Water Under the Bridge: Part Two: The Later Years

This is part two of the autobiography of Pamela Jean Heyman, a Kentish girl who grew up in the period before, during and after the Second World War and went on to migrate to Nigeria in search of interest and excitement. It covers the period of departure from Heathrow in February 1956 to her departure from West Africa just before Christmas 1965. The story of Jean’s Later Years started with her first tour of eighteen months - having been accepted through Crown Agencies, UK, as a secretary for the Federal Government of Nigeria, in the capital, Lagos. As a placement secretary, Jean eventually worked in the Ministry of Transport having occasion to meet with Minister, Abubakar Tafewa Balewa, who was to become the first Prime Minister of Nigeria. Agreeing to stay in Nigeria, with the Establishment’s Secretory, because of engagement to Sion who worked for Elder Dempster Agencies in West Africa, on the operations side, Jean’s posting to the Cameroons was given, by chance, to Jean’s close friend of Kent, Joy. Jean resigned from Government, after one year of service, to marry Sion who was near the end of his second tour, lasting about twelve to fifteen months, and returning to his family home in Hawarden, Cheshire, for a leave period of about three months. On 4th May, 1957, after meeting friends and relatives, Jean and John, (Sion), were married in Ashford, Kent. The subsequent years, up to 1965, recount the experiences and times of Jean as a married woman giving birth to two children while accompanying her husband John through his six tours and the independence and Africanisation of West African countries.