Darrins Photography

DARRIN DAVID PEARCE

I was born in the morning of Sunday 6th June 1965 at 76 Russell Road, Newbury, Berks. I have an elder Brother and Sister. We stayed at this address for four years until we moved to a bungalow in Greenham. My first school I attended was Eastfields in Newbury, I was only here for a few months before moving to a new school which was about to open very near to where I lived in Greenham. I started at Greenham Court School the first day it opened, I can't say that I learnt much there. I left Greenham Court in July 1976.

My final school was Park House in Wash Common, I hated school and couldn't wait to finish. Whilst there I won three awards three years running so I must have been something right, this didn't make me popular with some of my classmate and it just made them so jealous that they would pick on me and not talk to me. This led me to not go to school, this lasted for a few weeks before I was found out. When I returned I was put in the low class of the school for my year and that's where I stayed until I left in 1981. I feel when I was put in the low class you were treated as no hoper's and you had no chance when it came choosing what exams you wanted to take. No matter what you wanted to do you were told "there's no more room in the class for you". To this day I regret what I did and I wish I could turn back time and put it right, my wife kept telling me "if you had put your mind to it you could have made it ". My first job when I left school was at R.A.C. army depot at Thatcham, I enjoyed depot on the YTS (youth training scheme), I started as a stores check and made my way up to the position of store checker, which meant I has four people working under me. I stay at the company for just under five years before leaving to join the Royal Mail. After doing a couple of deliveries on a bike, I joined at delivery group which included my dad and one other person. We had a early morning delivery and a late collection duty which we used a van and we had a bike delivery in Newbury. The rural delivery was the biggest delivery in Newbury and we delivered mail to Headley, Kingsclere and Plastow Green which is all in the county of Hampshire. The afternoon collection, included Headley, Bishops Green, Ecchinswell, Kingsclere and the U.S.A.F base At Greenham Common, at this time the main gate was the home to the Greenham Peace Women's camp. In 1988 I got a transfer to Royal Mail Bristol as I was getting married In Portishead and my wife worked for the local Paper in Bristol. I got married on 15th October 1988 and we stayed in bristol until 1990, at the time I wasn't enjoying my at Royal Mail as I was working inside and I loved being outside. In the summer of 1990 I got a transfer back to Newbury, where I one of my deliveries was to Highclere castle the home of the ITV series Downton abbey. In 1991 it was discovered I had a rare leg tumour in my hamstring of my left leg, in 1997 I had to take medical retirement as my leg was causing a great deal of trouble. Since leaving Royal Mail I've had a couple of job, my favourite was to parcel deliveries in the Oxfordshire towns of Eynsham, Woodstock, Witney and I also delivered to Winston Churchill's birth place at Blenheim Palace, I also delivered to some beautiful Cotswold villages, which was fun going around in a seven and a half lorry. Then one morning four years ago I woke up early as usual and next thing I knew I had walked seven miles along the tow path to Hungerford, I later found out I had left a letter at home saying I couldn't cope any longer, I can't remember any of that as I had a nervous breakdown. They had the police out looking for me and even the police helicopter was searching for me, they even had to warn the train drivers that a suicide person was about and it was better if they slow down around the area I live, since that day I have suffered from Severe Depression. Then when I thought I was getting better, my wife was then diagnosed with secondary lung cancer and a few months later on 22nd March 2010 she passed away. I seemed to be doing ok for a while after she passed away as I was kept busy with arranging her funeral, and then I was back to square one. Nowadays I try to keep busy by taking photos and doing my blog.

Notable Dates

07.00, Sunday 6th June 1965, Born

September 1970, Begin Education at Eastfields school, then moved to Greenham Court

September 1976, Started at Park House School

May 1981, Left Park House

August 1981 Started Work at R.A.O.C

September 1986, Join Royal Mail

May 1997, Met Kathryn Ann Stagg

20th August 1987, Got engaged

15th October 1988, Got married

October 1992, Had major surgery to have tumour removed

November 1992, Moved into a brand new house
November 1992, Found out Kathy was Expecting