Scarborough, Yorkshire, 1959.

Alas back in Yorkshire things get rough
Three kids in a hostel somewhat tough.
My two sisters, mother and me
Stuck in a seaside B&B.
Dad's away; trouble in Cyprus;
Mum on her own with three of us.
Not much more than beds, a sink.
How's mum coping? How do you think?
It should be fun beside the sea
But wasn't for us, believe you me.
Families sharing communal meals
Gave an institutional feel.
Strange new school in a strange new town
Strange new streets to travel down.
I'm seven years old, get to school on my own.
They say I'm too quiet, too much alone.
Mum does her best but we all feel sad.
Nowhere to play but at 'floods' in the sink
'Something not right' with me they think.
There's bonfire night and pancakes there
But thankfully soon we'll be elsewhere.
We wait for a letter we're longing to come.
Soon we'll join dad for life in the sun.

'B&B' is bed and breakfast. This was a seaside 'hotel', short term accommodation for service families between postings.