Page 11 - It's a Rum Life Book One "In the Beginning 1947 to 1960"

look at family history on the Internet, that I wondered why it
took my mother so long to divorce her first husband (married in
1939) and marry the second. What became obvious as years
went by though was that the first chap had a lucky escape,
something my father was just not able to do!

AT THE ZOO
That first journey to London had other memories too, the
most significant and certainly worth mentioning is the trip to
London Zoo on the Sunday morning.
I recall, the whole place seemed deserted and we found
ourselves outside the elephant cage. All the animals were in
cages in those days and the elephant’s was semi circular with
access to a living area at the back.
We seemed to be totally alone in the park and an animal
keeper was in with one particular elephant.
Perhaps he took pity on my inquisitive nature, or perhaps
that particular elephant expressed an interest in us. However, he
(the keeper), invited us in.
Hard to imagine today, with all the health and safety “police”
taking away our basic civil liberties. But it really happened and
what occurred next is one of my very first memories as a three
year old.
We had not been in very long before the elephant began
sidling up to my mother.
Whether it was an actual male I do not recall, as at the age of
three I had not yet become used to distinguishing between
sexes.
The elephant however was far more mature than I, and did
not take long to put its trunk up mother’s skirt!
I remember the suit she wore. Navy blue, with some form of
sequin type decoration also in blue. Mother being at all times on
the stout side, the skirt was quite tight. The elephant was not

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