A diary of Ian State

Hi. My Name is Ian State and I live in Kirkby In Ashfield Notts . I was born in Shirebrook in the year of 1947, the worst winter on record (someone must have known I was coming). I am now 62 years of age’.

I worked at Shirebrook pit when I left school at the age of 15. I had a year at mining college then sent down the pit to work as a trainee pony driver on supplies. It lasted 2 years then went to farming. My ambition was to be a soldier but my dad (bless him), wouldn’t sign the papers as he was a POW in the 2nd world war for 5 years in Poland and Germany. He escaped twice and was shot in the hip by a german soldier running through a wood with a Canadian and an American solder (my dad was a forgotten hero).

Through the years I have done many types of work  and has always been hard work from digging ditches by hand, concreting on building sites to climbing sky scrapers. My last type of work was an entertainer singing in clubs and pubs throughout the Midlands and Yorkshire doing Rock”n roll” country Rock. motown and  a tribute to Neil Diamond. I also did a lot of entertaining for charities  and sang many times on radio stations . Also Barrymore show and kilroy silk show. I am now partialy disabled with a spinal injury and heart condition so had to say goodbye to the entertaining .

I couldn’t sit still and let life pass me by so I found myself a new hobby – a 1963 morris traveller and decided to restore it and it has taken me 6 years off and on when i felt well enough to do it with a little help from friends with heavy stuff like replacing the engine. It is now my pride and joy and my grandchildren call it poppas old jollopy but all want it one day ??

Thank you for taking the time to read a little about my life and I hope you found it interesting I could realy write a book one day.

p.s. I like writing poetry too .

God bless our service people in Iraq and Afghanistan.