Review: Former Rugby reporter's book makes for 'perfect escapism from these challenging days'

For those readers who eagerly look forward each week to John Phillpott's fascinating column of old Rugby stories in 'Memory Lane', may I recommend his excellent books covering his idyllic Churchover childhood and his latest offering, 'Go and Make the Tea, Boy!' about his early days at Rugby Advertiser as a cub reporter starting in 1965.

I was born one month after John so share his memories of village life (Hillmorton for me) before the countryside was sacrificed to industrial units and housing; when birds nested with their only human danger coming from inquisitive young boys looking for eggs; when the River Swift flowed unpolluted with a variety of aquatic life, and children could be reprimanded by adults without fear they would be taken to court.

For those delightful memories, read 'Beef Cubes and Burdock.'

'Go and Make the Tea, Boy!' charts young John's progress from starting as a very green cub reporter at Rugby Advertiser where a myriad of 'characters' ran the office and issued orders that must be obeyed.

We enter the fascinating world of the printers and typesetters, skilled men now replaced by technology.

We are reminded in those pre-mobile phone days that hot stories had to be phoned in from a red telephone box where the impatient lad had to wait his turn in the queue.

Stories ranged from boring council meetings, routine funerals and garden parties to a never-to-be-forgotten tragic road accident.

Along the way we enter the doors of the famous Il Cador Coffee Bar, banned to all 'nice' girls by their parents, and who could ever forget the Granada Cinema, the last remaining one of four cinemas in my parents' days.

John's graphic description of the local 'flea pit' brings back the choking cigarette smoke and the Granada's role as a local trysting place for the youth of our day.

My 'O' levels coincided with John's and I well recall my red face in my French oral exam when I was asked the most recent film I'd seen at the Granada.

The problem was I hadn't seen 'Lawrence of Arabia' having been more interested in my latest swain, so when asked to recount 'Lawrence d'Araby' I could only manage sand and camels!

Happy, innocent days pre-social media and modern teenage angst.

Both books make perfect escapism from these challenging days.

'Go and Make the Tea, Boy!' is available to buy from Brewin Books