A BARROW author has written a book celebrating his father and his generation which discusses the impact of dementia which has 'slowly stole him' away.
Paul Fitzsimmons' book 'The Last of The Heroes' will be launched on June 16 - Fathers Day. He describes his father's generation in Barrow as 'stoic and brave.'
"As a younger man, my father and I never really said 'I love you' but he never let me down. I never took time to thank him properly," Paul said.
Paul's father Owen Jnr is 90 and lives with dementia. The book works through his life chronologically, starting with his father Owen Snr - who fought on the Normandy beaches 80 years ago before being posted to Palestine. He eventually returned home, but many in Barrow did not.
Paul said that because many lost their fathers in the war: "These younger men looked up to their silverscreen icons who were film heroes and alpha male 'a' listers from the Hollywood and Pinewood era, all showing my father's generation how to behave.
"These big name actors have all gone now and the whole premise of the book really is that as an older man, I realise that the real hero for me - The Last of The Heroes - is actually my father," he said.
Owen Jnr was evacuated during the 'Barrow Blitz.' He then met his partner Joyce and started a six-decade long marriage.
The book also touches upon how the town changed due to political events that happened far away from the Furness peninsula.
"Whitehouse and Whitehall decisions affected Barrow and Barrow townfolk. It goes into the Reagan and Thatcher years. When my father was this age this was happening," Paul said about the structure of the book.
The book synopsis states: "Supporting his mother and learning to cope with his father's dementia, the author observes how this cruel disease forced his pops into care during Covid, making him unseen for nearly a year. He then loses his beloved mother and consequently, loses his and his parents' home.
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"Woven within the story, the author speaks of genuine love and fidelity of a previous generation."
The Last of The Heroes will be available from all good bookshops, and also on Amazon, WHSmith, Waterstones and eBay.
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