MY HEART IS STILL RAW WITH HURT SAYS BOMB VICTIM'S FATHER
My heart is still raw with hurt,' says bomb victim's father
The bereaved father of Lorraine Wilson, one of the victims who were killed in the 1998 Omagh car bomb attack, said this week that his heart is 'still raw with hurt' at the loss of his daughter.
Godfrey Wilson, who lives in Omagh, still holds on to the vivid memories of his daughter, whom he describes as always being 'kind-hearted and caring to everyone'.
"I have memories of Lorraine coming home from school, dropping her bags in the hall and coming in to talk to us. And I remember having to identify her body on the day that she was killed - that memory is still very painful for us."
Lorraine was 15 years old and working voluntarily in the local Oxfam shop in Omagh, along with her friend, Samantha McFarland, when the pair were evacuated into the path of the bomb, which robbed them of their young lives.
"Lorraine wanted to be an air hostess, she wanted to travel and get out there, that's the kind of person she was. She was a very kind-hearted girl and if she didn't become an air hostess I'd say she could have been a nurse - she liked caring for others and had a good ear for listening and was always very helpful. Either that or she could have been a chef - she was always very keen on cooking."
Reflecting on the day that stole his daughter from him forever, Mr Wilson said: "I was standing in the very place I am right now, out in the back yard, when it happened. I had been in the town earlier that day, but left at about 2.45pm. Lorraine had phoned just before it happened to get money for new school shoes. It was her own money that she had worked for in a cafe at the Campsie bridge.
"So she was ringing looking for us to help her go and pick her school shoes for starting again in September, but unfortunately that was not to be."
Now, 10 years on from that fateful day, Mr Wilson admits that even the better memories of his daughter can hurt him just as hard.
"One of the memories that stands out most from that time is having to go to the army camp to identify my daughter and see that state she had been left in. The good memories can be just as hurtful sometimes. She was such a great girl for talking to us and we don't have that anymore."
Describing his fight for justice as a 'constant struggle', Mr Wilson added,
"My heart is sick and sore and I'm tired of the constant battle. It's a struggle to try and get people to work for us and help us, and 10 years on, I still don't know what the situation will be."
Throughout the past 10 years, Mr Wilson has found comfort in the support of the other families who lost loved ones that day.
"We understand how we each feel," explained Mr Wilson.
"We are all injured and bereaved and we all try to get that across - a lot of people don't understand that. Maybe we are outspoken and maybe we have hurt people ourselves, but it's only because we are hurting so badly."
The Omagh father admitted that over the years, he has also found comfort in speaking to the media, and allowing the world to understand his suffering.
"The media has never really bothered me. I saw it as a means of getting out to the wider world the hurt that we have gone through. And I didn't have a problem with doing that because my truth and my hurt is real.
"The people who call themselves freedom fighters have caused us nothing but hurt - they haven't helped our lives - they have destroyed our lives.
"It helps me to express myself and let people know that I'm still hurting."
Now looking at Omagh town and how it has morphed into the busy county town it is today, Mr Wilson is pleased to see how far it has come from that dreadful day.
"In the last 10 years it has changed so much. If you left and didn't come back until now, you would not recognise that place at all.
"It's been progressing steadily and is financially strong."
The bereaved father of Lorraine Wilson, one of the victims who were killed in the 1998 Omagh car bomb attack, said this week that his heart is 'still raw with hurt' at the loss of his daughter.
Godfrey Wilson, who lives in Omagh, still holds on to the vivid memories of his daughter, whom he describes as always being 'kind-hearted and caring to everyone'.
"I have memories of Lorraine coming home from school, dropping her bags in the hall and coming in to talk to us. And I remember having to identify her body on the day that she was killed - that memory is still very painful for us."
Lorraine was 15 years old and working voluntarily in the local Oxfam shop in Omagh, along with her friend, Samantha McFarland, when the pair were evacuated into the path of the bomb, which robbed them of their young lives.
"Lorraine wanted to be an air hostess, she wanted to travel and get out there, that's the kind of person she was. She was a very kind-hearted girl and if she didn't become an air hostess I'd say she could have been a nurse - she liked caring for others and had a good ear for listening and was always very helpful. Either that or she could have been a chef - she was always very keen on cooking."
Reflecting on the day that stole his daughter from him forever, Mr Wilson said: "I was standing in the very place I am right now, out in the back yard, when it happened. I had been in the town earlier that day, but left at about 2.45pm. Lorraine had phoned just before it happened to get money for new school shoes. It was her own money that she had worked for in a cafe at the Campsie bridge.
"So she was ringing looking for us to help her go and pick her school shoes for starting again in September, but unfortunately that was not to be."
Now, 10 years on from that fateful day, Mr Wilson admits that even the better memories of his daughter can hurt him just as hard.
"One of the memories that stands out most from that time is having to go to the army camp to identify my daughter and see that state she had been left in. The good memories can be just as hurtful sometimes. She was such a great girl for talking to us and we don't have that anymore."
Describing his fight for justice as a 'constant struggle', Mr Wilson added,
"My heart is sick and sore and I'm tired of the constant battle. It's a struggle to try and get people to work for us and help us, and 10 years on, I still don't know what the situation will be."
Throughout the past 10 years, Mr Wilson has found comfort in the support of the other families who lost loved ones that day.
"We understand how we each feel," explained Mr Wilson.
"We are all injured and bereaved and we all try to get that across - a lot of people don't understand that. Maybe we are outspoken and maybe we have hurt people ourselves, but it's only because we are hurting so badly."
The Omagh father admitted that over the years, he has also found comfort in speaking to the media, and allowing the world to understand his suffering.
"The media has never really bothered me. I saw it as a means of getting out to the wider world the hurt that we have gone through. And I didn't have a problem with doing that because my truth and my hurt is real.
"The people who call themselves freedom fighters have caused us nothing but hurt - they haven't helped our lives - they have destroyed our lives.
"It helps me to express myself and let people know that I'm still hurting."
Now looking at Omagh town and how it has morphed into the busy county town it is today, Mr Wilson is pleased to see how far it has come from that dreadful day.
"In the last 10 years it has changed so much. If you left and didn't come back until now, you would not recognise that place at all.
"It's been progressing steadily and is financially strong."
Further Information
Publisher: TYRONE CONSTITUTION
Ref: TC10An/36
Published Date: 14-Aug-08
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