Mature humour for those over 18 is the theory, but then who knows what 14 year olds will sneak into - still there's little here they won't learn at school from their friends!
The art of RIchard Hill
Robert Eric Hill, 1917 - 2002 - A Twentieth Century Life. An autobiography, the life of Robert Eric Hill from childhood to death including world war two, the Lancastria, Qatar, Iraq, his cars and his views on Saddam Hussien as well as a family tree and his eulogy.
A guide to websites about the city of Bath in Somerset, England
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Aung San Suu Kyi, Dusty, Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, Mary, Patrick, Star Trek, The Tallis Scholars
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1. Prologue
2. Grandparents
3. Childhood
4. School
5. Graphic art
6. Love & sex
7. Transport
8. France
9. Lancastria
10. Transport
11. Blighty
12. 8th Army

13. Transport
14. Paiforce
14. P & I
15. Civvy street
16. New beginning
17. All about oil
18. Qatar
19. Marriage
20. Baghdad
21. Lebanon
22. Qatar 2
23. The accident
24. Dealing

25. Portugal

26. Qatar 3
27. Johah
28. A D A
29. Leaving
30. Taprobane
31. Saddam
32. Christmas
33. Unanwitiya
34. Shopping
35. Looking back
36. Eulogy
37. Family Tree
38. Story
39. Voices
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PROLOGUE: MY LIFE HISTORY
Year
Age

Comment
1917 Born 23rd November, christened Robert Eric after Robert Eric Barringer.
1922 5 Rosemary School.
1923 6 Maternal grandmother Mary Barlow died.
1927 10 High Oakham school.
1928 11 Maternal grandfather William Barlow died.
1929 12 Elsie married John Chapman.
1931 14

Father's business at a standstill, no money - two years of poverty.Worked as a shop boy to Martin Wilkinson , the jewellers.
1932 15 Mansfield Technical Art College, part time working for my father, not happy at home. William married Mabel Fisher of Wellow.
1934 17 Illustra Signs, Walter Rowland. Full employment as a poster artist.
1935 18 Devon, Teignmouth
1936 19 Bought Illustra Signs and sold out to E. L. Thomas & Sons. Couldn't find suitable premises, lack of capital and confidence.
1937 20 Took on Laurence Brindley as an apprentice. Business steady but lacklustre.
1938 21 Bought a high speed motor bike and enjoyed living. War clouds loomed.
1939 22 17th October, joined Royal Engineers, Chatham, Kent.
1940 23 S. M. E. then to France in March. Back in June - Lancastria, Leeds and Lincoln. Captain Tolhurst R. E.
1941 24 March - Cape to Suez. November - Sidi Barrani. Colonel C. Chevis R. E.
1942 25 Pushed back from Al Alegeila/Cairo May/June. July - Iraq, Iran. Colonel E. D. Kassell R. E.
1943 26 Left Iran August to Karachi, across to Calcutta, on to Agatarla, Tripura and Bengal.
1944 27 Dacca, Tegoan, Kurmitola, Calcutta and Delhi.
1945 28 Agatarla, Tripura, Darjeeling. Repatriation to Barnard Castle. Eileen married Oliver Brindley.
1946 29 2nd January, Manager of Scala Cinema, Blidworth.
1947 30 Studied accountancy in plenty of spare time. Part 1, 2 and 3. Enjoyed the post war period but could not settle down. Lack of petrol.
1948 31 Obtained post with I. P. C. in March. Out to Qatar, Zekrit as Paymaster, then Pay Accountant, Dukhan. Met Monty Bartlett, Nobby Nobbs and Harold Jolly.
1949 32 "Abu Floos" - Pay Accountant. Father died.
1950 33 "Abu Floos" - Pay Accountant and Stores Accountant. Met Maureen Margaret Jolly.
1951 34 Married Maureen 8th May 1951, at the Political Residence, Bahrain.
1952 35 Richard Douglas Spence born 17th September, Kirkuk, Iraq.
1953 36 Leave at Taunggyi Ooyin in summer, gloriously hot.
1954 37 Julia Elizabeth born 20th July, Bahrain. Mother died. Dukhan and Umm Said.
1955 38 Transferred to Kirkuk by private plane, July.
1956 39 Stores Accountant transferring 100,000 records on manuscript to N. C. R. machine records. Made the fundamental mistake of doing much of the work myself and not forming a team. It took 15 months and helped towards the divorce as I was never home at the time. Report was "a clean transfer".
1958 41 King Faisal of Iraq assassinated. Revolution.
1959 42 Still in Kirkuk though now with Mosul Petroleum Co. as Assistant D. A.
1960 43 Mosul and Kirkuk, then down to Basra.
1961 44 Basra Petroleum Co. as Cost Accountant. Divorced Maureen.
1962 45 Assistant D. A. to McPherson, Tripoli, Lebanon.
1963 46 November, London for briefing. December out to Qatar.
1964 47 Divisional Superintendent, Training, Commercial. Met Hassan Yacoub Hussain Al Ansari.
1965 48 Superintendent Commercial Training also Acting Head of Training (each year 1966 - 1972), also Acting Personnel & Training Co-ordinator, also Acting Area Superintendent Dukhan, also Acting Area Superintendent Umm Said, also Acting Senior Personnel Assistant Doha.
1971 54 Employee Development Supervisor. Downgrade in title to make room for local Palestinian.
1972 55 Senior Personnel Assistant as reward for patience - see above.
1973 56 Retired in August, service to 16th November. To Algarve.
1974 57 Armacao de Pera, Algarve.
1975 58 Algarve - Doha - Algarve. Ishaq Mohammed.
1976 59 Doha - London - Doha.
1977 60 Doha - Algarve - London, I. M. E. G.
1978 61 I. M. E. G. London, Fulham. Met Robert Gamage 5th February. Visit America and Italy. Richard divorced.
1979 62 I. M. E. G. London to August then Brighton. Visit Italy, Houston, San Francisco and Marin County.
1980 63 Retired, then Consultant to I. M. E. G.
1981 64 Retired Consultant, Lowestoft. Julie remarried.
1982 65 Retired Consultant, Lowestoft. Richard married Margaret.
1983 66 Retired Consultant, Hove. Breeanna born.
1984 67 Benjamin born.
1985 68 March, to Sri Lanka with Robert. Alex born.
1986 69 Sri Lanka for 9 weeks. Robert married.
1987 70 Sri Lanka 3rd January to 30th March. Spain September for 2 weeks. Diabetes diagnosed. Hassan bought 69 Langdale Gardens then revoked £140,000 sale next day.
1988 71 Sri Lanka for one month only. Spain December.
1989 72 Spain January. Bought freehold of 84 New Church Road. Spain May and June.
1990 73 Victoria born January 26th. January 27th to Sri Lanka until 10th April. Robert back with me to 12th June. Oliver died 29th May 1990. Eileen died 21st October 1990.
1991 74 Robert from Sri Lanka 22nd March. Back 8th September. J. H. Mitchell died in D155.
1992 75 June, Robert from Sri Lanka. August both in Germany for 2 weeks then Algarve for 1 week. Robert returned to Sri Lanka 24th November. Valerie died January 1992.
1993 76 9th January to Sri Lanka. Returned March. 10th October Robert to UK.
1994 77 Went to Sri Lanka. Hassan married Sheika.
1995 78 Tony Scammell had operation. Rita Hill died 12th October.
1996 79 Robert started building ground floor of new house. Came to UK July. Elsie's 90th arty 5th October. Elsie died 5th December.
1997 80 Robert returned to Sri Lanka 6th January. I went to Sri Lanka 6th December. New house (a little palace!) finished. Larry died. Hassan visits UK three times each year now.
1998 81 Returned UK 25th February with Robert. Robert back to Sri Lanka 23rd July.
1999 82 Went to Sri Lanka 1st January. Robert to UK July back to Sri Lanka 8th December. Tony Scammell died. Re-married Maureen 11th October.
2000 83 Robert came to UK July. Went to Bath 23rd December. Disaster, back home on 29th December.
2001 84 Thinking of moving to Bath. Looked at places. Sold New Church Road December.
2002 Moved to Bath, January 10th. Robert Eric Hill died 22nd February.
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