More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
by Hayley Robinson
At the age of 85, you would think Robin Brown should be taking it easy and enjoying his retirement.
But for the past 11 years the pensioner has spent his days searching for people's lost friends, family members, old flames as well as ex-servicemen and women.
To date, he has helped reunite almost 10,000 people from all over the world.
He set up two websites after he was diagnosed with cancer of the kidney in May 2000 and was forced to give up his full-time job as a door-to-door salesman selling cavity wall insulation. He was 75.
The D-Day veteran, lives with his wife Val at their three bedroom home, in Crossways, Sittingbourne.
He said: "I think to date I've helped reunited about 4,000 servicemen and 6,000 civilians.
"I don't just find people in the UK, half of my clientele are from the States or the commonwealth, particularly Australia.
"The work comes in waves, I can be busy one month and not the next but it's a hugely rewarding job.
"I don't advertise. I've always had enough to keep me going. I charge a small fee of around £20 to cover my services."
His wife Val, 67, also still goes out to work as a nurse at the Sittingbourne Memorial Hospital, in Bell Road.
Mr Brown added: "The cost of living is phenomenal."
Of the four or five inquiries received each day, Mr Brown expects to convert at least two of them in to success stories.
Mr Brown uses a number of websites to conduct his searches including 192.com.
It was the use of this online tool which recently led to two RAF veterans being reunited.
Brian West, from Norwich, and Gordon Love, from Scotland, who shared a room while stationed at a base in Burgen Treich, lost touch 50 years ago after a London train was cancelled, ruining a rendezvous between the two men, who were teenagers at the time.
Mr West tried in vain to trace his long-lost friend but his breakthrough came when he contacted Mr Brown, who tracked his room-mate down in just two weeks.
But it is the story of a father and his daughter being reunited which really brings a smile to his face.
The father of four said: "It was about four years ago. This German chap contacted me saying he was looking for a daughter he had never seen.
"He'd been friendly with the mum in Canada but she was from Rainham [Kent].
"I found out her family was still living in Rainham, found the gran and then found the missing daughter who had three children."
