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 i
John nash writes: ‘I often read your column and was wondering if you could help locate my cousin. Her maiden name was Janet Gaskin. I am 61 and Janet is slightly younger than me, so would be in her late 50s.
‘When we were children, we both lived at 122 Geere Road, Plaistow, in east London.
‘Janet lived downstairs with her father Walter, mother eileen and older sister Gloria. I lived upstairs with my father Sid and mother Sheila.
‘I lived there from 1953 until 1961, when we moved to Barking in essex, but Janet and her family continued to live in Geere Road.
‘My father passed away in 1966, but my mother kept in touch with Janet’s parents and I saw them occasionally when I was younger.
‘ Sadly, my mother and Janet’s parents have also now passed away.
‘Janet got married in the early Seventies. I can’t recall her married name, but I believe she and her husband moved to Hampshire.
‘And I think Gloria married a man called Laurie and was living in the Shoeburyness area in essex. I’m hoping to contact Janet because, while growing up, we were more like brother and sister than cousins (we also looked alike, so everybody took us for siblings).
‘I’ve now got three grown-up children of my own and as I’ve got older I’ve begun to appreciate family relationships more.
‘Whenever I reminisce about my childhood, I wonder how Janet is and what’s happened in her life since she married more than 40 years ago.
‘ It would be lovely to find out.’ In JAnuARy, terry ‘ Ginge’ fearnley told us: ‘I’m organising a reunion in July at the Submarine Museum in Gosport, Hampshire, for former crew of HMS Alliance, which is on display there.
‘ I’m a guide on her and served on her as a stoker in 1968 to 1971. My photo, taken in the stokers’ mess, shows (left to right) Dave Deeming, myself, someone whose name I can’t recall, and “Lazy” Lobb — all stokers.
‘We’ll be welcoming ex-crew members from as far away as Canada and Australia. However, there are many who don’t belong to associations, and I’m trying to contact those. I joined the navy as a stoker, trained on submarines and, in november 1966, joined my first sub, HMS Astute.
‘Later, on HMS Alliance, we served during the Cold War, protecting our shores from Russia.
‘our reunion will start with a tour of fort Blockhouse, home of the Submarine Service for 100 years. this may be our last major reunion, although the Alliance will be there for many more years to come.’ We heard from thomas Keefe, who served on the Alliance from 1966 to 68, who says: ‘I was there when we hit Bembridge Reef in January 1968.’ (ouch!)
thomas, who was chief petty officer and retired in 1977, is keen to attend the reunion.
terry has now emailed: ‘Best of all, “Lazy” Lobb is coming to the reunion.
‘We chatted on the phone and it was quite emotional to talk after 44 years. Another crew mate to get in touch is Dusty Rhodes, who’s also coming. thanks for your help — I have 70 attending!’