The Fortnight in September by R.C. Sherriff was first published in 1931 but my copy is a Persephone reprint.

The Stevens family of London consisting of mum, dad, grown son Dick and daughter Mary and younger son Ernie, always have a fortnight in September at Bognor. They always stay at the same boarding house which over the years has got shabbier and shabbier but they stay loyal to Mrs Haykin the owner. As both their older children are now out working there had been talk of Dick and Mary going elsewhere for their holiday this year, but that idea had come to nothing so Mr and Mrs Stevens are extra happy to be going away as normal as a family, it might be the last time.

There’s not a lot going on in this tale, the family pack and arrange for the luggage to be taken to the railway station, buy train tickets, worry about getting seats on the train, eat their sandwiches and resent the other travellers. But arriving at ‘Seaview’ in Bognor is like slipping on an old pair of comfy shoes to them, it’s going to be a great holiday – and it is, with wonderful weather.

Money has always been a bit tight for the family and they’re thrilled when the father decides that they will just be able to afford to hire a beach hut this time, it’s such a luxury. Everything is carefully calculated including the ginger beer they drink with their meals, and the bottle of port as a medicine for Mrs Stevens which Dick carefully marks with fourteen lines so that she knows how much to pour out each evening.

This is a real comfort read about a very ordinary family who presumably live in Sydenham as their home has a view of the Crystal Palace which is half a mile away. They’re such a lovely set of people though and as families go they’re very close, possibly because they don’t live in each other’s pockets and have some time away from each other doing their own thing. It’s their kindness and loyalty to old Mrs Haykin that marks them out as decent people, standing above others who might presume to be their betters, it’s an unexpectedly entertaining read.

I did think though while I was reading this book that young Ernie should have been at school in September, and his elder siblings too when they were still of school age. Presumably that was because Mr Stevens was so budget conscious, and September boarding house prices were lower than July or August rates.