Publisher's Synopsis
With charm, warmth and humour, Billy Hopkins tells the story of his beloved dad... Tommy Hopkins' early years aren't very promising. Born at the end of the nineteenth century in a slum district of Manchester, he's blessed with loving parents, but they don't have two ha'pennies to rub together. At school, he and his friends plot money-making schemes and play lots of football, while learning enough to keep the teachers off their backs. Then, leaving the playground behind, Tommy finds employment in Manchester's Smithfield market, where he works his way up to become a porter, and where, amongst the young women who catch his eye, is Kate Lally - who may just be the love of his life.