Jonathan Robert Locke - 29/11/68 - 6/2/87

'FOR ALL THE LOST DREAMS, PEACE'

Jonathan and I lived together in a village south of Cambridge. He left the house at 5.40 pm on that Friday, but 11 minutes later, a woman driver who had been drinking all day collided with the rear of his bicycle, throwing him up in the air "like a rag doll!". Although the hospital was only two miles away, he never regained consciousness, in spite of the sustained efforts of the emergency team there. They had to acknowledge defeat and his kidneys and the corneas of his eyes were taken from his body. He did not have his donor card on him. Nor were we asked to donate his organs. They were taken before we saw his body; indeed, we were kept waiting while it was done. If we had been asked we would have agreed, but it was a shock when we realised how it had been done.

It was such a waste of an energetic, constructive young life; He was to have taken his ' A' levels four months later. Intending to study Aeronautics at Bristol, he had been offered a place at London Imperial as well. He had achieved the right balance in his life of work, sport and play. He did them all with gusto and still found enough energy for part time jobs in order to save for his Australian trip before University.

Tall and good looking, he was very much missed by his friends, fellow students and rugby mates, but for his Father and two older Brothers and myself, his Mother, the cold, shocking, devastating realisation, that this was not a book or a film we were watching but the grim, horrific, gut wrenching horror that goes with a needless drink-driving death, was very nearly impossible to cope with. There was no-one to help or to listen to me, but a young Policeman. Without him, I do not know what I would have done. This is why I take the help-line once a week now!

Eventually, the driver went to jail for six months, Later, she went back to jail again, because she had been driving on a false driving licence ! One day, after she had done her time, paid her fine and got her licence back, she rang me to say she was sorry!

Rest in peace Jonny.

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