The ball was scheduled for the night of 16 August 1939 at which time I would be nearly six years old. In due course my page outfit was designed by a Mrs Green, a local dressmaker, and I was taken for the first fitting. Mrs Green’s son Bernard was unfortunately present, which worried me as he was an oafish lad and stood grinning at me during the fitting in a way that clearly indicated that he thought I was a terrible sissy!

My costume comprised a little red velvet tunic, red satin pants, white stockings and a white satin shirt with lace at the wrists. I can still vividly remember the feelings that shot through me when I first tried on the clothes at that first fitting. The feel of the satin pants was stupendous and the fact that they had no “fly” and had elastic round the legs convinced me that they were girls panties. The feel of the red velvet tunic was also wonderful and of course wearing white stockings for the first time, with suspenders fixed to my shirt, was for some strange reason most enjoyable. My reaction to this delirious bouquet of feelings was strangely to throw a complete tantrum and stamp my feet, which were very attractive in black patent leather shoes with large gold buckles. Bernard then capped it all by saying that I looked like a little girlie! He was sent out of the room and I was pacified by my doting mother.