Something wonderful happened when I was at the Memorial Garden in Deal
last week. Pauline Simmonds, widow of Bob, and I regularly take flowers
and tidy up there every week to keep the site attractive for visitors
but rarely see any. This time on my arrival a smart young man in his
fifties was standing quietly facing the memorial and deep in thought.
We spoke. I did not at this stage give him my name but listened as he
told me his harrowing story.
Aged 18 he was nearby in north barracks when the IRA detonated their
bomb on the 22nd September 1989. He was flung across his room by the
blast. With adrenaline flowing and unaware that he had sustained an
injury he, with others, immediately went to the possible rescue of victims
in the rubble of the collapsed building. Only later was he taken to
hospital to begin treatment that lasted for three months. Now thirty-three
years on he had returned to the area to find that it has become a sacred
place.
He had travelled from his home in Wales to relive those moments of stark
horror to unexpectedly find himself surrounded by peace and tranquility.
His name is Jason Hall, French horn, and he served from 1989 - 2009.
Those who remember him may like to be aware that he has had a very successful
life since leaving the Corps. I was proud to stand with him in contemplation
of our boys lives taken so cruelly at that spot all those years ago.
Sincerely
yours,
Margaret Hoskins.
