Memories of an East London Cockney
- co-authored and edited by Kate Maclean

     Born in East London in 1930, Kenneth Christie was one of many children evacuated during WWII. Returning to London in time to witness the ‘doodlebugs’, Ken followed in his father’s footsteps and apprenticed to work on the river barges. A stint in the British army serving in Korea intervened before he obtained his license as a ‘freeman waterman’ on the Thames. A back injury eventually forced Ken to leave the river and become a ‘tallyman’. Years later, Ken migrated to Canada where he was able to combine his love for boating with his retail entrepreneurship.