A bit of history!

World War II started for England in 1939, and there was no peace until 1945.  Below is a pic of my Mom and Dad in 1943! They were married in 1941, and Dad received his call-up papers (draft papers), on his wedding day! He chose to join the Royal Navy.

I do not know the reason for the photograph, but would speculate that either it was something they just wanted to do while he was home on leave or, because my (late) older sister was born in 1943, it could have been taken at around her birth date, or her christening.

I find old photographs really interesting because you can look “into” the faces… but can only guess what is going on in their minds. In this specific example, my Dad has a hint of a smile while my Mom seems to have a rather smaller hint! Perhaps it was at the end of his leave? Perhaps he had just recently received new orders? We will never know… but isn’t it fascinating?

52 thoughts on “A bit of history!”

  3. I have a similar picture of my parents from the same wedding-year. He was a 21 year old sailor and she was 18. They are wearing matching sailor outfits and grinning like the crazy kids they were. They eloped before he shipped out for the Philippines. Because of their separation I was not born util 1944.

    Liked by 1 person

  8. You are lucky. I have so few pictures of my parents especially my Dad. I love looking at pictures. Most are snapshots of picnics or events and the clothing is always fascinating. Sometimes there will be something noted on the back. That’s a treasure.

    Liked by 1 person

    • I think that so many people just take them for granted; throw them out during a Spring clean, or otherwise junk them, without thinking about the potential interest of later generations. In my Mom’s case, I think it was just low esteem (she lived in my Dad’s shadow) and her rationale was “Who would possibly want to see photos of me?”

      Liked by 1 person

        • I guess some of us are more sensitive to that kind of thing than others! Wouldn’t it be nice to see a pic of your Mom with her first boyfriend? A pic of your Dad with his first bike.. or similar scenarios? 🙂

          Liked by 1 person

          • I don’t have any pictures of my Dad as a child and only 2 of my mother. My Dad’s parents had formal portraits taken. Very Victorian. My aunt had them and they were “lost” when she had Alzheimer’s. I offered to buy them if the caretakers (my cousins) could find them but no luck. I don’t have any pictures of my Dad’s mother or my mother’s Dad.

            Liked by 1 person

            • Hi Kate. I am not much different from you in that respect. I have 1 pic of my Dad as a boy, and none of my Mum before they were married (she destroyed them). I also have 2 pics of grandparents and 1 of great grandparents. We can only treasure what we have, and hopefully be better caretakers of our history so that others can enjoy and ponder! 🙂

              Liked by 1 person

  9. What a great picture.of your parents. I always enjoy looking.at photographs and wondering what story lies behind the picture.
    Photographs are precious to hang onto. I have many albums and many pictures that need to be put in albums.
    Thanks for sharing this part of your parent’s past. Great post!

    Liked by 1 person

  10. What a lovely photo of a handsome couple! I also love seeing these old photographs and pondering over what they were thinking and how they must have been feeling. But I have noticed that in them (pics of my grand/great-grand parents), they are never smiling widely. Just a hint of a smile, like in this photo…

    Liked by 1 person

  11. I like to look at photos and speculate the same about the thoughts and what was going on around that time:) Very interesting memories are captured with a simple click of a camera.
    BTW, it is a very beautiful pic of your parents!

    Liked by 1 person

  12. I like the cocky tilt of your Dad’s sailor hat. I also love looking the old pictures of my family. Makes me wonder if I should start printing or having printed a lot of the pics I only have digitally, so future generations can see them. Except, there may not be any future ones, since neither of my boys seem inclined to have children.

    Liked by 1 person

    • I decided, quite some time ago, to start creating albums. There were a number of reasons:
      1. I can add my thoughts based on some understanding of the times. Photos on their own are quite mute.
      2. Digital photos are wonderful and very convenient, but can so easily be lost forever.
      3. Most people I know would rather curl up with a photo album than with an electronic device.
      4. My daughter is the only one I know who is very attuned to old family stuff, but I could well outlive her so……….
      5. Other potential interested people could be her daughter; my son, his daughter; my younger sister, her son; my (late) sister’s son and daughter.
      In other words there are quite a few people who may, perhaps later in life, be interested in the family history and, if I don’t get moving now, I may not be able to later! One just never knows!

      You can probably look at a pic of yourself and be able to tell a whole story about it. Unless you record such story somewhere, nobody will ever know and that pic will be just a pic of Ami and “some girl… probably a school friend”! 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

Comments are closed.