Eddie Pottinger's People Are Funny

I was reminded recently that my Grandad, Eddie Pottinger, was a lifelong frustrated writer. This stirred memories of reading a few of his stories years ago.

I hadn’t fully realised the long period of time over which he’d tried, and failed, to get published......

 



10 June 1974

5 September 1957



 



 



 .....and when he did find an outlet (a regular column, "People Are Funny", in his local Post Office Newsletter, "Harrow Post" – editor: Ed Pottinger) the amount of words, over a dozen-or-so years from about 1970, that he committed to paper.

 

His jottings had been collected in a compilation for the family put together in his memory by his daughter, my aunt, Jennie, in the late 1980s, after both he and Nanny had passed away.

 

It mainly comprises observations or anecdotes with a few short stories, some made up or loosely based on real events. Family will recognise themselves in one or two. I did.  I said to my brother it kind of felt like a blog before blogs were a thing. 
 

Which got me thinking – if it feels like a blog, why not turn it in to one?

I reckon the frustrated author would like the idea that its 'out there'. 

So this is Eddie Pottinger’s "People Are Funny", with a few photo's added, kicking off shortly with Jennie’s introduction to her compilation.

I haven’t read through all the stories yet, so I’m looking forward to (re)discovering what is there as I go.

Thanks go to David for OCR scans of a number of the original publications which will save some hours of laptop time, the alternate titles for some of the pieces, and for date suggestions.  Also to Lynn for offering to help with the typing.

 

For Grandad, Nanny & Jennie

JH
March 2018.