Charles Waite - Survivor of the Long March

My friend Allan entered Brian’s name on the search engine on his computer for me and showed me all the entries on my son. There is a marvellous obituary to him on www.gonetoosoon.organd he has 5 star reviews on Amazon for his jazz piano book which still sells in America. That would be good if I could get reviews like him with my book. Goodness, wouldn’t Brian and Lily have been proud of me! I wish they were alive to read about my life and the things I couldn’t talk about which happened to me during the war.

I never thought I would write a book. Never dreamed it would happen to an ordinary fellow like me. It’s been a wonderful experience. I have cried a lot and laughed a lot with Dee as I told her my life story and dug deeper into my past. As we put all my thoughts and memories together down on paper and put them in order, it has been like doing a huge jigsaw puzzle spread out on the dining room table. Lily and Brian loved doing them. Me, I never had the patience.

First you find a few pieces of sky and grass and position them at the corners. You pick out more and put them in the right place and see the picture grow, filling out to meet the edges. You go away and leave it for a while and then come back and try again, adding more and more until you only have the last few pieces in your hand. Where do they fit together to complete the picture? Ah, yes! There and there. It’s done – and there’s not a piece of the puzzle left behind.