The first volume of McTell's autobiography, covering his early life as Ralph May, spanning the years from his infancy in the late 1940s to his time in the Infantry Junior Leaders Battalion of the army at the age of 15. Croydon, just south of London, was hit hard during the war, and the book opens with McTell's childhood memories of growing up in this environment, where bomb craters, rationing and the struggle to make ends meet were daily facts of life for Ralph, his brother Bruce and his mother. A crucial passage early in the book sees the young three-year-old Ralph witnessing a dramatic confrontation between his mother and father, and his promise to his mother to look after you is described with the poignant directness of a child. The author's extraordinary recall involves the reader not only in the trials of growing up assuming adult responsibilities, but in the joys of childhood self-discovery. Themes such as religion, sex and haircuts are explored in depth, with soft touches, Sunday school and uncertain fumblings being described with honesty and vigour. The continuing urge for independence sees the adolescent Ralph taking work in a variety of environments - Mitcham Fair, Streatham Ice Rink, Wembley Stadium car park - where the characters he meets and the relationships that develop help to shape his post-school life.