Peter Grogan speaking to Caroline Holden
Autumn 2010
Peter Grogan was born in 1929 in Tooting and has lived in Furzedown for most of his adult life. In this interview he describes the lives of his parents, also Londoners, his childhood and his early adult life in the army and as a GPO employee. As a child, Peter was unlucky enough to contract diphtheria and his account gives a valuable insight into how treatment for childhood disease has changed.Peter describes, in fascinating detail, his childhood experiences of living in London and Rutland during the Second World War. He remembers the V1 rocket attacks, the Battle of Britain and sitting in cinemas in Tooting while air-raid warnings sounded.
He relates his wartime experiences of joining the army and being sent out to Egypt, Palestine and Suez and then talks about his early married life and his memories of the markets, shops, Lido, cinemas and dance halls of Tooting and the area. A life-long Glenn Miller fan Peter concludes his memoirs with accounts of his enthusiasm for Glenn Miller's music, his home in Crowborough Road, his children and family and the holidays he has taken with his wife Audrey.
Note on recordings There are four sections to this interview. A few minutes into the first recording, there is approximately four minutes of static 'buzz' on the recording, caused by electrical interference when the recording was made. Peter's voice can still be heard clearly and the static eventually disappears. It returns again briefly on a couple of occasions but only for a short time. We are currently working on a transcript of Peter's interview so that these sections can be read on the website.
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