Blogger friend “Big John” sends greetings from London.

I am thrilled that so many people seem to be enjoying my memoir "My Halcyon Years" that I published last month.  It begins in 1943 with WWII in full swing.  My family and I are living outside of Boston and have become a Host Family for the British sailors who are staying at the Union Jack Club awaiting repairs to be made on their ships.

"Big John" is a long time blogger who, for years, has entertained us with his very British acerbic wit and opinions.  I was so happy to hear from him after he read the book and happy that he could relate to the part about the sailors.  Years back, in one of his posts, he included this sweet picture with the caption "Miserable Tykes" ... 

Yesterday, in his email, John reminded me of that picture and he wrote ..."the little boy in the centre of that scruffy group was my uncle 'Charlie', who during WW2 served in the Royal Navy.  He had a pretty rough time in the North Atlantic and spent some time recovering in the USA.  I like to think that, if he wasn't one of your "British boys" that some other 'Yanks' made him feel at home."

                                                              Uncle Charlie

I mention in “My Halcyon Years” that my mother made a quilt during those hosting years and she cross-stitched each boy's name on it. My sister Barbara received the quilt after mother died and she had it framed. Now it resides on the wall of my nephews vacation home. Wouldn't it be amazing if Uncle Charlie's name was there? 

My blogger friend John sent me his Uncles full name but I won't put it here since he never uses identifiable family names on line.  However I will see if, by any extraordinary chance, his name is one of those on the quilt.

(I'll let you know as soon as I get the answer … fingers crossed.)