POST SCRIPT: It is with great sadness to announce that our loving Grandma (fondly known to many as Mollie), peacefully passed away in her sleep on 27th February 2004.

You will be greatly missed by all of us...

My Grandparents had four children and eight grandchildren. I don't think any of us would be here if it wasn't for the two colleagues of my Grandad's, who shielded him from the bomb which took their lives. It's hard to carry on while your friends are taken away from you, but like many other soldiers, he carried on with strength and willpower. His empathy was a natural ability, which meant that he was always a good at helping others and finding the right things to say.

Every time we visited my grandparents we were always greeted by Grandma and she would say the same thing about my brother and I: “My, haven't you two grown!” After the greeting kiss, we would enter their lounge and Grandad would be sat in his chair in the corner of the room by the window, with the bookcase behind him. He would then stand up, towering above us and shake our hands, gently crushing them as a little joke. Drinks were offered and we would sit down and play with toys, while our parents talked about the family and whatever else they talked about when we visited.

That was before December 1992. My family was sat in the hospital talking to Grandad as he lay in his bed. Before we left, I was told to say goodbye, and at that time I never knew how important that hug he gave me was going to be. Now when we visit Grandma, I see an empty chair and more rows of books behind. I would be taller than Grandad and I wish he could feel the grip of my handshake now.

A former headmaster once told me that no one wins a war - one just causes more casualties than the other. Many people have died for what they believed in and we must never forget them. There have been too many wars in this world, and I hope that the generations that follow never have to see one.