Why I can’t let Covid dampen my spirits.
People are understandingly finding this year difficult for lots of reasons. We all are. The reason why I keep my head up and keep going while remaining compliant to government recommendations is because of:
Edward Haines. He’s my great grandad. He died was I was only 8, but I remember him well. Edward Haines had more adventures by the time he was 24 than most of us have in our entire lives.
He tried to join the RAF so he could fight in our defence during the Battle of Britain and was sent to Rhodesia and then Canada to learn to fly. He wasn’t suitable to be a pilot and was too late for the Battle of Britain so he joined bomber command back in England as an Air Gunner.
On his return he found out that his younger siblings had all been forced to leave their families behind as evacuees to go live in the country away from the nightly bombings Plymouth was suffering and that his parents both worked around the clock in munitions factories.
He spent most of the war with 106 Squadron going out every night over the freezing skies over Germany trying to take the fight back to the Nazis. He had stories enough to right a book about both the happy times he had with his crew and the horrific things he saw. On one occasion he was shot down and spent two days in the North Sea alone with a piece of his turret imbedded in his face. We he returned to his squadron he was told he was the only survivor of his crew. He particularly suffered the loss of his close friend, an Australian navigator who had plans to buy a farm in England after the war.
He survived the war. Hoping to marry a girl he met 3 years earlier but the RAF kept him overseas, first ferrying home American prisoners of war and then transporting cargo to Asia to fight the Japanese.
Finally. At the ripe old age of 24 he settle back home in the south west, bought a garage and raised a family.
He did all that even though he was afraid, even though he was angry, even though his life was put on hold, even though he couldn’t see his family. And he still had time to focus on what was important. How can I be his family and shirk this?
So yes I will wear a mask. I will stay home as much as I can. I will spend Christmas at home without family if I have to and I will keep going. I hope you all find something in you that keeps you safe and happy during this time.
Edward Haines. He’s my great grandad. He died was I was only 8, but I remember him well. Edward Haines had more adventures by the time he was 24 than most of us have in our entire lives.
He tried to join the RAF so he could fight in our defence during the Battle of Britain and was sent to Rhodesia and then Canada to learn to fly. He wasn’t suitable to be a pilot and was too late for the Battle of Britain so he joined bomber command back in England as an Air Gunner.
On his return he found out that his younger siblings had all been forced to leave their families behind as evacuees to go live in the country away from the nightly bombings Plymouth was suffering and that his parents both worked around the clock in munitions factories.
He spent most of the war with 106 Squadron going out every night over the freezing skies over Germany trying to take the fight back to the Nazis. He had stories enough to right a book about both the happy times he had with his crew and the horrific things he saw. On one occasion he was shot down and spent two days in the North Sea alone with a piece of his turret imbedded in his face. We he returned to his squadron he was told he was the only survivor of his crew. He particularly suffered the loss of his close friend, an Australian navigator who had plans to buy a farm in England after the war.
He survived the war. Hoping to marry a girl he met 3 years earlier but the RAF kept him overseas, first ferrying home American prisoners of war and then transporting cargo to Asia to fight the Japanese.
Finally. At the ripe old age of 24 he settle back home in the south west, bought a garage and raised a family.
He did all that even though he was afraid, even though he was angry, even though his life was put on hold, even though he couldn’t see his family. And he still had time to focus on what was important. How can I be his family and shirk this?
So yes I will wear a mask. I will stay home as much as I can. I will spend Christmas at home without family if I have to and I will keep going. I hope you all find something in you that keeps you safe and happy during this time.
