MISSING . . . and FOUND!
THE DAILY MAIL offers readers a unique opportunity to re-establish contact with long-lost relatives and friends. Each week, MONICA PORTER features the story of someone trying to find a missing loved one, as well as a tale of people reunited. This column is produced in conjunction with the voluntary tracing service, Searching For A Memory, run by Gill and John Whitley.
‘I’D LOVE to trace my second cousin Jean,’ writes Kathy Ventham, a retired hairdresser living in Christchurch, Dorset.
‘I last saw her in 1972 and we promised we would stay in touch but, unfortunately, we lost contact.
‘Jean’s maiden name is Gutteridge and she grew up in Leicester.
‘Her parents were Wilfred and Margaret, my mother’s cousin. Jean is a few years younger than me and would be aged about 66 now.
‘We had lots of fun playing dressing-up together as children. We would meet up at her huge family home and, in turn, she would come with her family to stay with us in Birmingham.
‘She married a man called Gordon (I can’t remember his surname) and for a while they lived in the town of Highworth, Wiltshire.
‘My maiden name is Clifford, but Jean would also remember me as De Haviland, which was
my former married name. I’ve just turned 70 and it would be wonderful finally to find my only relative on my mother’s side.’
CHRISTINE SMITH was looking for her husband’s best man, Bob Vaughan.
‘He came to Holland for our 1972 wedding. He was an engineer with the British India shipping line and had studied with my husband Mike at the Marine College in South Shields.
‘In 1973 he married and moved to Stafford, but I think he later divorced.
‘We lived in Eastleigh, Hants, but lost touch with Bob in 1974 after we moved.
‘In 1979 Mike joined Shell International and we lived
with our children in Holland, Oman, Brunei and Aberdeen. In 1993, we returned to Romsey and are still here.
‘It would be great to hear from Bob after all this time.’
Bob emailed: ‘What a wonderful surprise to be in Missing and Found. I’d love to see Mike and Christine again. It’s been 50 years since we last met and there is a lot to catch up on.’
And Christine adds: ‘We were so pleased to get Bob’s email. We’ve had a nice, long chat and have arranged to meet up soon.’
IF there is someone you would like to trace, , write to Gill Whitley, 1 Newbrook house, New hall Lane, Preston, Pr1 5Pe, enclosing an SAe, or send an email to monica.porter@ dailymail.co.uk — including a contact phone number. All communications will be answered as soon as possible. A small donation will be requested for employing Gill Whitley’s services. this column is researched with the aid of www.192.com.