Dear LPG,  

Have you ever lost something?   

So many of my older friends have told me about those senior moments when they are doing something at one end of the house and remember something they need in the opposite corner to continue. So they go off to retrieve it in the drawer, cupboard, or room at the opposite end of the staircase where they know they will find it, but by the time they have got there, they cannot remember what they need to get in the first place.

Ironically, it happens to me all the time now that I find myself getting older, and although I lose quite a bit, I also find myself remembering things and people that have drifted in and out of my life over the years.   

People and memories have a habit of going together when the older person’s recollections of their younger years come into play, and I am wondering if one particular person who has been lost from my life might have a family member or friend who sees this post and can help me to find someone who has been lost to me.

I arrived in this world one year before WWII, and while my childhood included evacuation and rationing, being a teenager in those post-war days was as special to me as I have no doubt it was to everyone else at the time.  I was born in Beckenham and spent my childhood years between evacuations living in Riddons Road, Grove Park, but I have fond memories of one particular family member that I have well and truly lost touch with now.  

I remember him being my companion during many visits to a local air raid shelter during the blitz, where we would keep our spirits up by joining in with the singing of old songs. My last and most vivid memory is that of being taken to the Northover Pub in Verdant Lane by him when I was about 14 years old.  I was too young for alcohol and had to make do with lemonade.  Apart from that, I remember his family living reasonably locally but officially in Downham, where I often visited the brothers, and his brother Maurice was a bit of a boxer.   He was about three or four years older than me, leaving me thinking I might never find him. Still, I wonder if any reader of my message might remember a Cyril Thomas who came from that era and area and, if he is still alive, would be in his early nineties by now.  

Cyril had two older brothers, Gordon and Maurice, and I suspect that he must have either children, grandchildren, nieces, or nephews who I am hoping might read or be told about what I have written, resulting in me at least learning a little about how his life turned out or, at best, getting the opportunity for a reunion after all these years…  

Not long after the war, my immediate family moved to Dover and lost touch with nearly every aspect of Lewisham Borough. However, while I am also looking online and using other people-finding methods, I would really like to make a connection with any member of his family or even the man himself.

BT, Northampton.

LPG would be happy to pass on any messages that might help in BT’s search. We look forward to redirecting any information that might lead to his being reunited with his friend Cyril. However, for security reasons, we ask that you contact us with any information so that we can pass it on. Please use our official telephone number, email, or WhatsApp contact details…