Pon My Puff

This autobiographical novel is not only the true story of a child’s upbringing by his grandparents in the 1920s, but also a story of the villagers on the Isle of Wight.

Through Charles Lansley’s research of his late father Peter Lansley’s manuscript, most of the characters have been identified along with their places of residence, memorials and places of interest. We learn about the local milkman, the butcher, the shoemaker and other trades persons who made up the community, including Peter’s nursery teacher. But also, through his grandfather’s love, we gain a child’s understanding of God and the afterlife.

We join Peter at Christmastime for Stir Up Sunday, sips of Guinness and many amusing misunderstandings. We experience various adventures with his girlfriend Victoria in the grounds of a local manor house and at the village creek. Through the stories and anecdotes, we gain a greater understanding of what family and village life was like in the 1920s when the steam train ran supreme, when there was no electricity or telephone, when the house was lit by an oil lamp and candles, when the ‘range’ was used for cooking and when it was normal for a five-year-old to walk into the village alone.

This book is a delight as a story and as a description of rural life in a time gone by. It should appeal to both those who want to relive the innocence of childhood and those who enjoy learning about local and social history.

PETER STARK LANSLEY – A SHORT BIOGRAPHY

Peter was born in Portsmouth and died in 1999 on the Isle of Wight after 80 years of a varied and interesting life at sea and in aviation. Between 1938 and 1939 Peter was a radio engineering student at the Municipal College Portsmouth, now the University of Portsmouth. His course was interrupted by the outbreak of war, so Peter joined the Merchant Navy on the staff of the Marconi International Marine Communications Company as Radio Officer and went to sea on board M.V. Port Hobart. While serving on MV Wandby as Second Radio Officer, his ship was sunk by a German U-boat off the coast of Iceland after being torpedoed on 19 October 1940. He served as a radio officer aboard various ships until being released from the Merchant Navy in 1946 on medical grounds. After this, he worked for the Ministry of Aviation as a telecommunications officer based at Eastleigh Airport, now Southampton Airport, completing his aviation career at Heathrow Airport before retiring to the Isle of Wight in 1981. Peter loved writing and was a member of the Southampton Writers Circle in the 1950s during which time he wrote numerous short stories and the notes that were to form his book Pon My Puff!

Customer Reviews

4.9

7 reviews

Peta

A wonderful story of growing up on the Isle of Wight through the eyes of a child.
Claire L, Newbury

Pon My Puff is a delightful book and I couldn't put it down. Many of the songs and phrases were recalled as taught me many years ago by my grandmother, Gill. Lots of things, sayings and memories recalled my own childhood also spent on the IOW. A very enjoyable book recalling my early memories of Wootton Bridge via visits to family members who lived in the High Street. Much of Wootton of this time, including the villas in Station Road, are recorded in my historic postcard collection.
SN

Looking at life on the Isle of Wight through a child’s eyes in the 1920s is a hugely entertaining read. Peter Lansley’s beautifully written novel captures this moment in time perfectly. Eloquent and amusing, a thoroughly enjoyable book, and a must for people who love the Isle of Wight.
Bill Bristow

This book is clearly filled with love. Love of family, love of the Isle of Wight. The preciousness. of childhood innocence and the clarity with which the author reveals excitement of learning from his mentor. His Grandfather. His father being a way at war in the Navy was always worrying for those left to look after the family and children. Grandpa does an amazing job of being older than dad, but clearly in touch with his own childhood and young mind. These two, Peter and Gramps were comrades. Gramps instilling wisdom and a genuine love of the Isle and of life. Even to the extent that Gramps helps Peter cope and understand death in such a beautiful way. This is a truly heart felt book written from the heart and edited with real care and attention to the authors intent and feelings. Besides the thrills and spills, this book tells me that the Lansley family have a lot of love and respect for each other. Sadly rather rare these days. Pon My Puff is worth a read for so many reasons. Well done Beachy books for publishing it.
Jane Smith

This is not just a book about one person's childhood on the pre-War Isle of Wight. More an account of how to get the best out of the wide variety of aspects of family history research, for example, finding long concealed documents, encouraging family members to share their memories, visiting local cemeteries, and conducting formal research in the Isle of Wight County Record Office. Then bringing all the results together into a coherent, lively whole. The author's son, Charles Lansley, takes on the role of editor, researcher and family member, in the process writing in a most engaging and sensitive style making for a lovely read - in fact, I didn't want to put it down! It certainly brings home the slow pace of life in rural Wight and carries resonances of the Victorian novels set in the lsland such as "The Silence of Dean Maitland" by Maxwell Gray published in 1886. it was also nice to see an under-valued place such as Wootton as the centre piece of the narrative, instead of Newport or Carisbrooke, for a change.
Roses are Amber

Pon My Puff is a collection of tales from a childhood spent on the Isle of Wight in the 1920s. Originally written by the author’s father and discovered as a set of notes in a case of memoirs, Charles Lansley brings his father’s accounts of his early years to light in this easy to read format. The memories are collated from a handful of years. Peter’s family had strong Naval connections and while his father was away at sea, Peter and his mother loved with Peter’s grandparents. Much of Peter’s time was spent with his grandfather, known as Gramp, who taught Peter much about life. This was a time before motor cars became common and life went along at a slow pace. The author has spent a lot of time adding footnotes to the text which are a great help in filling in historical elements, especially about many of the people and places that were everyday features of Peter’s early years. This is a lovely piece of family history as well as being entertaining for anyone with an interest in the chronicles of The Isle of Wight.
christopher curtin

An excellent book dipping into the history of 100 years ago.