Esther leads tributes to hero Jack
DAME Esther Rantzen yesterday led tributes after the death of war hero Jack King, one of the inspirations for her loneliness charity.
Former prisoner-of-war Jack, who died at 97 on Tuesday, survived the Japanese Death Railway depicted in the film The Bridge On The River Kwai.
But he found it difficult to overcome the loss of his beloved wife Audrey. He credited The Silver Line for saving him from the depths of despair.
Dame Esther, 79, said: “Jack was one of the most remarkable people I have ever met. He was a poet, he was an artist and he survived the Burma Railway through his good humour, courage and resilience. He was quite wonderful and everyone at The Silver Line will miss him terribly.”
Jack met Audrey during leave in May 1946 and they married in September after she said to him as he was about to board a train: “You can take me to the pictures if you like.”
He had those words immortalised on a bench in the back garden of his home in Eastbourne, East Sussex.
Their 65-year marriage produced three sons, David, Richard and Stephen. After two strokes Audrey died in 2012 aged 85. Consumed by loneliness and unable to move easily because of his war wounds, Jack decided to pick up the phone and call The Silver Line.
He said the love and support helped him “open his eyes to the world” and he went on to become an enthusiastic ambassador for Britain’s only 24-hour helpline for lonely and isolated older people.
Jack, who was serving as senior warrant officer in the Royal Artillery when he was captured in Singapore in 1942, said: “The Silver Line makes such a difference. There’s not another organisation like it. A lot of OAPs are too proud to ask for help.”