By Kelly Eve

Last updated at 10:30, Wednesday, 24 December 2008

Des Feely is facing his first Christmas without his beloved daughter Sarah Bryant but has hope and help for other heroes.

Des Feely

Sarah, a 26-year-old Corporal from Cotehill, was the first British servicewoman to be killed while on active service in Afghanistan six months ago.

Now out of the tragedy, her memory is set to live on in a series of heart-felt children’s books carefully penned by her father.

The books tell the stories of the real-life adventures of Sarah’s pets – horse Monty and Labrador Tyler.

Des hopes to find a publisher in 2009 to help produce the books with proceeds from sales raising funds for the charity Help for Heroes.

Sarah’s mother Maureen has read the books.

The transcripts have also been read by an American publisher.

Des, 55, said: “This year Christmas has been cancelled. It is going to be very painful. Sarah used to love Christmas, it was her favourite time of the year and it is quite a wrench when you live in the home where everywhere you look there are memories.

“On Christmas Day, I will be going up to Sarah’s grave, taking up a Christmas cracker, going up to the cemetery.

“It has been a very difficult time for all of us because it would’ve been Sarah’s birthday on December 17.”

Writing the stories – his first attempt at fiction – inspired by Sarah’s love of animals has proved a comfort to Des. It has given him a way of coping with his unimaginable grief, which at times has included him considering moving away from Cumbria to Germany.

He said: “It has helped me an awful lot, it has given me something to focus on while I was trying to cope with my grief. Sarah often used to say that their stories would make a good children’s tale so over the last few months I have written a trilogy.

“I finished the final book off only last week.

“They all link together and start from when the dog was a puppy and was brought home. Sarah helped pick Tyler when he was a puppy. Although they are children’s stories, they are all true and I want the books to reflect that, possibly using photographs. ”

The books, with a working title of The Adventures of Monty and Tyler include the time five years ago Monty and Tyler made national headlines.

Pictures of Tyler riding on Monty’s back were published and the family was invited to appear on TV.

Des added: “One of the books also features the time that we were stopped by a policeman on the road and he joked that Tyler needed a helmet. I went on to make Tyler a jacket from an old florescent jacket of Sarah’s that she used for riding.”

Army intelligence officer Sarah was killed in June when the vehicle she was travelling in was blown up in the Helmand Province.

First published at 09:13, Wednesday, 24 December 2008
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk