This is the story of a ten year old (Albert) and his adventures and experiences during the five years of the second world war. Living in what was then a very unsophisticated and almost forgotten valley in the Chiltern Hills in Buckinghamshire where the traditions and customs of the previous century were still very much in evidence the story shows how in many ways the war did little to intrude on the day to day activities of Albert and his friends. However, from time to time dramatic and sad events brought home to them that beyond their comparatively safe valley, death and destruction were taking place on an almost unimaginable scale.