In Wheels, Waves, Wings and Drums

Peter Beatson recalls his early life in the English Midlands from 1919 to the onset of World War II. His story continues with enlistment in the R.A.F. medical service. When he is posted overseas in 1941, his ship is torpedoed and sinks. Among the survivors, he spends the next two years in Sierra Leone, West Africa, fighting malaria, caring for the sick and injured, and finding adventure on water, land, and in the air.

Returning to wartime England, he copes with difficult postings and marries Sheila Hurst. He also plays in a dance band called the Pathogens. Following his discharge, Peter works for Imperial Chemical Industries and plays part-time with another band. During those years, he and Sheila struggle to find affordable housing and motorized vehicles for themselves and their two children.

Throughout his narrative, Peter traces the development of his lifelong hobbies: bicycles, motor bikes, automobiles, sailing and amateur radio. He also details his experiences as an immigrant to Canada in the 1960s and the twists and turns of his Canadian career in the pharmaceutical and chemical industries.