BETWEEN 1948 AND 1953, after my parents had bought the cottage opposite the Golden Key in Snape, we saw quite a lot of Ben and Peter. We would load up my father's soft-top Rover with piles of suitcases and all kinds of stuff and head up to Suffolk for our summer holidays. The cottage – actually two cottages joined together – was very basic. There was no electricity, no loo – just an Elsan in a hut in the garden, which my father used to empty every so often. We’d cycle everywhere and go sailing. My father kept a boat at Orford, but I didn't like sailing very much.

There’d be lots of games of ping-pong at Crag House and Ben always played to win. He was childish in childish company, but he didn't like to lose at games.

We used to have these trips out in Ben's old Rolls-Royce. We’d drive off to Waxham or somewhere and spend the day by the sea, and then come back for tea. Cake, egg sandwiches, that sort of thing – but not cheese for me. For some reason I didn't like cheese.

There’d be a great gang of us; the three of us boys and Sebastian Welford, the son of Ben's sister Beth. Sometimes the rest of the Welford family as well – as many as would fit in that old Rolls. Ben and Peter would do anything to amuse us.

We started a very, very childish and naughty game in the car. The road into Aldeburgh passes the golf course, and the first or second tee is right by the road. I think my father started it off, naughtily and irresponsibly hooting the horn just as someone had raised their club, thereby making the golfer miss his shot or putting him off his stroke. Ben thought this was a wonderful idea. One day, Peter was driving the Rolls – the horn on the Rolls made a noise like nothing on earth, a dreadful, screeching honk – and when we got to the golf course, Peter put his hand on the horn and kept it down all the way along for about half a mile, shattering the peace of the neighbourhood.

In those days, Snape Bridge was small, narrow and humpbacked. They eventually replaced it and all the old bricks ended up in the garden walls of the Red House.