Great Auntie Claire

Great Auntie Claire

It has been a somewhat difficult week with the visit of Auntie F. but we drop her back in her hometown of Birmingham and have the opportunity to meet up with my Great Auntie Claire, my maternal Grandfather´s 87 year old sister, a woman who I haven´t met up with in more than 24 years.

Fortunate to enjoy very positive relationships with all four of my Grandparents, Grandpa Hamburger was the last one left, and died just over two years ago. Although very much a Victorian father who was harsh with his kids, he mellowed considerably with age, and we enjoyed a very warm and loving relationship. Spending World War 2 in India as a sergeant major, he was based just outside of Delhi where his company spied on the Japanese war efforts. He describes this time as the “best of his life”. Although I could never persuade him into returning to the Indian subcontinent, I put together a short documentary movie in 2004 as I journey up to his old army base.

Aubs with Grandpa H

He was a real character and I have missed him a lot since his death. Nonetheless, he lives on through his sister. Not only does she sound like him with a thick Birmingham accent, but she drinks whisky like a trooper, smokes, talks on similar topics, is down to earth and straight-forward, and even physically resembles him. Close your eyes and she is he.

Great Auntie Claire is alert and spends most days taking meals to “elderly” people. She follows a rigorous 20 minute keep fit regime and spends two hours every night reading a "good" book before bed-time.

She talks politics at lunch today and is completely scathing of the war in Afghanistan. She is completely awesome.