Alex Cooke
17/1/25
On 14th January I was lucky enough to be welcomed into Long Lea care home for the afternoon, to conduct an interview with resident Thomas. I remembered Thomas well from our first time meeting in the summer of last year. He was a cheeky chap with a whole host of amazing stories from his time at work and in the war. Which is why I was quite so keen to visit again and have another conversation about his experiences.
I was warmly welcomed in as always, and was delighted to catch-up with some other residents who I had met previously, whilst Thomas finished off some afternoon tea with his family. We talked crafts and Christmas over a cup of tea and it was wonderful to hear what a brilliant few months everyone had had. But even more wonderful to see the fantastic relationships between everyone in the Long Lea family, so much banter and caring conversation that I felt very lucky to be a part of. Once he was ready, Thomas’ lovely family invited me in to sit with them all.
I began by asking Thomas where he grew up. Durham I was told, where he worked in the pit and took great pride in his time there. The majority of our conversation was centred around his experiences in the war, something which unsurprisingly played a key part in his life and memories. He travelled a great deal in his time enlisted, including to Germany, Turkey, Asia and beyond. When asked how many countries he has been to in total, he said ‘I don’t know 2000’! Although a certain exaggeration and said in jest, I know this was just a modest comment from a man who is well travelled and has seen more than most of us could ever imagine.
His favourite countries were those in Asia, given I have hardly travelled there myself, this is some advice I will certainly be following! He also spoke about his happy memories of those times and his ‘itchy feet’ in his youth. This is a common theme I have found in a number of my resident interviews, those with the amazing stories are the ones who struggle to keep still and truly never stop exploring. Another lesson we could learn from Thomas perhaps. I was also very impressed to learn that he was fluent in Spanish, although he insists that he did it without thinking and his quick brain helped him to pick it up!
Talking with Thomas was a wonderful experience. His stories of adventure and his love for exploring are both fascinating and inspiring. I would like to conclude this write up by extending a massive thank you to Thomas and his family, for allowing me into their precious afternoon together. I would also like to thank Long Lea for allowing me into your home, I hope to be back again very soon!