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Gran's war memories cruelly gone

26/ 7/2001

A HEARTBROKEN Little Hulton woman is calling on readers of The Advertiser to help retrieve a treasured memory of her grandma, snatched away by thieves.

Claire Walsh, from Graymar Road, was left fuming when her handbag was grabbed as she got off a bus in Irlams o' th' Height.

But when she later realised that the bag contained an irreplaceable tape recording of her grandma's wartime memories, Claire was absolutely distraught.

Her 93-year-old grandma, Kate Dale, was a nurse during the Second World War and helped Claire compile a recording of her reminiscences for a school project almost 15 years ago.

The tape had so much sentimental value that Claire carried it everywhere with her.

And she says the tape could never be re-recorded because her grandma is now too poorly.

Explained the 26-year-old: "I'm very fond of my gran and I'm particularly upset that this has gone. My big worry is they just chucked the bag away or it's lying discarded on the floor somewhere.

"If they were just opportunists, everyone's got a granny or someone that means a lot to them so I hope they may think again."

The bag was snatched at a bus stop in Bolton Road at about 11.45am.

If anyone has the tape, send it to The Advertiser at 30A Church Street, Eccles, M30 ODF, and we will forward it on to Claire.