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’VE been searching for a former Army comrade for 11 years,’ writes Simon Maylor of Hereford.
‘Billy Jones and I served in D Troop, Royal Signals in the Seventies and Eighties. I have not seen him for 30 years or so.
‘Apart from inquiring about his welfare, I have something for him.
‘Our unit held a reunion in 2006 at which every serving and former member was presented with a memento inscribed with their name.
‘As he was missing, I volunteered to try to trace him and give him this item. But I have had no luck, despite searching all the obvious sources.
‘Billy served with the Airborne Signal Squadron before coming to our troop. After leaving, he is known to have served with 7 Signal Regiment in BAOR in 1987.
‘After leaving the Army (I’m not sure when), I heard he became a PADI diving instructor. Regretfully, despite working with Billy for a number of years, I know surprisingly little about him, other than he was from Liverpool, his wife was called Jean and he sported a Frank Zappastyle moustache.
‘Our troop was based in the UK, but we were deployed overseas to provide radio communications from wherever we were in the world back to the UK, in the days before computers.
‘After the Army, I retrained as a plumber and worked for firms in the West Midlands before starting my own business in 2000, which I ran until retiring aged 65 in 2015.’
IN MAY, Gordon Smith told us: ‘As teenagers in the Sixties, my friends and I were in Remainz, a five-piece covers band playing in South-East and Central London. We were a favourite with students.
‘A year ago, four of us met for a reunion dinner in Chislehurst, South-East London, and had a great time reminiscing — and we had this crazy idea to put the band back together.
‘But we’ve lost contact with drummer Tony Moulton, who moved to Australia a long time ago. We’d love to find him, but don’t know where to start. We also hope to find our manager Mike Lewis. In my photo from 1966, Tony is on the left. What a shame the name of the band is spelt incorrectly on the drum.’
Sadly, we learnt from Mike’s sister Pauline that he has died, but she asked to be put in touch with the group.
Contact has also been re-established with drummer Tony in Melbourne.
Gordon says: ‘The band will play at my 70th birthday on August Bank Holiday and we plan to Skype Tony during the event.’
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.