Uncle Ben's Harmonica

This is a Hohner Chromonica Which belonged to my Mum's brother, my Uncle Ben. It was given to me by my Mum and Dad quite recently.

I never met my Uncle Ben, due to a feud that happened before I was born.between him and his German wife, Sonja and the rest of the family. The details I've been told are sketchy, and of course, only tell one half of the story. 

I may have walked past him in the street, or stood next to him in a shop queue, but I wouldn't have known him from Adam. I doubt he would have recognised me either. We would drive past his house to visit my Gran (Dad's side of the family) so I knew where he lived. And I remember an occasion when my Mum dragged me into a shop to avoid him and his wife when we were out shopping.

Apparently my Mum did try to make contact with him after the death of their mum and his wife, but did not receive a reply. 

He suffered from Alzheimer's, how my Mum now does, and died in a nursing home in June 2012. He'd been subject to a campaighn of bullying by local thugs towards the end of his life, so he didn't have a good end to his days. 

It transpired that he knew my cousin (Dad's side!) and left some property to him as he had no children of his own. My cousin gave the harmonica to my Mum, who passed it on to me!