Ian Dodson Snr : The Dodson Family Tree

It all started in the kitchen of my mother’s house in Shannon on a Sunday afternoon in the Spring of 1998. I was visiting with my wife Theresa, son Ian and some of my brothers and sisters were there. My mother was recounting stories of the war years, the nightly London blitz, meeting my father, falling in love and the deep sorrow when he was killed in Sicily. Tales of the blackout, bomb shelters, ration books, the struggle to survive, the funny moments and the sad moments.

They were all there – the Dodsons, the Robinsons, the Smiths and the Jones, the family intrigues, the births and the marriages, and the dates recalled with the precision of Big Ben striking the hour! Suddenly someone said “All of this will be lost if we don’t write it down”. I got a sheet of my mother’s notepaper and I recorded the first few names and dates. The Dodson Family Tree was born!

For several years it was left aside, a page added here, a name added there. However trips to Yaxley England, Canada and Southern Italy, where I knelt beside my father’s grave for the first time, have started me on an exhilarating journey into the past. What started as a collection of names and dates has come alive, for these are real people, my people, who experienced the same emotions, dreams, joys and sorrows as you and me. I hope that my children’s children will make this voyage of discovery with me. To contact me, please e-mail iansnr at iandodson dot com.

Saturday, August 20, 2005

The Canada Connection

When Theresa and I visited Canada I was excited about meeting my Dodson aunts and cousins who I had not seen for many,many years. We were not disappointed as everyone made us so welcome. I sat with Margery on the settee as we explored the Dodson history over three days. Her memory of childhood events and wartime experiences and romances was as sharp as a pin. Arlene provided some great family fotos and showed us some new tricks in a wheelchair. Our stay with Jaqueline was delightful and when she produced the Robinson/Richardson family bible which yielded so many facts about Mabel Robinson's family I was astounded. I never knew it existed and the old photos were a bonus. Reminiscing with Robert and Muriel about the war years, their romance and marriage was so interesting and I really appreciated receiving my father Arthur's wallet from Muriel. And finally a visit to Anita who was so welcoming to her home on Vancouver Island and more fotos for the family tree.
Let us not leave it so long again.

posted by Ian Dodson Snr. | 10:03 PM