Don't you remember that Uncle who was always pleased to see you, give you a sweet and tell you interesting stories. Well I was lucky enough to have a number of these.
The earliest of that I remember lived in The "George Inn" on Weymouth harbor quay. I recall there being a pool table in the bar and going there when it was closed to visit my Grandparents and coming across Uncle Pat. He was home from the Air Force I think and had a funny little hat on the side of his head and his blue uniform. The pub was closed so it was OK for me (about six I think) to be in the bar and I wanted to play pool. It needed a coin to get the balls out but Pat knew how to make it play for free!!! My Hero!!!
The second memorable Uncle was another of my Dad's brothers and I always called him Uncle Buster. And just up the street and around the corner from Derby Street by the railway he had a workshop and made wrought iron gates and things. I used to feel very grown up when I visited him as he would offer me a mug of tea, no milk but plenty of sugar. I would watch him heat the metal in his forge and he would let me use the bellows and hit some hot iron too. For a little six or seven year old lad, this was heaven. And I felt very grown up as I never seemed to be treated as a child, but a real person who could do things and be trusted.
My third special Uncle was my mother's brother, Uncle Sid. He is the one who became an aircraft engineer and lived in Africa. It was a very special occasion when he visited us. He always had great hire car, gifts and lots of interesting photos. His wife was very glamorous and, having been born and brought up in Egypt, would never accept that when you went into a shop in Weymouth it was not going to work when she tried to haggle about the price of what ever it was she wanted. I think it embarrassed my mother when she went shopping with her so she avoided it if she could.
