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Lieutenant Eric Fletcher Waters, father to Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters, went
missing during World War II. Roger, who was five-months-old at the time the British
soldier went missing, has long sought more information about his father's disappearance
and finally received the details he was seeking from 93-year-old war veteran Henry
Shindler.
As noted by The Guardian, Shindler helped to track down a report
that showed the elder Waters died in Italy as he "was killed in a ditch at 11:30 a.m. on
February 18, 1944 after his company was surrounded during stiff fighting." Roger grew up
without a father figure, which informed his lyrics over the years including his epic
The Wall. "Because he was missing in action, presumed killed, until quite recently
I expected him to come home," Waters told The Guardian.
Roger was so appreciative of Shindler's efforts that he penned a new poem, sent it off to
the 93-year-old and signed it, "To Harry, With Gratitude." According to The Telegraph, Waters
plans to visit Italy in February to mark the 70th anniversary of his father's death.
Italian newspaper La Repubblica has posted the full text of the poem, which
you can use Google Translate to translate to English.
Last week Roger Waters performed with wounded veterans at a benefit concert held in New
York City. You can watch the performance here (starts at 1:31 mark):
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[Published on: 11/12/13]
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