Summary

A sweet reminiscence about a family of four children and their RAF-veteran dad, who knows the timetable of every bus in London, but realizes his large family needs a car. He buys a Peugeot station wagon - license plate GFP831E, and the family sets off for annual holidays exploring every corner of Europe - "adopting local customs but never forgetting who won the war." The narrator is one of the children who, as he ages, sees things he missed as a lad - the car no rocket, dad no speedster. As the years wear on, and the car sits in the driveway, dad keeps it ready for the next great summer holiday.