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. ‘My husband James and I were married on december 3, 1961,’ writes Verina Pettigrew. ‘For our honeymoon, we stayed at The ship Inn in Porlock, somerset, from Monday, december 4, to sunday, december 10.
‘The only other people staying there were a small group of electrical engineers, who were doing some work in the village.
‘They knew it was our honeymoon and, on going to bed on the first night, a bell rang from under us. It was one of those old bells used to call servants in large houses, and had been tied on securely with fuse wire.
‘naturally, we didn’t have a pair of pliers with us, nor a pair of scissors, so it was quite a while before we finally managed to go to sleep!
‘On the second night, we found our bed filled with lots of dried leaves!
‘It was all good fun and, as my birthday was on the saturday, my husband ordered a large cake for us to share with them. but they’d gone home for the weekend so we missed saying goodbye. Perhaps these practical jokers wondered whether our marriage would last.
‘I’d like to be in contact to tell them that it has so far, for 54 years, and thank them for the smiles it puts on our faces whenever we think of them.
‘James went into management consultancy and I joined publishing company Longman after our two sons were born, where I stayed for 22 years, ending up as a senior editor.
‘James is now 77 and I am 76 and we live in sawbridgeworth, herts.’ LasT november, Pete Rowe was looking for his old friend Tony bird, who was best man at Pete’s wedding to Joyce in June 1966.
he hoped to find Tony in time for his 50th wedding anniversary celebrations.
Pete recalled: ‘Tony and I did our apprenticeship together as compositors at the broadway Press in Lewisham, south London, from 1960 until 1966.
‘but we later lost touch. he was a brilliant footballer, but a terrible singer. he loved The beach boys’s Good Vibrations and sang it all day long, much to the annoyance of everyone at work.
‘he was always a good friend and, if he could be found, it would be the cherry on the cake for Joyce and me.’
happily, we put that cherry on the cake, as a delighted Tony got in touch in time for the anniversary bash.
now, we’ve reunited Tony with other old mates, too.
Jack smith emailed: ‘I read with interest a recent Missing and Found in which a name from my past was mentioned. Tony bird and I lived two doors away from each other at high Grove, Plumstead, in south-East London. It would be great if he could contact me to talk about old times.’
and this arrived from alan smaggasgale: ‘I can confirm Tony was a very good football player. In the sixties, I joined a team, Kolster brandes, who played in the Kent amateur league. Tony was my team captain. at 18, I was the youngest member and he made sure I was made welcome.
‘I’d be interested in contacting Tony to reminisce and find out if he has any contact with, or knowledge of, some other players from that team.’
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. this column is researched with the aid of Peopletracer (www.peopletracer.co.uk). A small donation will be requested for employing Gill Whitley’s services.