I am a British writer based in Hailsham. You’ll Be Sorry When I’m Gone is my first memoir, though not my first published work. In 2008, I was published by Elliot Way with a book in a different genre, How to Solve Cryptic Crosswords, which, as the title suggests, explains exactly that. It has sold consistently for 17 years and has been reprinted three times.
Although I began my career as an apprentice watchmaker at 15, after the death of my father, £4 and 10 shillings proved insufficient to live on. As a result, I learned the traditional craft of trug making. Several years later, I transitioned into carpentry, constructing log cabins across the UK. With the advent of the internet, I realised I could sell trugs nationwide rather than just locally. This led me to open a workshop in Hailsham and establish a business called Trug Makers. My wife—Jaqui (the leader of the opposition)—and we are still producing Sussex trugs to this day.
The objective in writing my recently published memoir was twofold. First, to fill in the gaps regarding my early life in the 1950s and ’60s for my now adult children and their children. Second, I wanted to shed light on the lifelong psychological impact that childhood separation and institutional care can have—as it did for me.
I hold a theory that, through retentive memory, the fear of abandonment can be passed on to our children. This was certainly the case for my daughter, as I explain in the book.
For readers who have experienced something similar, the memoir may be deeply emotional—certainly confirmed by the feedback I’ve recently received. I know it will resonate with the many former children in care, now adults, or with those who have shared similar experiences. It may also offer insight for those considering or making decisions to relocate or remove children from the only home and surroundings they know—whether temporarily, to attend a private school or college, or even permanently, for whatever reason. Even the most privileged children—even royalty—can experience trauma, heartache, and a sense of abandonment after being sent away.