The 246TH
John Partington
I was born on the 20th December 1948 in Reddish, Stockport, Cheshire. I was Educated at St Elisabeth’s Church Junior School. As a child I have fond memories of playing with go-carts made from old pram wheels and racing around the streets. Plus making balsawood aircraft with glue tissue paper and elastic bands and taking them to the local park to fly them. I was also a member of the church choir and I remember doing a soprano solo one Christmas just after my tenth birthday. I lost my mother to lung cancer when I was 10 years old and that knocked me for six, but my grandmother stepped in to look after me until my father re-married when I was 12.
My grandmother was a tower of strength for me because I couldn't get on with my stepmother. After I left the church school at 11 I was a pupil at Reddish Vale Secondary Modern School and I took an interest in the usual boy things football cricket sports etc, I left this school with a general certificate of education. I think they gave you that so you wouldn't feel thick when you came up against grammar school pupils looking for the same jobs you were after Lol!!! I got an apprenticeship in carpentry and joinery with a small building firm called John Lee's & Son; they were based in Stockport about 7 miles from reddish and I used to cycle to work and home again every day. I preferred the journey to work better because I could go down a long hill into Stockport, but the journey home was very tiring going uphill. While I was an apprentice I also had to attend Stockport Technical College for one day a week, for the theory and some practical work.
As a teenager there wasn't much to do except the youth club twice a week where I used to enjoy playing darts, table tennis and snooker. I also used to play and beat the pensioners at crown green bowls as I was pretty good. I also used to be a campanologist and enjoyed bell ringing practice. If I managed to get out of bed in time I would go to church before the service and ring the bells with another 12 bell ringers and we used to be able to do quite a few rounds or peals in the half an hour we had before the service. As I got older, I got more depressed and wanted to leave home. My father had wanted me to go into the Royal Navy as he was a petty officer during the war, servicing fighter aircraft. I failed the exam but, never mind the army would usually take rejects, so I joined up in 1966 and did my basic training at Catterick camp, near Rippon, in Yorkshire and learned how to drive tanks. They were called Centurions, weighed 50 tons and had a top speed of 45 mph and two reverse speeds called "Oh ****" and "Oh crap" as the thickest armoured plate was at the front, so you didn't want to get hit by a shell anywhere else! It had a 120mm main gun and 50mm machine gun rangefinder that fired a tracer bullet every fourth round.
The only thing I used to hate was sometimes the hot bullet casings would land on the back of my neck. After this I was transferred to my regiment the Prince of Wales Dragoon Guards based at Detmold in Germany. This was the year that England won the world cup by beating the Germans in Germany. I think the whole camp cheered when the final whistle went and everyone celebrated that evening but I can't remember it too well. I have also served in North Africa and Cyprus. While I was in Cyprus I was informed my Father had died from a heart attack and I was granted two weeks compassionate leave and a travel warrant to fly back to England the following day, I went to stay with my Grandmother as my parents had moved to Poole in Dorset and I only wanted to travel down on the day of the funeral and back up to Reddish. I remember the church was packed as my Dad was quite a popular character, my stepmother indicated I wasn't welcome and that was the last time I saw her.
I went back to Cyprus but the army had lost some of its interest for me. I requested to leave by purchase because I had only done just over three year’s service out of the nine years I had signed up for. The regiment was sent back to Germany and I eventually had my request accepted so it cost me £200. I was then sent to Bovington Camp in Dorset where I was transferred to the reserves by request in 1970. I got married and during the next decade had two lovely daughters and went through jobs varying from delivery driver, salesman, shower fitter, delivery driver, shop manager. I moved to Sutton-in-Ashfield in Nottinghamshire for this job and then Mansfield Nott's and stayed there, self employed carpet fitter, miner, salesman, plus others to numerous to mention. During this time my marriage was beginning to fail and the endless rows made me want to work away from home, so I started working for a Crewe based company in 1995 as a representative and travelled the whole of the UK. It was in 1999 I met and fell in love with Barbara, whose own marriage had broken down, and in November 1999 I left my wife and moved to Crewe. Barbara left her husband on the 30th December and moved in with me.
We lived together since then and after the divorces came through we were married on the 27th August 2004 so Barbara gained two step daughters and I gained five stepsons. I have two Daughters, Joanne aged 37 who is still single and Jennifer aged 30 who is married to Michael and they made me a Grandfather to Joseph in December 2007, they both live in Rainworth, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. Barbara has five sons, Steven aged 30 who got married to Claire in 2006 and they presented me with my first Step Grandson called Wilson in 2007, they have just had a little girl called Penelope in January 2009. Peter aged 27 is single and has his own house in Crewe, Robert aged 25 lives with his girlfriend Tracey in Crewe and they have a little boy called Jacob born in December 2007, they are getting married in June 2009. Martin aged 23 lives with his girlfriend Lisa in Nantwich and they have a little girl called Leah aged 5 and a little boy called Taylor born 2008, they are getting married in July 2009. Mathew aged 18 lives with his father in Crewe.
I have messed around with computers since 1995 and put my first site online the same year. I am self taught, mainly by reading books and making mistakes but I am quite competent now. I have recently had to stop working because of ill health, I won't bore you with the details but I am now unable to do a normal day’s work. I am hoping that I can develop my online interests including Adlandpro and my other sites; I almost forgot Barbara is now a member of Adlandpro and is affectionately known as “The Power behind the Throne". Thanks for reading!
Best Wishes John Partington.