Safari crash widower’s thanks for his support (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Safari crash widower’s thanks for his support

3:37pm Thursday 2nd March 2006 in Swindon

GRIEVING husband Richard Moore has spoken about his anguish at having to carry on without wife Marjorie, who was killed in a South African safari accident.

For 27 years they shared the same hobbies and travelled across the much of the world together. But now he is having to become accustomed to life without her.

Speaking at his home in Cambridge Close, in Lawn, he said: "We did everything together, but now I have to accept that she is gone."

Mrs Moore died last Sunday after the safari Land Rover she was travelling in failed to negotiate a steep slope and fell down a ravine.

She was one of three people who died in the crash, which also claimed the lives of another Briton and a South African. Five others were injured.

Mr Moore said despite it being such a painful time he had been heartened by the overwhelming support he had received.

"I have had so much support, here and in South Africa," he said.

"Since I have been back, I have had a hundred letters from around the world, the support has been wonderful and I have no doubt it will be packed at her memorial service next week."

The couple were enjoying the final week of their three-week holiday in the country's Eastern Province when the tragedy happened He said: "We were going out there to get away from it all, we had been looking forward to the trip for a long time.

"We had been to see the wildlife, I remember we stroked tiger cubs in one reserve.

"On that day, Marjorie fancied one more trip out so the hotel arranged it.

"I just fancied a quieter day and so I went to church. I know it was instant and she didn't suffer.

"I guess if I had gone with her the same would have happened to me."

"I know she was having a great time on that trip. She was taking photographs, and probably leaning out to get closer.

"They found her camera the day after the accident. I haven't even looked at the photographs on it yet."

While in South Africa Mr Moore took the decision to hold his wife's funeral.

She was cremated, and Mr Moore then scattered her ashes near Roman Rock, just off the coast of Port Elizabeth in the Indian Ocean before laying flowers in the water.

"It's what I think she would have wanted," she said.

"If you'd had asked her what her first hobby was, she wouldn't have said family history, she would have said swimming, as she swam every day.

"She often said that the reason she worked at the Military College for so long was because she could go swimming."

Mr Moore also donated many of his wife's belongings and clothes to good causes in South Africa. There seems little point sitting on all her things for months," said Mr Moore.

The police authorities in Port Elizabeth began an investigation of culpable homicide following the incident, and Mr Moore is waiting to hear from them.

The couple had no children together, although Mr Moore has several children by his first wife.

Mrs Moore had several nephews, nieces and great- nephews and nieces and several family members are in Swindon helping him.

A memorial service for Mrs Moore will be held on Monday, at 3pm at Christ Church, where the couple regularly attended Evensong.

A shared love of history.

MARJORIE and Richard Moore first met through their hobby, genealogy.

Both were amateur experts in their field and would help hundreds of people each year to trace their ancestors.

Mrs Moore was a leading member of the Wiltshire Family History Group and a former chairman of the London-based Society Of Genealogists She was described by fellow members as an "oracle" of the genealogical world.

In an interview with the Advertiser on the subject last year, she said that funerals and history programmes on TV often inspired people to satisfy their curiosities about their origins.

She also said that the internet has also had a positive effect by making initial research much easier.

But she did stress that everything found online should be checked against hard copies.

"You are dealing with a cross between a detective story and a jigsaw," she said.

"But those prepared to do some sensible research will have a pretty high success rate."

Mr Moore plans to continue his family history work and he intents to give a talk on the subject next week.

It was a talk that his wife was originally going to give.