Henry John Whyatt

Railwayman, WW1 CEF Sapper, Scoundrel, Gambler, Investor, Drinker, Black Sheep& Ghost

[Henry John Whyatt @HJWhyatt]

The funny part was how such a normal event could trigger such obvious symptoms of #shellshock #ptsd

[Henry John Whyatt @HJWhyatt]

Eventually as people talked, passed & normality of heading back to bed or family resumed at curtains; calm returned & I was able to partake of conversation & life.

[Henry John Whyatt @HJWhyatt]

In the end I rooted myself to the spot; fixated on the colourful diaspora in the sky; silhouetted for the sniper to see. And waited.

[Henry John Whyatt @HJWhyatt]

Rather like Custer at his Last Stand, any defences of mine crumbled like sand.

[Henry John Whyatt @HJWhyatt]

Suddenly the cold, lonely nights of the war; like a beast lurking beneath my shoulder was released to hunt & probe.

[Henry John Whyatt @HJWhyatt]

I have to admit the crackles, whooshes, whizzing & bangs; explosions that delighted the young, made me anxious.

[Henry John Whyatt @HJWhyatt]

Fireworks or firecrackers filled the skies late yesterday evening. During a break in weather streams of fire; like falling stars briefly filled the sky over Main Street.

[Henry John Whyatt @HJWhyatt]

I was terrified. Standing on the sidewalk outside the picture house; halfway along Main. Fully grown man, respected again; bathed in cold sweat, trembling with fear & glancing furtively around like a cornered dog

[Henry John Whyatt @HJWhyatt]

To be honest, my interest in #Hunstanton Pier was primarily high tea at the hotel & the train ride to the coast. hunstanton pier 1919 - Google Search https://t.co/GeRAnqadbI

[Henry John Whyatt @HJWhyatt]

Hunstanton Pier. Norfolk. Where my brother & I would waste away Sunday afternoons following Church. He fishing; I running. Google Image Result for https://t.co/xIgwNvTcft https://t.co/ByVWjqMFMw

[Henry John Whyatt @HJWhyatt]

Unlike my brother; who could, & I assume still does, sit for hours, with rod & lures astride the Wash or on the pier at #Hunstanton luring fish; I lack the #patience to #fish

[Henry John Whyatt @HJWhyatt]

Fishing smacks, canoes, #coracles & other forms of watercraft multiply on lakes astride railway to plunder the bountiful harvest of fish.

[Henry John Whyatt @HJWhyatt]

Even to a young boy, the station & trains captivated me.hunstanton pier 1919 - Google Search https://t.co/GeRAnqadbI

[Henry John Whyatt @HJWhyatt]

Crops have been or are being planted; hunting camps are opened and predation for the fall gathering of meat for winter begins.

[Henry John Whyatt @HJWhyatt]

For me, the weekend seems a pivot. Or pin around which we rotate. On the railway we move to the summer timetable.

[Henry John Whyatt @HJWhyatt]

The weekend can best be described as a holiday where we generally change from winter to@summer mode. Google Image Result for https://t.co/CW3qAOBqtg https://t.co/b3a7fRyJVu

[Henry John Whyatt @HJWhyatt]

Whilst we have few visitors to these parts from afar, once again you could call this #VictoriaDay holiday the unofficial start to the summer season

[Henry John Whyatt @HJWhyatt]

Birds, bugs & blooms emerge almost overnight; popping like corks from bottles of champagne

[Henry John Whyatt @HJWhyatt]

Flies can, have and do drive a man mad.

[Henry John Whyatt @HJWhyatt]

Damp seeping through all life this day. High water in burn, astride main, western boundary of station laying atop saturated cinders, mud & earth.