(1976 Alameda Gardens Gibraltar. Carol, Tracey and Sam. An absolute favourite photo xxx)

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As 1976 rolled on it was lovely to see the children increasingly bond as Sam became more aware of her surroundings (and the people in her life) and Tracey began enjoying having a sister; Carol too was very much more settled now that we were finally ensconced in our married quarter at Edinburgh House.

(1976 Fleet Pav Gibraltar. Carol, Me, Babs, Betty and Jim Simm)

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For a short time Carol’s Mum Babs came to stay with us when life was very difficult for her; she had separated from Carol’s dad Viv and I guess she just needed to get herself together. For Carol to allow her to come was quite an act of kindness because they’d never had the strongest of relationships, Carol was far closer to her Dad and (in truth) was more concerned about him but it was Babs who asked to come and stay. If I remember rightly Carol put a caveat on the arrangement that Babs needed to get a job and fund her own needs and so for a time she worked in the English Tea Rooms; I think she also played the piano a couple of times at the play school for a backhander. During her stay we naturally brought her into our social circle and had many an outing with her around our haunts but eventually (after a few months I think) she decided to return to UK. It’s never easy having a house guest for an extended period of time and so I guess (without being unkind) we were glad to have our lives back; I think due to her being older she was quite intolerant of little children and so the arrangement could never have been long term.

(1976 At home in Edinburgh House)

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Sometime during September 1976 Carol found out that she was once again pregnant and though we were shocked we were also thrilled; as we pondered some of the challenges of having three children at the age of 22 we also thought about the advantages (one being we would still be relatively young when they were adults and our grandchildren arrived). 
But without racing ahead with excitement (which I did anyway because I was a bloke and nothing was going to get in the way of my joy) we had to start thinking about practicalities; the baby would be due in July 1977 which in Gibraltar was a hot month and probably not the most pleasant for a heavily pregnant woman – and if Carol had pregnancy complications requiring her to stay in hospital for periods of time I was going to need support with the girls. Always lurking at the back of my mind was how I felt shocked and let down by the RN when they refused me leave after Sam was born and nearly died; as that thought pervaded all my senses I suddenly became terrified of something horrible happening and me not being there for my family.

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As if by fate I think it was about mid-October 1976 when the RN introduced a brand new exit strategy for servicemen wanting to leave the Navy; if a man gave 18 months notice he could leave freely, without penalty and with an exemplary discharge. The winds of change were blowing….