their family complete. In 1955 David became head gardener at Brook Farm, in Northmoor, Oxfordshire – it was a large market garden. In 1970 they moved to Frilford Farms at Longworth, but this did not work out - neither David or Brenda enoyed it there so in 1972 they moved to Shrivenham, Oxon, where David worked as a private head gardener at Compton Beauchamp. This was a very enjoyable time of their lives - David doing the job he loved and Brenda working part-time with him. Their grandchildren were born and in 1985 they bought their lovely house “Westridge”.
David retired in 1988 and they moved to Ross-on-Wye. They soon settled in and became pillars of the society. David joined the Royal British Legion and became membership secretary, welfare officer and served on the committee for many years. Sadly he lost his beloved Brenda in December 2003. David has only recently moved into a home in Witney where he is near to his daughters and grandchildren who are able to visit him regularly. |
To paraphrase an old Army song, "When Dai's rotten war was over..", he became a Legion member. Here he is perhaps in 2005, second in from the right and with his Ross Branch pals. The then President, Colonel Robert Purvis is third in from the left. Who are the others? When were the photos taken? Please use the Contact page. Say if it is OK to use your name.
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