Dyson Family of Worcestershire
© Jeff Dyson - November 2006
We had a happy childhood and spent most summer weekends in the country with our and my mother’s parents. I have to say that a visit to the beach was a rare occurrence as ‘bugging’ took precedence and the location was determined by the locality of the butterflies currently in season. However I did not mind as I looked forward to these forages with a net, occasionally a visit to Shoreham Beach would follow collecting for L. coridon on Shoreham Bank

1949
Our annual holidays followed the same pattern, its location determined by a new species to be collected, north Cornwall for the Large Blue, North Wales to collect sub species on Great Orme at Llandudno and a visit to the Lake District for the Mountain Ringlet. However as we grew older Ron relented and we started to visit the farm near Barnstaple at Lower Baberleigh. The excuse to visit the beach was the search for caterpillers that fed on the grass roots above the high water mark!
From Hertford Road School I went to Varndean Grammar School for Boys, and have to admit I put more energy into playing sport than to academic studies. Languages were a mystery and were dropped at the first opportunity. I represented the school at both Tennis and Hockey and was awarded school colours in both. I went onto the sixth form and studied sciences, Zoology, Botany and Chemistry.
1944 Jeff the ‘Little Bugger’