I came back from Roscoff to the UK for Christmas. Last Tuesday, three days ago, I looked up future ferries to Roscoff and saw that the last one for the winter season left at 10.30pm that night. They start again in mid-February. So I booked a ticket, packed my bicycle panniers, and here I am. Not where I really expected to be at the beginning of 2026-but it just felt right to get on that ferry.
Logic told me to head East on my bike towards Cherbourg as I need to be back in the UK for the end of January and need the Cherbourg/UK ferry to do that.
But I’ve headed West, and am now in Brest. There is a great worldwide organisation called Warmshowers. Bicycle enthusiasts host bicycle tourers in their own homes, for free. They offer warm showers, a bed for the night, and lucky for me, a great meal tonight. It’s a good way of keeping your travel costs down, and to meet other people.
Next week, further North, I have 20 hours work on a boat in exchange for a week’s accommodation and food. Another way to travel lightly. This Global organisation, Workaway.
So that’s the travel bit out of the way.
I’ve just e mailed another archivist over here. Maybe they can help me find any potential newspaper archives of bodies washing up on the Northern coast of France after 14th June 1975, the time period that young Tommy Jones’ body may have come ashore. As I said in the last post, this is guesswork at the moment. But guesswork is better than no work, at the moment. In my opinion.
I visited two more cemeteries today, and a couple yesterday. Yesterday I found the gravestones of a number of Royal Airforce personnel brought down in the Second World War, one named gravestone, another not. Next to those gravestones were the graves of another ten personnel, one named, nine not. These people were sailors from The Canadian Navy, shipwrecked off the Athabaskan sailing ship, also in the Second World War.
Are we meant to help see if we can identify these people too? Maybe. I’ll make some enquiries.
I have put two hefty Membership possibilities up on this site. But please do keep reading my posts for free though. My reason for posting the hefty Memberships is to see if anyone is interested in supporting my work financially. I want to give it a go because that is what the buymeacoffee site is all about, raising money to help you follow your passions. I will continue to enter competitions. I will continue to seek out appropriate work. I will continue to come up with some viral videos. I will continue to sit down and get a good book written, and if I can do more talks, I will. The money will come from somewhere, and from a source that can afford it...but please keep reading my stuff for free.
The past few days have been a bit of a whirlwind, and I am keeping this post short because my thoughts are a bit scattered.
Some Mother’s Son, we’re trying to name you, if that’s what you want. Tommy Jones, we are making strides to see if we can find you, if that’s what you want. And if this site is going to attract more people to identify, then let this site be the site to attract such work.
Please keep reading! Please don’t let the money put you off. The money’ll come in the most correct way. I am sure of that.