Frustrating news, good news, and I'm on a roll this week. As far as Some Mother's Son goes, I've made four videos. One, of about eleven minutes, and three of around a minute each. I joined Tiktok on Wednesday afternoon, and by Thursday morning I already had 3,000 views.
But numbers really mean nothing. It's results we are after.
With Tommy, we had some frustrating news, but also some good news. Cellmark Forensics, for several reasons, will not be doing a DNA test on the partial skull we have. I found out this afternoon. So I immediately e mailed the gentleman from the Laboratory in France, who had said they could Carbon Date it for us. I asked if he was happy if we did a gofundme type campaign over here in the UK to fund it. He said, "Absolutely. Go ahead".
Now, there are slight anomolies here, in that it is illegal in the UK to keep possession of bones 'found in the wild', which this partial skull is termed as. But it was found in France, and one reason why Hampshire Police won't test it. The French Lab don't need any police permissions or papers, so we are free to go ahead with the testing process. I am not sure whether to do a gofundmecampaign, or simply see if I can raise the money, (about £950) through this blog. Through my blog would presumably be more low key, and if we didn't raise enough here, I could transfer the money over to a gofundme to raise the rest. What do you think?
The lab in France is called CIRAM, and they believe that if the partial skull dates to fairly modern times, 1960's to 1980's, then it should be pretty accurate. This timescale apparently is more accurate due to the amounts of carbon shot into the atmosphere due to atomic bomb testing and the atomic bomb in WW2. I'm not a scientist, but when I read up on it, it sort of made some sense to me.
Helen knows full well that this skull could be a thousand years old. At present we have no idea, so any donations you might wish to give, comes with the proviso that there is probably a much higher chance than the partial skull belings to someone other than Tommy, but we've got to try, haven't we? If it was one of my siblings, I would forever try.
A lot has gone on this week. Last week was a strain on the brain, mind and soul, but this week has almost been the reverse, and I hesitate with my typing, because there is so much to say, but probably not enough clarity in my mind at the moment to type a clear blog!
Last Friday, a friend asked me a question about Tregantle Fort, the Fort behind which Some Mother's Son's skeleton was found. And that question was regarding whether any records were kept as to who in the military stayed there throughout their training courses. I have investigated this, but have never come up with a good answer. So this week, with the videos out there, and Facebook pages to help, I am starting to compile a list, from people who were actually training and staying there back in 1978. The first video was seen by a follower of one of my Facebook pages, who gave me some good AI information on the subject.
The list so far includes the Devon and Army Cadet Force, The Junior Leaders Armoured Corp, The Royal Navy reserves, The Junior Leaders Royal Artillery and the RAOC Apprentice College.
I have e mailed several other organisations, made posts on Facebook and TikTok, and answers are beginning to come in.
It has been a flurry of videoing and emailing this week for Some Mother's Son, and I do have a very good feeling that focusing on Tregantle Fort, and those that trained and stayed there, might just push us over the edge of this investigation-in a good way.
Tommy, and the Carbon Dating test, seems to have a ninety nine point nine percent clear run now, and if, dear God, in the smallest of smallest of chances the results came back in the right timescale, then we would have clout to ask the French Authorities to please test it for DNA. But these are longshots, and maybe even urealistic hopes. But if we dont try, we'll never know, Helen and her family will never know. Another thirty years of saying, "What if".
I apologise for the flurry of words. I think they make sense, and hopefully next week's blog will be clearer, more informative, and a lot less rushed.
Any thoughts on the funding process please do message me. But it's going ahead. Excellent.
Three short videos, one longer one, for Some Mother's Son. Take your pick.