Dear Brother

I should have posted this earlier today but have been a bit out of kilter today because Martin has not been to College as there was a big fire very close by and College could not open today.

Well, today would have been my dear brother's 65th - yes 65th birthday!!!!! I really do not know where the years have gone since he was taken from us way before his time at the age of 18!!!!

Oh how I wish he was still here with us - he was such a fun-loving young man and I can't help but wonder what he would be like now at the age of 65. Would he be married? Would he have children? Would he live close by or far away? Sadly these are questions that will never be answered.

This afternoon I took Martin to the dentist for his six monthly check-up and on the way there I mentioned that it would have been Brian's birthday today and he would have been 65. Now obviously Martin never met my dear brother (but I am sure they would have got on like a house on fire) but he said that was your brother wasn't it - he was a bit of a prankster wasn't he - did he play jokes on you? Then he asked me what I thought he would be doing now and I said I didn't think he'd still be in the Army but would be doing a job in civvie street. My sister and I have told our children about the uncle they never met as we would not want him to be forgotten.

I wonder if he would have taken up the occupation that he mentioned to the Careers' Officer - 'an Undertaker' - because he'd never be out of work as people are always dying - that was Brian - trust him to say that. Sadly he needed an Undertaker far too early in his life and the wrong choice of career was to blame.

I look back and think of the times when I say to myself I wish I had done this, or wish I had done that instead of the choices I made but at least my choices have meant that at the age of 55 I am still alive to live my life.

So my dear brother, I just hope you are up there with mam and dad, and grandma and granddad looking down on us today and celebrating your 65th birthday in style with them.

Rest In Peace my dear one.
Love you forever, you will never be forgotten as long as I live.

Brian is first on the left of the front row as you look at the photo - this would have been taken up at Troon where he did his training.  I remember going up there to see him at his 'Passing Out' parade - couldn't spot him on the parade ground cos they all looked the same with their peaked caps pulled down over their eyes and their uniforms on.