Through the eyes of a child.

I met Dorothy on the Age Concern forum some time ago when I was seeking tales from W.W.2 veterans to put on my website.
Dorothy had been a nurse during W.W.2 but although she did not send me any of her own stories she asked me if she could send the photo and the reading of her fiance who was killed in the war.
I was happy to do this and started the memorial pages on the Home Front website and here is Dorothy’s extremely touching story………………..
http://www.memorylanehf.oddquine.co.uk/inmemory/gordon.htm

As our cyber friendship developed I found out that after the war Dorothy did get married and had two children a boy and a girl named John who was the eldest and Jane.

I was SO very sorry to hear that her young daughter Jane was tragically killed by a car coming home after her first day at her new comprehensive school. A second tragedy for Dorothy.

Dorothy then told me that her daughter had written poetry and it was a great comfort to her to go and read it at times.

I have a poetry site apart from my two W.W’2 websites and I asked Dorothy if she would send me some of Jane’s poetry to put on my website.
She did and I was so impressed with the little girls writings I told Dorothy that I was not going to put them on my website BUT I would contact the one who had done my websites and would get a website put up for Jane.
Dorothy was over the moon about this.
I got together with my domain owner and she did put a site up for Jane’s poetry. http://www.sunbeam.oddquine.co.uk/

When the tragic accident happened to Jane it was her brother who identified her and it came as a great shock to him.
He just could not come to terms with what had happened and into the bargain he had heart problems.
He was one of the first in the country to have heart surgery and Dorothy was so very grateful to the British Heart Foundation for all they had done to help him.
He finally overcame his difficulties and grew up still with the awful
memory of seeing his sister lying in the road.

After the website had been up for a week or so John decided to visit it and read many of the comments in the guest book.
That was a turning point for him so Dorothy said.
He had never been able to talk about his beloved sister before but the website seemed to unlock something inside him that helped him come to terms with what had happened.
This made me feel as though I had been a part of helping him to face the demons and I felt very happy for them both.

A week or so later after corresponding with Dorothy about the lovely comments concerning the website she told me that Jane had also written a book.
It was all written in an exercise book and I asked Dorothy if she had ever thought about getting it printed. She said she had “No because she did not know what to” do so I asked her to send me the book and I would get it sorted for her.
When I received it I was impressed with the story written by a little girl in a child’s handwriting plus the little drawings she had done.
I contacted the chap who did my books and asked him if he could call in to see me so that I could show it to him.
He was also impressed with it and I asked him if he could print it exactly as it had been written.
This he did and a copy was sent to Dorothy.
To say her cup runneth over would be putting it mildly.
When she told John he too was over the moon because Dorothy had decided to pay for more copies and sell them in aid of the British Heart Foundation. Dorothy was so grateful to them for saving her son she wanted to give something back.
Many copies were sold and money sent to the foundation.

John, Jane’s brother, finally came to terms with his grief and left a lovely message in the guest book.

I feel very honoured to have written the introduction page on Jane’s website and to know that John has at long last come to terms with life.