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. RogeR Higgins writes: ‘it’s coming up to 50 years since, on september 3, 1962, 20 young and innocent lads joined the general Post office at the renowned Dollis Hill Research station and walked through those hallowed doors with “Research is the Door to Tomorrow” inscribed above them.
‘A reunion of that year’s intake would be great, but of course we are missing some of the originals: stuart Halfteck, David Rothman, Robin Keylock, Keith Vincett, Ray Brown, eric Hawsey, Dave Pugh, Cliff Curtis, Peter Cook, Dave shumake, Pete May, Rodney Mack, Terry Kaulder and Keith Whittingham.
‘ We were all sent on a training course in stone, staffordshire, for eight weeks in the summer of 1963, which was a wonderful time for Youths-in-Training with no real responsibilities at that age and away from home, many for the first time. Quite a few left when the station moved to Martlesham Heath, in suffolk, so we lost many contacts.
‘The attached photo was taken at a staff Christmas party in 1962 and shows Joyce, Barbara, Jean and Valerie from staff Duty and some of the lads, with me in the centre enjoying the moment.
‘ it would be brilliant if anyone knew the whereabouts of these good people and we could arrange a get-together later in the year. Very many hopeful thanks.’ in THe early spring we reconnected the former actress Barbara Murray with her old friend gladys Joseph, 81. gladys and Barbara were friends during the war in Caerphilly, south Wales, where Barbara had been evacuated.
They kept in touch for years by letter, and when Barbara worked in Cardiff, she and gladys met up at gladys’s home in Porthcawl. They later lost touch and gladys, now a widow, was desperate to see her friend again.
Barbara was a leading lady in many British films of the Forties and Fifties, and in the sixties she appeared on TV (her best known TV role was as Lady Pamela Wilder in the drama series The Power game).
Meanwhile, gladys lived a very different life on Cefn Carnau farm, famous as the place where the original Caerphilly Cheese was made. Barbara, who now lives in Alicante, spain, and gladys were ‘cocka-hoop’ over their reunion.
now we have a follow-up reunion. Andrew Morgan emailed to say that his mother Daphne Morgan also attended Caerphilly girls’ grammar school with gladys and Barbara and would like to get back in touch, particularly with gladys.
‘My mother still lives near Caerphilly and Porthcawl, he said. After we reconnected the two ladies he sent us an update: ‘gladys rang my mother and they will meet up soon. Thanks again for your help!’
nIF 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. this column is researched with the aid of traceSmart (www.tracesmart.co.uk). A small donation will be requested for employing Gill Whitley’s services.