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'At the rear of the cottage was the woodpile, a stock of logs and kindling. It was here that we decided to experiment with the matches: recipe for disaster. Two children, a box of matches and a thatched cottage - who needed Germans? As the thatch ignited I could almost feel the stinging contact of my mum's hand. With the misplaced wisdom of a five-year-old, I dashed into the cottage, up the stairs and sought refuge under my mum's bed.'
Rod Broomham's autobiographical story of a country childhood that in many ways seems idyllic is much more than a mere exercise in nostalgia. He chronicles the exploits of a boy 'free to roam' through the meadows, hillsides, woodland, riversides and backwaters of rural Wiltshire in the years of the Second World War and the succeeding decade. The rough and tumble, discoveries and mishaps were all part of growing up - and he argues that to over-protect today's children and deny them the same freedom is to deprive them of the foundation for a worthwhile life.
Lyrically written, acutely observed and suffused with common sense, this is a book that will resonate with a generation that can remember when childhood was a true adventure. It will open the eyes of younger readers to a world that remains within reach yet is largely lost to us as a result of the changing values and increasing restrictions of modern life.
Rod Broomham was born and raised in Wiltshire before joining the Royal Navy as a boy. On completion of service he joined the Merchant Navy, where he served until taking retirement in 2005. Now living in Norfolk, his greatest pleasure is rediscovering the wildlife that played such an important part in his childhood.
