Hi Alf,
My profile also has permanent login checked, but that was not the issue.
The problem was between the chair and the keyboard! 
This problem was a touchpad mistouch -- I am working on a laptop. This accidentally navigated away from the New Topic page I was writing. It had not yet been previewed or posted. The browser Back button returned to the same Forum page, but the pending New Topic was lost. C'est la vie.
I do appreciate everything that Joerg is doing with and for the Forum! A key part of being a good webmaster is choosing and using the right tools! (I have worn the Webmaster Hat
from time to time...)
An alternative solution to my
save draft suggestion came to mind:
Use a text editor: 
If the post is more than just a couple of sentences, I will compose it off-line with a flat text editor. The draft can then be easily saved, edited, spell-checked, set aside and returned to later, or whatever else is needed. When the draft is completed, it is simple to use Windows Clipboard to copy the flat-file contents from my local PC, then paste it into a Forum New Topic or Reply.
Hope this suggestion to myself is useful to others,
Best regards,
John
