Quite a lot of veterans haven't told their families about their experiences.
My father told me about staying at High Wycombe with a widow. Her daughter married and went to Rhodesia.
And he stayed with a family in Wolverhampton.
Part of his training was in Canada.
As a child I was proud he served in the RAF and was at those places. I had hardly any questions.
But now I feel a huge empty space. I miss part of his history and that means missing part of my history. There are so many questions.
How did he become the silent and kind person, why? Why did he make certain decisions in life? Knowing that could have prevented the same troubles in my life as he had.
Thinking about him is always with a feeling of regret: i should have asked him... he should have told me.
From that array of thoughts and feelings I started to assist veterans to write down their experiences. They told me what they wanted to share, and I asked to clarify.
For some it was enough to rely on their memories. Others illustrated facts with photos and documents, or used a dairy from the time.
Some shared their stories immediately with their family. They felt relieved after talking to me and wanted their family members to know too.
Others put their life story in an envelope with the instruction not to open it before their death.
During the Covid pandemic I was able to work with mail and zoom sessions (online). So we had no financial investment.
I always watch privacy very closely. So you won't hear your own story back.
Contact me in the comments. Don't forget an email address so we can arrange something. It won't be published and your request stays with me too.
_*_
My father told me about staying at High Wycombe with a widow. Her daughter married and went to Rhodesia.
And he stayed with a family in Wolverhampton.
Part of his training was in Canada.
As a child I was proud he served in the RAF and was at those places. I had hardly any questions.
But now I feel a huge empty space. I miss part of his history and that means missing part of my history. There are so many questions.
How did he become the silent and kind person, why? Why did he make certain decisions in life? Knowing that could have prevented the same troubles in my life as he had.
Thinking about him is always with a feeling of regret: i should have asked him... he should have told me.
From that array of thoughts and feelings I started to assist veterans to write down their experiences. They told me what they wanted to share, and I asked to clarify.
For some it was enough to rely on their memories. Others illustrated facts with photos and documents, or used a dairy from the time.
Some shared their stories immediately with their family. They felt relieved after talking to me and wanted their family members to know too.
Others put their life story in an envelope with the instruction not to open it before their death.
During the Covid pandemic I was able to work with mail and zoom sessions (online). So we had no financial investment.
I always watch privacy very closely. So you won't hear your own story back.
Contact me in the comments. Don't forget an email address so we can arrange something. It won't be published and your request stays with me too.
_*_
