This Blog would never be complete unless I spoke about some of those people who have been part of my life for the past years. Some have been just friends or acquaintances, others have been part of a special happening or occasion, and all have in some way contributed to my various ups and downs.
I will start with someone who met with a tragic end, the best man at my wedding, and a well known local character. The first on my list is John Williams, late of Sefton Terrace, Deganwy. John was a very popular individual who latterly lived alone but kept himself active on the local scene. He was the very popular Quiz-master at the Kings Head pub, and a regular contributor to all the local Blogs and Forums. He was even a regular poster on Thoughts of Oscar, where he was often taunted for putting forward his opinions on local and national matters. Despite our " friendship" over many years he was never aware of the author(s) of the Blog, or those who wrote the main posts or issued taunts or hurting comments in replies. He was certainly upset by much of the content on the Blog and was always seeking to find the perpetrators of the abuse, much of which was actually condoned by me as the Blog Owner!
Apart from his interest in his Quiz-master activities, John was a keen sailor and had a large motor cruiser in the form of a Fairey Huntsman he christened SHAKIRA. John, apart from local forums, also made an active contribution to the Fairey Owners forum, and was very well liked and respected amongst other boat owners.
John got fed up with the attention he was getting from the Thoughts of Oscar blog and decided to try to discover who ran it, not knowing it was just me, an old friend. He made plenty of enquiries and even went to one persons house and challenged them with being Oscar. Of course he was wrong and in frustration poured out his heart as to how he felt, and the mental anguish he was suffering. The person he met gave him some comfort and help as to who the author of the blog may be. This was around October/November of 2010 when the identity of Oscar was not generally known. John's enquiries became troublesome to me and I asked an old friend of mine and sandwich supplier to help me and put John off my track.
My friend in his naivety suggested to Mr Williams that if he did not cease his interest in finding the answers to his enquiries, his house would be "fired". No interpretation by me is required, and maybe the frightener was overplayed, but it was enough to cause John added personal concern.
It must have been a serious mental fight for John Williams which he found difficult to bear, and on 17th. November 2010 he was found dead in his bath, his wrists cut, and a note to his housekeeper to phone the Police. The Media gives a report of the Inquest that followed his death (http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/local-news/popular-pub-quizmaster-slashed-wrists-1851737).. John took his own life, but why? Was it the Blog that upset him so much, or a matter totally unconnected with what we knew about him? We will never know.
That was John Williams, a person who entered and formed part of my life.
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