Martin Waddell was born in Belfast in April 1941 as German
bombers flew over the city on the first night of the blitz.
His first night was spent with his mummy and a nurse under
a table with an iron top "waiting for a bomb to land
on their head".
He talks about "the place where his imagination lives",
in and around the Newcastle area where he grew up. His family
moved there shortly after he was born and they weren't the
only newcomers. The Americans had moved in too, with "nylons
stockings for the girls and sweeties for the babies"
like young Martin.
His memories include his granny "in a bathing suit
that came out of the ark", who dyed her hair with tea
leaves, and he wonders "if they still make grannies
like that".
Dramatised readings of his writing reveal threads of events
that happened at different times in different places. The
memories of such events have a crucial role in his work,
because if the story is real in his head, it will be real
on the page.
(Martin Waddell also writes as Catherine Sefton.)
Note: Listening to the programme in advance
of using it in class will be helpful.
