Freedom Books and Plays

TO A SPORTSMAN’S END

In 1949, Otway took the family back to Carrick-on-Suir. The highlight of the summer was a golf match at Clonmel between John Burke, Joe Carr, Jimmy Carroll and James Bruen. Otway was bringing up his boys to follow in his sporting footsteps. They also drove up through Limerick and were shown the Shannon Scheme, the Ardnacrusha hydroelectric power plant, one of the wonders of Irish engineering, built by the German giant Siemens with many German workers.

Back in Folkestone, every daylight hour was spent on the golf course, either playing or looking for balls in the Pent Stream that passed through eleven of the eighteen holes. These were sold to make up for the pocket money the boys did not receive.

* * * * *

On February 14th 1950, with the winter weather holding off, they drove over to Littlestone for their picnic and golf. Margaret sat in the front of the car and Otway was in the back eating his ham sandwich.

“Margaret, I am so happy. It’s the first day of spring and we are out on the course again. Be a dear and pass me the mustard.”

She turned round to hand it to him. He was dead.

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