I am the last of five sons. My Dad was born in 1913, and I was the "surprise" when he and mum were in their late 40s and the rest of the family were into double figures.
As a result, I grew up very much like an only child. Yes, I laughed and argued with the brothers who, seemingly very quickly, were all out at work, but my play, my imagination and a lot of my growing-up were my own, shared with no-one.
As the tail-ender, I had to tag along with Mum and Dad as they went through what should have been their "empty-nester" years. This involved long car trips to ageing relatives scattered round the country.
Yes, it could be boring - but I developed a knowledge of my wider family that my brothers have never had. I also talked with Mum and Dad about their lives - including 1939-45 - and they had many tales to tell.
BTW: My tag "Chiefsub" relates to my job, nothing else!
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