Born October 26th at the maternity unit in Oakham in 1942
As it was wartime she and her Mum lived with the grandparents at the Sun Inn. (picture available ) After the war we lived in a cottage next to the school yard. In 1949 we moved to the new police house which had been built on the Greetham Road. Here we had piped water from a concrete cistern in the garden; albeit that it had to be refilled by a bowser with water from the local pond, which made for interesting bathtimes with creatures frequently floating in it. Drinking water still had to be collected from a standpipe down the hill. There were no street lights at the time.
The village school was Cottesmore C/E School. Janet was there until 1953/4(?) when she moved to Oakham Secondary School taking the bus to school. There she made many friends  with a social life revolving round the Youth and tennis Clubs .
Family holidays were initially taken in a small caravan at Ingoldmells near Skegness (photos available) then later staying with Aunty Doris at Folkestone ( lots of photos available)
Horizons were somewhat limited. There were occasional trips to Oakham, where Janet took ballet lessons for a while and she attended Girl Guide meetings ; less frequently to Stamford;  Leicester was a very rare expedition. Traffic was mostly farm vehicles, cars were few but  there was a bus service to Oakham and an infrequent one to Stamford. People got around on foot or bicycle. When we lived in Oakham Janet and I would occasionally take the train to Kettering to stay with Grandma  and Grandad Harper
Life in the village revolved round village activities. Church twice on Sundays with Sunday School in the afternoon. Remembrance Day, when there would be a procession from the Air Base for a service in the Church, The Village Fete held on the lawns of the Rectory; the Boxing Day meet of the Cottesmore Hunt taking its stirrup cup in front of the Sun Inn. The local cricket team, supported by the community, played in the top field belonging to the Sun Inn providing an occasion for the children to get together..
Childhood activities were very seasonal. In winter a field on the Burley Road always had water lying in the depression. It frequently froze over creating a brilliant sliding surface. Children were very adept at testing the surface for safety. When it snowed a field opposite the new police house owned by Mr. Roughead  had a hill great for sledging. Normally youngsters would be chased out but by common consent it was accepted that sledging was allowed. At Christmas a group of children made lanterns from swedes and we went carol singing round the village ending up singing in the pub, then owned by our Aunt and Uncle, with a treat of crisps and Vimto. The Police Force organised a coach trip for police families to the Pantomime at Peterborough.  Bonfire night was a village affair. Children spent several weeks collecting material for a huge bonfire , which was erected on the top field and then lit on the night. Fireworks went off everywhere. No Health and Safety in those days; but few accidents either. As the days got longer children would gather on the green in front of the pub in the evening to play Fox and Hounds round the village. ; where one person set off laying a trail round the village and then the others would follow to try to catch them. The village pond; the Sheepdyke, ( photo) where formerly sheep had been dipped, was  a magnet for the children. Tadpoles; sticklebacks and newts were there to be fished in a jam jar tied to string on a pole. 
Following the amalgamation of the Rutland and Leicestershire Police Forces police personnel were stirred around and our family was moved to Wigston in July 1956(?) In the September the school community moved into newly built premises for  Guthlaxton Grammar School, which despite its name was the first of the comprehensives which formed the nucleus of the Leicestershire Education Project, where the 11+ was scrapped and children moved through from primary school; Middle School ( 9-13) to Upper School without any entrance exams. Janet quickly established a reputation as being a valuable and reliable member of the school community called upon whenever there was a school function. There she took and passed 6 ‘O’ level subjects , which took her into nursing training at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham when she was 18.