Arthursdale Boy Nidderdale Girl

Arthursdale Boy Nidderdale Girl is a memoir bu Frank Pedley. Frank is 85, a former soldier and a Wensleydale sheep enthusiast.

He was subjected to the kind of unofficial familial adoption that was once fairly common in Britain, but not so today. He was "adopted" by his Victorian grandparents, an action which rescued him from a probably fairly grim existence in the slums of industrial Leeds.

He was able to enjoy the benefits of a decent education at Tadcaster Grammar School. He also met with and became utterly enchanted with an attractive girl with brunette hair (in short pigtails) who wielded a large hockey stick. They were in the same form at school, which is how they met.

A family bereavement meant they were separated, but several years later they met again. But the circumstances were a little bit awkward. Frank was commissioned after passing out at Sandhurst, and was about to embark on an overseas tour of duty with his first regiment. Also, Ruth was engaged to be married.

Through the pages of this fascinating book we read of their long courtship and their long marriage and their life together, sometimes turbulent, sometimes not. Their marriage was brought to a conclusion only by her death in 2007.

The memoir is both poignant and utterly candid, more so than many autobiographies, it has to be conceded.

As well as his marriage and his family life Frank writers about hid experiences in Malaya, of his working life during the Cold War era. He was involved with the Cabinet level contingency planning for the recovery of the United Kingdom should the British Isles have suffered from a Russian nuclear attack.

He also describes the problems of restoring 17th century properties, sheep rearing and exhibiting at the highest national levels. He also writes very movingly on the dreadful horrors of the 2001 foot and mouth epidemic.

He also incorporate some of the evidence that he has gathered based on years of research into his family tree, going as far back as the 17th century and revealing several major surprises.

The book is well illustrated with many photographs.

It's a book that belongs in the rich history of biographies because it tells it like it is and is well-written. I feel that this book will become a standard reference work for many years to come.

It's published by The Book Guild at £17.99 in hardback.