I never expected at this time to be writing something like this but the passing of my big brother was untimely and far too early. He was a larger than life character with a unique personality. My earliest recollection of Fred was in the early 1960s, of him being a typical boy and having lots of air fix models which he had made, which of course were all second world war aircraft, an indication of his interest in history was already growing. We then as a family moved to Malta, where both he and my sister, Gerry went off to boarding school whilst I was still too young. Eventually, I followed him to the same school, where he was in senior school whilst I was a junior. Although at the same school, we weren't allowed to mix apart from one hour per week after Sunday Church, when Fred would always come to visit his little brother. Sometimes, if he couldn't get there, he would send one of his friends, so as not to let me down. With our parents so far away in Malta, those visits meant the world to me. At the end of school terms, he was charged with the responsibility of getting his little brother from the school in Canterbury up to London to the air terminal to fly home for school holidays. To do this meant considerable journeying by train, taxi and also meals on route. The train journey happened, the taxi didn't happen nor did the meals, all of which our Mum had sent him plenty of money to cover, instead, he carried 2 big school trunks somehow across London with me in tow, so he could save this money for his school holidays, unbeknown to our parents!! This came to light later in our adult life, a story which has given our family lots of laughs! He did look after me though, all the way. The last time I took a trip with Fred was to go to France to the D Day beaches, where our father had landed on D Day, and of course Fred's in depth knowledge of history and pride in our Dad was obvious. I will miss his personality and his warmth, his letters that would arrive with family history that he had researched, and knowing that my big brother was there at the end of a phone. My life wont be quite the same again, there is a big hole in my heart, I love you Fred.