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Brown's 'condolencs' fail to soothe
Source: Agencies |
November 10, 2009, Tuesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
A HANDWRITTEN condolence note written by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown to the grieving mother of a soldier slain in Afghanistan caused the government fresh embarrassment yesterday.
Jacqui Janes, who lost her 20-year-old son Jamie Janes in Afghanistan last month, complained that Brown hastily wrote the condolence letter, misspelling both her and her son's name.
In the letter, published in The Sun newspaper, Brown began by writing "Dear Mrs James." "I write to offer you and you family my personal condolencs," the scribbled note read, which also misspelled the word condolences.
Brown misspelled "Jamie," then corrected it by scrawling over the mistake.
Mrs Janes, 47, said the letter was insulting.
"He couldn't even be bothered to get our family name right. That made me so angry," she was quoted as saying.
Jamie Janes was killed by an explosion in Afghanistan on October 5.
Brown apologized to Jacqui Janes on Saturday after her complaints were made public.
"To all other families whom I have written to, I can only apologize if my handwriting is difficult to read," Brown said. "I have at all times acted in good faith seeking to do the right thing."
Brown is known to have bad handwriting. Some attribute this to his eyesight, which has been poor since a teenage rugby accident.
Jacqui Janes, who lost her 20-year-old son Jamie Janes in Afghanistan last month, complained that Brown hastily wrote the condolence letter, misspelling both her and her son's name.
In the letter, published in The Sun newspaper, Brown began by writing "Dear Mrs James." "I write to offer you and you family my personal condolencs," the scribbled note read, which also misspelled the word condolences.
Brown misspelled "Jamie," then corrected it by scrawling over the mistake.
Mrs Janes, 47, said the letter was insulting.
"He couldn't even be bothered to get our family name right. That made me so angry," she was quoted as saying.
Jamie Janes was killed by an explosion in Afghanistan on October 5.
Brown apologized to Jacqui Janes on Saturday after her complaints were made public.
"To all other families whom I have written to, I can only apologize if my handwriting is difficult to read," Brown said. "I have at all times acted in good faith seeking to do the right thing."
Brown is known to have bad handwriting. Some attribute this to his eyesight, which has been poor since a teenage rugby accident.
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