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He was born of a seafaring family in Newport, Gwent, South Wales, on 22nd March, 1931. His grandfather was one of the old Cape-Horners, who voyaged on sailing ships around the dreaded Horn. He is said to have left the sea because he objected to his shipmates' bad language. Thomas's father was drowned when his ship was torpedoed in 1943, and his mother died six months later. Leslie then aged 12 and his younger brother, Roy found themselves in the care of Dr. Barnardo's Homes, an experience evoked years later in his first book ‘This Time Next Week’ (Constable 1964) Leslie became a reporter at 16, he went on to do his national service, turning his experiences into the bestselling novel 'The Virgin Soldiers'. After the publication of ‘The Virgin Soldiers’ Leslie became a full-time writer and has now produced twenty-five novels and three travel books ‘Some Lovely Islands’, My World of Islands’ and ‘The Hidden Places of Britain’. He has also written a second volume of autobiography, ‘In My Wildest Dreams’. He is the author of the very funny 'Dangerous Davies' detective series, have been adapted for television (the latter also having spawned a film version, in 1981). All the above is fact, but I have had so much misinformation regarding Leslie Thomas being a Goldings Old Boy. The truth as far as I can ascertain he did have about a month or two at Goldings during latter part of the war years, when Germany had all but lost the war and was sending over about six hundred plus VI rockets a week. The air raid shelter at the back of sickbay were wrecked with the boys getting in and out. With the V1 information along with The Rev. F. C. Macdonald who was the Goldings Governor at the time Leslie arrived. Leslie also talks of going swimming, it must have been just after the month of June 1944? for a year later Mr. Wheatley was Headmaster.
‘Within the next few days our situation became so exposed that there was nothing for it but to load us on to lorries and escape. Most of the boys found themselves living in two square and sturdy manor houses in the safe flats of Norfolk. But twenty of us had another adventure first. We went, on our lorry, out of London, and north through the small ways of Hertfordshire. Three miles from Hertford itself we were taken from the road and down through a distinguished drive edged with thick shrubs and fine plants in summer flower. The place is called Goldings. Here in a massive and to my recollection, distinctly elegant building Barnardo’s have a school.’ He arrived like most of us in the stores wagon that used to run between the homes with DBH on the side of the wagon delivering food and clothing, I think only a few boys arrived at Goldings in a car like the lad in the film ‘A Good Start’ (which was a put-up job) I bet Leslie didn't get two sausages either. (Goldings joke) Leslie was transferred to get away from the bombing and ended-up at Goldings as a spare boy and had the misfortune to have been boarded at the time of The Rev. F. C. Macdonald who was the Goldings Governor who, it is reported, used to kneel and pray before giving any boy the cuts. This I have heard from other sources and is confirmed in Leslies book. Bearing in mind that Leslie had been evacuated due to the bombing of London and the VI rockets that could be heard passing over Dickies, he found himself again listening to the droning noise as the rockets passed over Goldings. He reports in his book that the air raid shelter was unusable he wrote “so we were all instructed in the oddest sequence of air-raid precautions that anyone could have concocted in the entire war” It was recommended that the boys bury their heads under the pillows when they heard the air raid warning. A watchman had the duty of doing a roof watch and would sound the fire alarm to warn of any VI rockets that had been bound for Letchworth I would think, some had landed in Hertford but Goldings was spared any hits by the V1. Goldings at this time did not have running water in the main house just a single toilet on the landing. Leslie had need of a drink of water due to an illness that he was suffering, which at the time had not been bad enough to be admitted to the school sick bay so in short he ended up using his cupped hands to catch some water as the toilet flushed. This allowed him to return to his bed, but in the morning he was being violently sick which he had to clear up and wait with the bed wetters. After washing and hanging the sheets to dry Leslie fell to his knees and came round in the sick bay where Sister Noakes was in charge. Leslies’ one joy at Goldings as a spare boy would mean he would be able to get to the swimming pool early afternoon, before it got crowded with the other boys after they had finished school, or their chosen trade. The swimming pool is reported to have been completed in 1937 and was 90ft long by 35ft wide and it’s maximum depth 8ft 6ins. The swimming pool had no heating and was not blue by the end of the season but dark pea (pee) green. Leslie had entered Dr Barnardo’s at the age of 13 in the month of March and, like most of us that can remember our first days in care, the trepidation of what Dr Barnardo’s homes would be like, with the tales of Oliver Twist that we had either read or been told about. But this was never found to be the truth of any Dr Barnardo home. Leslie had a vivid imagination from the early years that had his father being hanged for murder in Cardiff prison, his mother having both her arms blown off by a German bomb that had broken all the panes of glass in their house and not damaged any other houses in the street. This is all explained in his book along with the information above of Leslie Thomas’s stay at Goldings 'This time next week' The autobiography of a happy orphan. This is no longer in print, but is available from your local library, in 1967 the book cost 21/- a guinea Click here see how much >>>>>>>. From what I can remember a guinea woz wot posh people used! I did get permission from Leslie in a hand written letter to copy what I liked from his book but felt it would spoil your reading of his book if you can get a copy. The book was published by Constable and Company Ltd and one of the print works that printed his book was The Garden City Press Ltd Letchworth, Hertfordshire at which a few old Goldings boys (Printers) had spent some time. I don't know if your were aware, but Leslie Thomas was a widely traveled newspaperman, covering Royal tours, he covered the trial of Adolf Eichmann, the funeral of Sir Winston Churchill and many other notable events. Thomas also appeared in many documentaries and talk-shows. Among these has been ‘Parkinson’, ‘This is Your Life’, ‘Wogan’ and ‘Through The Keyhole’. He continues to travel widely. His interests are classical music, non-fiction reading, antiques, cricket, stamp collecting, photography and islands. Leslie Thomas has received an Honorary MA Degree from the University of Wales and an Honorary Doctorate of Literature from the University of Nottingham. He was awarded the OBE for services to Literature in the New Year Honors list of 2005. Leslie has three grown-up children from his first marriage and one – a son Matthew – from his second. His wife Diane Thomas is his business manager. They now live on the Hampshire coast. In 1998 after some 50 years since leaving Dr. Barnardo's, Leslie became one of The Barnardo Vice-Presidents. Leslie is quoted as saying "I'm very proud to be a vice-president - although this might be said to be taking after care to the limit!" His latest book release Dover Beach (2006) In May 1940, 338,000 soldiers were evacuated from Dunkirk and the majority passed through Dover, saturating the town with soldiers, sailors and airmen. This is a humorous look at the impact of this influx of young men on the small town. One wonders if Leslie had taken up bricklaying and that master had not given him that old typewriter, we would have a lot bendy funny walls! For some more information on Leslie Thomas Click Here to view |
In
his book he writes about his time in a reception home, then he went to