Eric Church (b. UK, 1924), blinded veteran from the Second World War (WWII). "I remember a bright flash. Five weeks later I woke up in a hospital. I was as good as blind and both my legs were broken. It happened during the Battle of Arnhem but I don't know the details. Nobody told me. I only know that I was in a vehicle and that I was the only survivor. My right eye is a glass eye; I can still see with my left eye, up to about seven metres distance. I can read big letters with a magnifying glass that has a light in it. I like reading the sports pages. Since my wife's death, I have been really lonely. I tried to live alone but it was difficult. I burned my hands while cooking. When he saw my hands, the doctor said that I couldn't live alone any more. Since then I've been at St. Dunstans, a home for the war blinded. It's much better here than at home. I have company and I have a hobby. I paint. I have just finished a painting of a cat sleeping on a table with a flower bouquet in the background. I do it like this; the instructor draws the outlines and I fill in the colours, just like children do." . CHECK with MRM/FNA