Some of my memories as a youngster in Wartime Portsmouth UK

Sadly I cannot recall seeing my Father until he returned home just before the war’s end; he was around of course but he was in the Royal Air Force long term he joined long before I was a twinkle in his eye; I recall him coming home just before the war ended from Burma yes I do believe he had it a tad rough; I never asked; and yet I was four or five when he went overseas again; I just cannot recollect seeing him; well not yet but I hope to; he must have been on a Military base somewhere. The bombings were bad but we never thought that to us kids an adventure was what it was; in fact one morning I recall a terrible banging on the door and it was my grandfather apparently we were the only house standing in the street not the first time that as I vaguely recall getting off a Double Decker bus in the blackout before then and there was my Grandfather lying in the gutter like a drunk; he was not drunk although he did love his grog he had been bombed out by a landmine and was coming to warn mother and me; Grandmother was ok though and I recall taking her to the local drinking hole as a young soldier on leave; she loved her Whisky until I introduced her to Irish Whiskey, she then switched allegiances from Scotch to Irish. And I must of given Mother hell as a child at school well I know I did; I never went to school at all in the summer of 1944 when school holidays finished I just never went back, I was to busy trying to earn a few Bob (cash) and the Americans as always were generous; my own countrymen were to a point but they never received as much pay as the Americans did; I never understood that then of course but later in life I understood why only to well. They were never called that of course we all called them Yanks still do even here in the land down under. I do vividly recall the convoys in our street awaiting June sixth D Day and I earned as I said quite a bit which Mother always had quite a lot of from me not by choice either I might add; I found out on my journey through life why as well and now understand why but as a child well I did not; like most kids I guess One night I arrived home very late oh boy I thought I am in deep doo doo now and I was, but not for being late so much as failing to tell my Mother I had been with the soldiers to a concert by George Formby. I always remembered afterwards as you can guess. One time I got a roasting for allowing the soldiers to use our facilities and was bluntly told only allow Officers Son; I just ignored that; those guys actually paid to use it by paying me for the silly jobs I did for them. The day they all left really stuck in my throat; as they all went to invade France and ultimately Germany and to a man they all threw their money at us kids Dollar coins and the like and yelling out we don’t need it where we are going; How right they were; our own troops did not as they had been paid in some British Army And Forces special script and were not being mean although as kids we all thought that at the time . I am going to post this in installments So that is the first post on the subject I have to wait until I recall more or my memory is jogged.