My father's love of many things is his legacy to me

To The Daily Sun,

My father thought of himself as an ordinary man who had been fortunate enough to lead an interesting life. Born in London, the youngest child of a construction worker and a domestic servant, he changed his destiny by enlisting in the Royal Air Force in order to obtain higher education and the opportunity to travel the world. He embraced all possibilities, learning other languages, gaining an understanding of different cultures, their history, traditions, even their cuisine.

In World War II, he was one of "the few," the champions of freedom who fought the Battle of Britain, and then he went on to the North African and Italian campaigns. Later, he worked with the French Resistance in occupied France. Yet most of the war stories he told me and my siblings were usually amusing anecdotes, not violent or dark.

I was his sixth child, youngest daughter, and apparently the most in-tune with him. For as long as I can remember we enjoyed discussions about philosophy, religions, history — and I have no doubt that my insatiable curiosity about everything in the world, my love of history, literature, art, music and the natural world, are his legacy to me.

An amazingly loving, gentle man, he was always ready to forgive, and passed on to me the importance of honesty, integrity and hard work. He taught me to be self-sufficient, motivated, and to stand up for the things I believe in and always said that the only failure in life was not having tried. Being well-read, he often quoted from the great literature of the world and introduced me to the glorious sound of Italian opera. In the 60s he became a fan of Ray Charles and the Beatles.

Ten days before he suffered a massive heart attack that ended his life, my father wrote his last letter to me. It is a deeply treasured possession, the hand-writing as clear and handsome as ever, despite his 84 years. His mind was lucid and his thoughts beautifully expressed. In both prose and poetry, his writings were always worth reading.

Although he has been gone for many years the lessons I learned from him are with me still. This year will be another in which I cannot give him a gift on Father's Day, but he will be with me in spirit. I love you, Dad, and miss you every day.

Denise Williamson

Laconia