Missing Diary

On the 60th anniversary of a famous battle I tried to track down my Father's diary of events. He'd sent one copy to his immediate Officer and another to the Major in charge of the whole unit. The Officer couldn't find the diary. The Major had apparently lived on the South Coast, I managed to track down his widow still in that area. The Major's papers had been sent to his son, a doctor like his father. The Major's widow told me her son, who could have been anywhere in the world, lived on the outskirts of my small Cheshire town. After searching for months the 60 year old document could be on my doorstep! Practising doctors are careful about social contacts so I wasn't surprised to get no reply to my letter. New neighbours opposite, while waiting to move in, were renting a house a couple of miles away. To break the ice I told them the diary saga. They were amazed because their rented house was adjacent to the doctor's and they had chatted over the fence! My new neighbours put in a good word for me resulting in a visit to the doctors. No diary emerged but in his house was a painting by David Shepherd showing a scene from the battle including the temporary hospital my Father was based in. I now too have a print.