Hello Britain!

Hello Britain! is the story of Pat Gelder, an Anglo-Indian born in Calcutta in 1922. It follows on from the story of his life in India during childhood and at work in the Bengal Armed Police and the merchant navy. As a purser he travelled the world and on a voyage to London met Dorothy Wheatley. They date briefly and corresponded for nearly three years. He leaves Calcutta for the last time, in November 1953, heading for London, as portrayed in the companion book Goodbye Calcutta! As Pat settles in Britain, he and Dorothy marry in April 1954 and win the Ideal Honeymoon Couple of the Year competition. They eventually settled in Bournemouth to manage Dorothy’s family business, Westbourne Model Supplies, and bring up a family. Financial difficulties forced them to give up the business and Pat re-trained as a storekeeper, working for The DeVilbiss Company Ltd for twenty years. Pat’s love of photography enabled him to capture the magical moments of family life and retirement before his death from cancer in 1992. He had said goodbye Calcutta and hello to Britain where he lived a life of resilience and generosity of heart, embraced life and left a legacy of love to all who knew him.