Goodmayes 82-year-old publishes recollections of the Second World War

A grandfather has written a book about his experiences as a 14-year-old boy working as a roofer while rockets were falling from the sky during the Second World War.

John Barfoot, 82, of Ilfracombe Gardens, Goodmayes, is a passionate local historian and has written three books focusing on Ilford during the war years.

Mr Barfoot said: “I’m pleased with it, I could write another story about getting the book published.”

The book, titled Memoirs of a Little Blighter, covers his experiences during the Second World War and what the Ilford area used to be like.

He said: “You don’t get many books about children in the war. When I left school in 1944 it was just in time for the rockets to start falling. It’s different from what the children have, and expect, today.”

Copies of the book, which was published earlier this month, are available from dbdy@btinternet.com.