I read the news over the past 48 hours about the problems in Tripoli.
My Dad being in the British Army, had a posting to Tripoli in Libya not long after he married my Mum. My Brother Zeltus was born there during their stay, and while the local population was taken by this very blonde headed youngster the unsettled situation saw them evacuated twice, once for 48 hours and for the life of me I can't remember where they went or whether it was just within the bounds of the Army camp or elsewhere.
When they got back to their accommodation, it had been ransacked and most of their possessions lost, but the important things to them were safe: themselves.
Gradually they rebuilt their lives and possessions only to lose them again for the second time when they were evacuated out permanently back to the UK in late 1957/early 1958 ending up at Blandford Forum where I was born in March 1958.
I have one possession from that period of time, a wall carpet hanging of camels in the desert and that really belongs to Zeltus but somehow it ended up with me; a little more battered and moth eaten but not bad for over 50 years old.
I have some photo's taken from that time, when I eventually get around to emptying the picture boxes, but in there is the naked lady of Gariane .. it is a map drawn on a wall but in the shape of a luscious lady... apparently the Back of Beyond was going to be named the Gariane in memory of this time of their lives but it never happened and when Mum died in 1992 it no longer seemed to be important enough for Dad to do.
1 comment:
This reminds me of our own experiences in Cyprus,being evacuated with our children under gunfire. Our eldest (now nearly 41) was quite traumatised by the experience, but the two younger ones don't remember it.
How sad that this suffering goes on. So awful that so many have had to pay for the release of their fellow citizens from Gadaffi's tyranny with their lives.
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