Thank you Grandpa - for surviving.

I never met my father in law which is something that will always sadden me.

I catch glimpses of the man I think he must have been, in my husband all the time. I see the characteristics my husband clearly didn't get from his mother - his gentleness, his compassion, his quietness and his gift of being to see the good in absolutely everything and everyone.

My girls never knew him either which is my even bigger sorrow. For them, but for him particularly. He would have loved them so much.

He was an incredibly brave man who at the age of twenty one, during the second world war was shot down over Holland and taken to Stalag Luft III, an infamous Luftwaffe-run POW camp for captured air force servicemen. There he drew the long straw and was thankfully left behind during the infamous mass escape which ended in the execution of fifty Allied Airmen. They are listed here, and I want to remember each and every one of them today and thank god that his name is not on this list.

If it had been, my husband and my children wouldn't be here.

These were his friends, his fellow prisoners, his fellow officers all of whom saw such horror and showed such bravery. To know that they tried to escape but didn't make it must have been horrendous and heartbreaking.

Grandpa Guy went on to be honoured by his country for his bravery winning amongst other medals the DFC, pictured to the far left of the picture above. These are his medals and we have them hanging up in our house. We talk about him a lot and what he did for his country, especially today.

I feel very tearful writing this. He was an amazing man who never really fully recovered from his losses. He died of cancer when my husband was nineteen and we all still miss him dreadfully.

He did go on to leave an even better legacy which is what this blog is all about.. and for which I will always be truly grateful.

And for which I hope, if he is watching, he is truly proud.