Terry Lloyd

Last night a program was shown on ITV, concerning the death of an ITN news reporter called Terry Lloyd, who was tragically shot by the Americans in Iraq.

I met Terry once, many years ago sitting on the doorstep outside his house in the village of Cuddington. He always came across as friendly whenever I saw him, but he always seemed to be in a rush to go somewhere, so we never really got to speak properly. However, on this one occasion when I saw him, I remember it being so unbearably hot, I don't think either of us wanted to expend any more energy then we needed to by going anywhere, so we just chatted for a while & I complained about the weather. He asked me how I was, and seemed genuinely interested in what I had to say. He even asked me if I wanted a drink. I was familiar of course with his many tv reports, typically, with tracer bullets lighting up the sky, or shells exploding all around him, as he talked without flinching to the camera, but what really struck me was just how quickly he could make someone like me feel at ease. It was quite disarming. I didn't expect that from someone who was so well known. I guess in a war zone, your life can depend on how quickly you get people on your side. That exchange wouldn't have meant anything to him of course, but still, it's something I won't forget. It's always those small acts of kindness you remember. His death was such a shock.