This is a book of memoirs spanning a period of more than 80 years.
Born in 1933, the only child of loving working-class parents, the
early recollections of Barrie Cottingham are of life in World War
Two, and particularly of the Sheffield Blitz, when serious bomb
damage to the homes of relatives resulted in a total of 11 family
members living together for several weeks in the small terraced
property (with no bathroom and only an outside toilet), which his
parents rented. These reminiscences are an appropriate introduction
to the main stated objective of the memoirs, to provide the
author's Australian born grandsons with some knowledge of their
British heritage and ancestors. However, as the recollections
unfold, they also give a record of the period from the end of the
Second World War when changes in British society (possibly the most
rapid ever) provided opportunities for working-class people to move
up the social scale. The author completed his state school
education at the age of 15, obtaining the best examination results
of his year. These, together with a testimonial from his
headmaster, resulted in the grant of articles with a small
Sheffield firm to study accountancy, without payment of the premium
which was normally required at that time. Qualifying at the age of
21 years, he was called up for national service in the Royal Air
Force where, after appropriate training, he obtained a commission,
the first person from his family to have risen from the ranks. On
completion of RAF service, and with a wish to see something of the
world, he joined the international accountancy firm of Cooper
Brothers & Co (subsequently to become Coopers & Lybrand -
"the firm") to spend three years in Kenya. This proved to be one of
the most interesting periods of his life. Returning to the firm in
the UK at the age of 27, he was admitted to partnership three years
later, and subsequently became the youngest member of the Executive
Committee (effectively the Managing Board) at the age of 40 -
remaining in this management group (with its various changes of
name over the years) until the retirement age of 60 years.
Following Coopers & Lybrand, he enjoyed a second career,
extending over the next 20 years, as a non-executive director on
several company boards, including the chairmanship of two public
listed groups. The greater flexibility of time when carrying out
these duties enabled him to also undertake a number of
unremunerated and charitable activities. In relation to one of
these, he was awarded an MBE in 2017. However, these memoirs are
not confined to a review of the author's professional, business and
charitable activities. Aspects of his private life are interwoven
throughout, including the tragic death of his daughter Michelle
(suffering from birth with Prader-Willi syndrome) at the age of 35,
despite the devoted care of his first wife, Kathleen, his close
relationship with his son Nigel, and meeting and marrying his
current wife, Nicola. His pride in Sheffield and lifelong interest
in sport also receive mention. A "Blade" for 80 years since first
being taken to Bramall Lane by his father as a small boy, he still
holds season tickets - although these are of little current value
in the days of Covid-19.
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