The location and evironment for "The Avenue" ("The Dreaming Suburb" and "The Avenue Goes To War") is based extensively on Addiscombe, near Croydon, where R F Delderfield lived between the ages of 6 and 11.Bamfylde School ("To Serve Them All My Days") is based on West Buckland School, near Taunton, the public school that R F Delderfield attended between the ages of 14 and 16.In "To Serve Them All My Days", the names of two of the Bamfylde School houses, Havelock and Outram, are named after roads in Addiscombe, near Croydon, where R F Delderfield lived between the ages of 6 and 11.Children: Veronica (adopted 1944) and Paul (adopted 1946).