King's Cross Kid: A London Childhood between the Wars

by Victor Gregg, Rick Stroud (Editor)

Victor Gregg, born in 1919, has had a rich and fascinating life. King's Cross Kid follows his London childhood from the age of five, when life was so hard that the Salvation Army arranged for young Vic to be taken to the Shaftesbury Home for Destitute Children. Home again a year later, the scallywag years of late childhood began. Then, after the years of street gangs and run-ins with the law, Vic leaves school at fourteen and his real adventures start, and with them a working-class apprenticeship in survival. Ending with his enlistment in the army on the day of his eighteenth birthday, this prequel to the bestselling Rifleman will appeal to the many readers who were charmed by Victor Gregg's engaging, honest and warm voice.

Genres: History, Memoir, London

257 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[James Emmans · Rating 3 out of 5]

Important book. This is the less heard of story of the hard life of a London family surviving.

[Tobias · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really interesting memoir of a Kings Cross 'wide boy' born in Wakefield Street in 1919. It includes accounts of the many battles between the gangs in the area such as the Hoxton Boys and the Sabini Gang; the Yiddishers and the followers of Oswald Mosely.

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I tore through this in a couple of days. An excellent look at East End London in a time gone by. Gregg makes no excuses for himself or anyone around him; he can be devastatingly honest about his own failings and those of his mates.

[Beccy · Rating 4 out of 5]

9 months after I started reading this book to my Dad in his care home we have finally finished it! Numerous lockdowns for Covid and norovirus along with him endlessly falling asleep as I read have made it the longest book ever!

Fantastic for him though, as a man in his 80s who grew up in London it evoked alot of memories and talking points which was great.

His dementia has taken a lot of his memories but he still could remember bits from his childhood.

[Layla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was very interested to read this as my dads family are / were from London.... so this was a very interesting read for me reminded me of family stories when my grandparents were alive about old time London. *Proper Londoners* Around the area where the author was born. The story about the spitalfield meat market made me laugh. My dad used to work there. I wish my grandparents were still alive my grandad would have read this book. If you want a view inside proper London read this book it won’t disappoint.. my dad is going to read this as well. Although he isn’t on goodreads I know he would have rated this as a 5 star... and I will do the same. Thanks for bringing back the memories... may we oldtime Londoners live on and show the youth how it is done old style. Can’t rate this book high enough 10 ***********s plus. Thankyou Victor for the memories... cheers.