It would have been around 1970 in the seaside arcades on the Norfolk Coast in the UK. I would have been around 7 or 8 years old. We would have been staying in a holiday beach house for the week, with just the beach and the nearby arcades to amuse my brother and myself.

I vaguely remember seeing rows of EM machines sitting in the arcades waiting to be played. I ended up playing them as I could make my pocket money last a lot longer playing pinball rather than putting it into the slot machines. I remember being fascinated by the sparks from the slingshot switches, the clicking of the reels and the bright colours on the playfields. I think most of the games would have been Gottlieb wedgeheads.

I went back to have a look around the place a couple of years ago. The beach and the arcades are all still there, but sadly not a single pinball machine to be found.