Johnny Speight learned life the hard way, from London's Canning Town in the early 1920s to the world of Rolls-Royces and credit cards. In this book he takes the reader through the pre-war years, when he worked in factories by day, drummed for a local band at night and holidayed on the Woolwich Ferry. He wanted to be a professional drummer, but war was declared and he was invited to defend Canning Town from an enemy who wouldn't have wanted it anyway. The post-war years saw a return to factories, life on the dole and even a spell as a hotel chef. He began to read widely - Shaw, Steinbeck and O'Casey - and developed the urge to write.