About Damien
About the boy, son, brother & friend
Damien was born at 1.27am on 21 June 1980 at Gleneagles hospital in Singapore, weighing 7lbs 10oz. He was beautiful with big brown eyes, scrumptious and loving, an endearing child, full of character! He loved his big sister Sarah and he followed her everywhere. He loved his blankie and he loved to suck his thumb. He had a favourite sippie cup that was orange.
He was always a joker. He wanted to make people laugh. There wasn’t a malicious bone in his body. He liked to help people and since he went missing many school friends remember kind deeds he did. He would help the underdog, sometimes to his own disadvantage. He was sensitive, caring and loving and thoughtful. There was not a bad bone in his body.
Damien was a funny, happy boy, the life and soul of the party and liked to make his friends laugh. Arms and legs flailing, he was not always appreciated by his teachers, but he was not disliked at all. He took a keen and avid interest in music of all types. He loved being involved with a band that he and his friends put together.
He started to play trombone and eventually made the school orchestra. Trombone was not his first love, but he kept at it and did well. I think his heart was with being in a band with his friends. He had started to play the trombone in middle school and continued with this through high school. He loved to play the guitar and taught himself to play. He joined a little band and they played/jammed and he loved it. He wrote lyrics and spent time listening to all kinds of music from the classical to the Beatles and current modern day music.
He helped his sister, Sarah study for her A-Level final and she went on to the university in Portsmouth. He became serious with his desire to do well on his exams and go to university. He talked about doing marine biology.
He had his whole life ahead of him, until it was cruelly taken on that dark fateful night in 1996.
Song for Damien
Damien’s friend pens song for Damien and releases it as a Missing People charity single
It was written by his friend Alex Roberts. 16. during a 'sleepless night a few weeks after Damien went missing from his Woodvale Road home. It was performed live for the first time at The Anchor pub. in Cowes. where Alex and the rest of the band played.
Alex and Damien started their first band, Distorted Justice at 11 years old, Damien sang and according to Alex, he played guitar. He penned the song “Someone Knows” based on their relationship about the good times they shared growing up. It’s a bittersweet song that holds out hope for a happy ending.
Download Song
The Unmissable Art Exhibition
The Unmissable Exhibition featured portraits of the missing, by renowned artists, at The Old Truman Brewery on Brick Lane in London in March 2019. Damien’s portrait was painted by Nicholas Todhunter. Damien's mother, Valerie Nettles travelled more than 4,000 miles from her home in the USA to see the portrait.
Missing Damien Blog
Damien’s mother, Valerie Nettles has documented her ambiguous loss since he went missing
“I am an ordinary person, made extraordinary by life changing circumstances. Making the best of a bad situation and hoping to help others with my experience. You never know, until you are severely tested, how you can rise to the challenge!”
View Blog“An advocate for Missing People and how my life has changed because of it”
Missing and Unexplained Podcast
The most recent and accurate podcast featuring Damien is The Missing and Unexplained Podcast.
