Mexborough and Swinton Times November 5, 1949
Young Globe-Trotter
Swinton Three Year-Old’s 13,000 Miles Itinerary
June Carol Pentney celebrated her third birthday in September, and into those three years she has packed more excitement than most people experience in it lifetime.
Started At Three Months
This fair-haired daughter of S.Q.M.S. Leonard Pentney (R.A.O.C.) and his wife, Nora, who are staying with Mrs. Pentney’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. S. Cookson, at 30, Rookery Road, Swinton, has travelled some 13.000 miles by land, sea and air, covering an area between the North of England and Lagos, in West Africa.
June’s travels started at three months, when she went to Germany with her mother to join S.Q.M.s. Pentney, who was stationed there. That was in 1946, and during his 15 months in Germany S Q.M.S. Pent-ney made full use of every leave to show his wife and daughter as much of Germany and Belgium as possible.
A few days were spent in Berlin, there was a short stay in Hanover, and visits to Dortmund, Dusseldorf, and, of course, Belgium. And everywhere father and mother went, daughter went, too.
In December, 1947, S.Q.M.S. Pent-new was posted back to England, but two months later he was away again, bound this time for Lagos. Mrs. Pentney and June followed five months later, and a few days after landing experienced a severe tornado. Buildings were flattened, roofs lifted and trees snapped like matchwood.
” It was rather frightening,” admitted Mrs. Pentney.
Mrs. Pentney obtained employment with the publicity department of the Shell Petrol Company in Lagos. During the day she was, looked after by a steward, or “boy’ as they are called, who was also left In charge of the house.
” They better carry out this type of work much than the women,” commented Mrs. Pentnefy.
The troops and their families did not lack entertainment. Dances were held in the Sergeants’ Mess, and in Lagos the open-air theatres were a big attraction—in good weather !
Safe From Sharks
For a pleasant afternoon’s swimming and sunbathing, the family strolled down to Taquah Bay, a small inlet cut off from the open sea by a breakwater, and safe from the threat of barracudas.
Compared with the 15 days’ journey out to Lagos, the return journey, made by air, took only four days. The plane left. Lagos at noon on Friday. October 21st, Friday night being spent at Accra. Saturday night was spent at Dakar, in French West Africa, after stops at Port Etienne and Agadin for refuelling, the plane arriving at Gibraltar on Saturday night as the sun was setting.
“That was the most memorable sight of all,” said Mrs. Pentney. We had time to look round Gibraltar. Everyone was taking keen interest in the arrival of H.M. S. Amethyst.”
June behaved perfectly throughout the journey, said her mother. And her first words on arriving at 80, Rookery Road in the early hours of Tuesday morning, were ” Nanny, Nanny.” ‘ for all that time, she hadn’t forgotten her grandmother,” said Mrs. Cookson.
What does the future hold for June ? “It all depends on Leonard, of course,” said Mrs. Pentney. He is anticipating being posted somewhere in the United Kingdom.”
“North Africa would suit me,” said S.Q.M.S. Pentney. So June can look forward to some more travelling.