My father, John, was a captain in the Somerset light infantry and we travelled all over the world wherever he was posted. Dad was a very gentle, stable character and a wonderful father. My mum, Peggy, was witty and lovely but not quite such a steady character as Dad.
They met in 1935 when Mum came over from Ireland to stay with a family friend near Aldershot, where he was stationed. Young officers were invited to play tennis at the house and attend the great parties they had. She was also very fond of a naval captain who was more like her – buoyant and slightly wayward. But she decided she should marry someone more stable than she was, so she married Dad in 1936.
During the war, Mum went back to Ireland and joined the Women’s Voluntary Service, helping to drive the wounded to hospital. I was born in Dublin and spent most of the war in Ireland.
It was a shock when I was sent to an all boys boarding school in Eastbourne in 1946. I was only seven and terrified of being away from Mum and Dad, so I took my teddy bear, Patrick. I slept with Patrick but the other boys laughed at me so much that after three days I wrapped him in brown paper and sent him home.
My younger brother, Richard, was born while I was away at school. There’s a 10-year age gap between us and although we’ve always been friendly, I’m not sure I was as kind and helpful as I should have been, growing up.
Growing up with my younger cousin, Jon, the Channel 4 news presenter, was fun. A favourite memory is of going sailing together when he was a student. He was a great water-skier and I loved dragging him along behind my boat. We worked together at ITN and he was a very brave and adventurous reporter, and still is. I admire him hugely.
When most of your childhood is spent away from your parents at boarding school you develop great independence. I became much less close to my parents and began thinking I had less and less in common with them. But I have treasured memories of great adventures with Dad, sailing and exploring old houses. It was fun travelling to various places with him and Mum where he was stationed. I was 11 when we went to Benghazi, in Libya, and that’s where I really got into ancient history. It resulted in me studying ancient history and classics at Oxford.
It was a shock to come out of college and do national service and mix with men who’d been chasing girls for five years. I took my cue from them and discovered women and drink. But I never wanted an army career, and Dad never put any pressure on me. I was very bad at taking orders and not questioning them.
My paternal grandfather, Thomas, was one of the generals who had to run the awful bloodshed at the Somme. He wrote a very honest memoir in which he said that they’d got it wrong and made mistakes.
By the time Dad retired in the 60s, he was a brigadier. Sadly, my parents both died in the early 1970s. Mum was only 60 – she had liver cancer – and Dad died suddenly at 67 from a brain haemorrhage while driving. That was a huge shock.
My parents’ greatest legacy was instilling in me a passion for travel and exploring the world, which I’ve passed on to my children - particularly [TV historian] Dan.
• The Battle of Waterloo Experience by Peter and Dan Snow is published by André Deutsch, £30.
