Di
written & produced by George Moorey & Shane Young
artwork by Zariq Rosita Hanif
I met Di in the library near her home and she told me all about her life growing up in Gloucester.She remembered the wartime sirens and leaving school early to avoid being flattened by a dropped
bomb. The next day children found bullet holes in the playground. She fondly remembered her
father and his encouragement to learn to play the piano.(photo: Di as a little girls with her teddy bear)
She enjoyed her childhood and life as ayoung person and has lots of memories of church youth groups, spending time walking in thecountryside, of getting a scholarship to attend Denmark Road school for girls and of girl guides.She also enthused about poppies, her favourite flower. Later on, she trained to be a teacher andspecialised in music. At her primary school she would make up songs for the children to sing together.
(photo: Di as a school girl at Denmark Road School for Girls)
Shane has expertly packed all this and more into the lyrics of the song and, knowing how Di stillenjoys singing in her church choir, I enlisted the help of the City of Gloucester Community Choirto sing the chorus, which was recorded in St. Mary de Crypt, in the city centre. I also asked myyoungest son and a couple of his pals to sing the children’s refrain we added at the end of the song.
(photo: Di as a Queen's Guide)
