The author, John Tunstill, was born in North London in 1939, went to the "Coronation" cinema, in the High Road of New Southgate, at least once a week with his mother; the cinema became a furniture showroom; the programmes were changed every three days, with a one day show on Sundays of "old" films.

He remembers hiding under the seats when a V1, a flying bomb, went over, cut its engine, and exploded near the "Standard" cable works in Friern Barnet. The screen flickered for a moment and the audience resumed their seats and continued to watch George Formby in one of his classics, which showed the Isle of Man, TT races and Douglas, do you recall the title?

His mis-spent youth was often engaged by the offerings at his other local cinemas, the Odeon and Gaumont in North Finchley, and the ABC Ritz in Bounds Green, all in North London. The Odeon is now a motor car showroom, the Gaumont has gone, and the ABC is a mosque.

John is an architect and now lives in Umbria, central Italy, where he buys, restores and sells medieval country buildings, helped by his wife Liliana who does the interior decorative work, www.propertiesumbria.com.

Apart from films, his other interests are, lead soldiers,www.soldierssoldiers.com, Italian postcards,www.cartolinetunstill.com, inventing, ballooning, flying light aircraft and paragliding, and compiling books on the oddities of the English language, see his "Dislexicon", www.tunstillsdislexicon.com.

John and his wife Liliana have also converted a 12th Century monastery into a luxury guest house in Umbria, offering top class accomodation, and including other specialised activities such as Cookery Courses, Wine Tasting, Cheese and Truffle Hunts.

For more information visit www.lapreghiera.com, www.villamoscatelli.com . For your perfect wedding day in the outstanding surroundings of La Preghiera visit www.weddingsumbria.com.


He is the author of many articles of a military hobby nature, and for several years edited two magazines, and has also written two books, all on the same subject.