"The rest is mystery. Uncle Jim suddenly disappeared out of my life when I was a child. I don't know why..." Ann is originally from County Durham, but she moved to Staffordshire in 1967. At first she lived in Madeley, before settling in Newcastle under Lyme. Ann is retired and enjoys spending some of her time reading, doing crosswords or jigsaws, writing to pen friends, driving, camping, or being creative with her camera. Taking part in Inside Lives has made Ann realise she can do even more things she never thought she could. I'm using this story as another way of trying to trace my Uncle Jim. My family lost contact with him a long time ago, but if we can find him, or any family he may have, I feel then, the family would be complete.
There's not much I know about my uncle Jim. I know he was born James Doyle in Scotland around the first decade of the 20th century to Irish parents Harry and Mary Ann Doyle, nee Sweeney. I know he was in the army, attained the rank of sergeant, was in the medical corps at Dunkirk, and married a nurse called Jessie. He was stationed in Iceland and Japan. The rest is mystery. Uncle Jim suddenly disappeared out of my life when I was a child. I don't know why - I've never been able to find out. My mother, his sister Rose, wanted to trace him, but died in 1980 before being able to do so. There are so many things I don't know about him. I don't even know if he's alive - If he is he must be in his 90s. I know he moved to the Midlands after the war, but I don't know for how long. It's my memory of him that matters more than the facts. He had a warmth that drew me to him. In my whole life I only met him 3 times, but I remember while he was on leave once he gave me some chocolate - it was something I had never had. Oooohhhhh it tasted like cream. Gran made me share it with my cousins. They never shared with me. He showed me postcards of Japan. They were strange, but beautiful too. These are my last memories of Uncle Jim. I was only about 5 years old when my family lost touch with him. I feel as though something's missing in my life by not knowing him. I wish mum was alive to tell me more about him, but I have taken up her challenge and I don't think I'll ever stop looking for uncle Jim.
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