‘Pon My Puff! A Childhood in 1920s Isle of Wight’

While clearing out his parents' former home in 2013, Charles Lansley discovered a handwritten manuscript written in the early 1960s by his father, Peter Stark Lansley. This autobiographical novel is a true story of a child's 1920s Island upbringing by his grandparents. Sixty years later, it was finally published in April 2021 by Beachy Books.  

The talk will cover the discovery of the notebooks and Charles' research of local villagers corroborating Peter's stories of village life. Through walks with his Gramp, the talk will also take you on visits to the Ashey Sea Mark and to the Dairyman's Daughter's gravestone at Arreton.  The book recalls a time when there was no electricity or telephones, when the steam train ran supreme and children could roam freely.

Charles will illustrate the talk with slides and his wife Claire will read extracts from the book.

The Paperback is available at Waterstones and Island Traders Newport, Ryde Bookshop, Medina Bookshop Cowes, Babushka Books Shanklin and Glyn Morgan Shanklin. The Hardback edition is available on line at Amazon.