Former Guildford Man’s Journey From Butcher to Book Writing

Published on: 1 Nov, 2026
Updated on: 1 Nov, 2026

The young Bob Hind when he worked for Bernard’s butchers in Guildford.

Robert Hind, always known as Bob, at one time worked in Bernard’s butchers on the corner of Swan Lane in Guildford, later transferring to its other shop in North Street, alongside the library.

In 1980 he had a change of career and joined British Rail as a guard at Woking.

In 1988 his personnel manager asked for someone to write a staff magazine which Bob applied for.

He was taken on and wrote the Woking Grapevine magazine for four years winning an award for the top staff magazine out of eight entered.

Bob later became a train crew foreman at Waterloo before retiring and moving to Portsmouth.

From writing the Woking Grapevine, Bob pursued his hobby writing five books, and his latest tells of the residents of Portsmouth killed during the Blitz of the Second World War.

Nearly 1,000 people lost their lives, with thousands of others suffering lifetime injuries.

The Portsmouth area suffered terribly during the Blitz of the Second World War. This is Locksway Road, Milton.

The book is called The Lost People of Portsmouth – how the Blitz took their lives.

The stories are of great human interest and tell of the tragedy of war.

The book includes the six Wilkinson sisters who were sitting in their parlour when a direct hit killed five of them including a six-month-old baby.

Another story recalls a husband and wife, married for just five weeks, when they were killed after a direct hit on a house of relatives they were visiting. The wife was buried in her wedding gown.

The Princes Cinema in Portsmouth after being hit by a bomb which killed eight children.

The Princes Cinema in Lake Road took a direct hit one Saturday afternoon during a children’s matinee. Eight children were killed.

Former butcher, then railwayman, and later still writer, Robert (Bob) Hind.

Two V1 flying bombs landed on Portsea Island, the first in Locksway Road with no fatalities, but the second killed many in the northern part of the city.

The book of 74 A4-size pages with many photographs can be obtained from Bob at £12.50, plus £2.50 postage and packing.

Phone him on 02392 435936 or by email to bobhind1@icloud.com