This boy was killed in Afghanistan in 2009, serving in the British Army. He was 17 when he died. The UK Independent has just published a sequence of letters he wrote home, including this one, which he wrote to be mailed to his mother after he was killed. Brave boy, terrible but vital English (eccentric, living prose), a voice from beyond, sad, sad, sad, sad, sad.
Cyrus Thatcher was killed on 2 June 2009. This is the letter he wrote to be delivered to his family if he died:
Hello its me, this is gonna be hard for you to read but I write this knowing every time you thinks shits got to much for you to handle (so don’t cry on it MUM!!) you can read this and hopefully it will help you all get through.
For a start SHIT I got hit!! Now Iv got that out the way I can say the things Iv hopefully made clear, or if I havent this should clear it all up for me. My hole life you’v all been there for me through thick and thin bit like a wedding through good and bad. Without you I believe I wouldn’t have made it as far as I have. I died doing what I was born to do I was happy and felt great about myself although the army was sadly the ending of me it was also the making of me
Read all the letters at ‘Hello mum, this is going to be hard for you to read …’ – Home News – UK – The Independent.