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.
MIKE TAYLOR is researching his family history, but there are big gaps in his knowledge about his parents’ early lives.
‘One couple who might be able to shed some light would be Bill and Helen Marshall, great friends of my mum’s sister, Rita,’ says Mike.
‘My mum, Norma White, was born in 1923 in Lambeth, South London. Rita was born in 1932.
‘ Rita lived with us in Aldershot, Hampshire, in the Fifties, when she met and became friends with Bill and Helen. Bill, a Scotsman, was in the Parachute Regiment and might recall stories Rita told him about my parents.
‘Rita married Don Latimer in 1968 and moved to Wellingborough, Northamptonshire. She died in 1979, aged 47.
‘ My mother and father, Ernest Withers, a policeman, married in 1947 and I was born the next year.
‘In 1950, they split up and in 1952 my mother married Robert Taylor and had three more sons, Robert, Phillip and Kim.
‘After the marriage broke down, my mother struggled to look after four boys. In 1958, we were placed in children’s homes in Hampshire, and she moved to London.
‘I have no recollection of my biological father. Before joining the Royal Navy in 1963, I changed my surname to Taylor. My mum died in London in 1973, aged 49.’
TWO friends who last met playing snooker in Kenya in the Nineties have been reconnected.
Steve Mills of Nairobi wrote: ‘I joined the RAF in 1965 with David “Ginger” Mason, who became a great friend.
‘We were Supplier General apprentices at Hereford 304 entry. After being posted to RAF Gaydon we lost touch. I would love to meet up again.
‘I spent seven years in the RAF and played football for the RAF and Combined Services teams.
‘I turned professional in Holland until I was injured. Then I headed to Toronto and got a job as a bellboy at the Holiday Inn.
‘I learnt to fly a helicopter and worked for a radio station, reporting on traffic jams. Then I found myself tagging polar bears.
‘In 1984, I arrived in Kenya, where I founded Echo Flight, the world’s first humanitarian airline, before setting up a credit reference bureau chain across sub- Saharan Africa. Now, aged 68, I’m setting up Africa’s first credit bureau for businesses.’
We haven’t found Ginger yet, but have heard from another pal, Mike Roles.
‘It came as a huge surprise to read about Steve Mills,’ says Mike. ‘We played snooker together at Muthaiga Country Club in Nairobi.
‘I’m now living in Southampton and am married to Khatra — I’m sure Steve will remember her from Nairobi. We’d love to hear from him.’
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.