In this prequel to "Mila and Mervusya: A Russian Wedding, Mervyn Matthews describes his remarkable childhood in Wales in the late 1930s, ' 40s and early' 50s. To escape the bombing during the Swansea blitz during World War II, Matthews went to live with his grandmother in the working-class Hafod district. He was evacuated to west Wales to escape further bombing and spent a long period hospitalized. In addition to suffering the discomforts of war and ill health, Matthews was also the focus of his parents' unhappy separation. Set against the backdrop of bombed-out Swansea, the natural beauty of the Gower peninsula, and the austerity of postwar Britain, with a homely cast of friends, teachers, neighbors, and a large family, this is a story by turns comic and poignant, though always true to the life of the times. It is a classic account of a young boy growing up in difficult circumstances.