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?
You wonder what what was going through their minds. Fascinatingly curious.
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Hi George. If a photo like that, and at that time, does not fire the imagination… then there must be no imagination! 🙂
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Thanks for sharing that wonderful family photo. 🙂 My parents were also married in 1941 – they were both in the British army.
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You’re very welcome. I am so pleased that you got something out of it… and we should both be thankful that our parents survived the war. 🙂
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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.
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Hi Rae. My parents were born in 1919 (Mom) and 1920 (Dad) so were quite close in age to yours! 🙂
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My Dad was born in 1920, my Mom in ’23. They ARE close. p.s. Am enjoying the book, getting close to finishing and will review it asap.
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So glad that you are enjoying the book Rae. It was a “labor of love”! 🙂
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It is very readable and as good as Racing in the Rain (also told from a dog’s point of view, but fiction) as far as being the dog speaking. (And from me, that is HIGH praise. You obviously can read Ray’s mind as he can do yours. The book is well written, by the way, did I mention that? (and I teach writing).
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Well thank you so much. I hope you will maintain those feelings as you read the remaining chapters! 🙂
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It makes you wonder doesn’t it
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It really does! The world then was very different to what we have today!
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love these old photos. beautiful!
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They certainly are… like a brief glimpse into the past!
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What a wonderful glimpse into the past!
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It is amazing what an old black and white photograph can do eh! 🙂
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A beautiful photo and in some way they appear to me like looking towards the future and not at the photographer!
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Hi Erika. Given the era of the photograph, they could well have been contemplating their future! 🙂
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😊
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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.
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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?”
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I have contemporary friends who are like that. I keep reminding them that their grandkids won’t remember what they looked like when they are dead!
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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? 🙂
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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.
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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! 🙂
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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!
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Glad you enjoyed it! Photographs are, for most of us, the only evidence of our heritage and should be preserved for that reason.
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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…
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The early days of photography were a serious business (at least in England) so nobody smiled. When this pic was taken though in 1943, the concept of photography was much less formal.
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That makes a lot of sense indeed.
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Sometimes I do that! I am going to keep your comment somewhere safe so that I can show it as necessary when my mental state is questioned! 🙂
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😊 😊 😊
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🙂
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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!
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Hi Yentl. One of my missions is to take all my photos and explain them as best I can so that future “viewers” will not have to guess so much! While thought provoking is certainly a good trait for a photo to have, I think that having the full story wherever possible is preferred! Just imagine if someone came across a single photo of Ray? “Oh yes… that was Colin and Carol’s dog!” ….. misses so much of the story! 🙂
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So true! You do a fabulous job bringing your pics to life. I always enjoy reading your stories:)
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Thank you Yentl. 🙂
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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.
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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”! 🙂
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Good thoughts, Colin. Perhaps I will turn this into an ongoing project. Thanks!
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Please do Amy and, if my experience is typical, you will get so much pleasure out of reviewing the old pics and putting notes/stories against them. I even go back to my earlier albums and get pleasure out of re-reading the associated stories! 🙂
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Old pictures are so intriguing. Lovely couple. So young and so confident things would work out for the best. And you notes add more to the story in their eyes.
Great post
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Thank you Karen. Old photos offer so many opportunities to just imagine, as clearly a story was unfolding! 🙂
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Such a handsome couple. Glad that picture survived and you have it
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I am more fortunate than you can imagine because my Mom went through a phase when she did not like photos of herself, and destroyed them all. I already had this one and a few others, but so many are gone forever. 😦
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Lovely couple…
P.S. i think your dad was looking forward to something in life… his eyes have a kind of sparkle in them!
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Wouldn’t it be nice to know exactly what was going on behind their eyes, especially since the war was going on at that time? Perhaps the photographer had just said “Smile!” and that was the best they could do? Perhaps he was returning to his ship the following day? Perhaps he had just got the news that Valerie (my sister) was “on the way”! 🙂
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Yeah…but the whole charm is in not knowing…it is intriguing and open to all perspectives… maybe he just blanked out…just nothing on his mind!
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You are right of course. There is much more interest generated from intrigue, than there ever is likely to be with hard facts! 🙂
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🙂
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They were a nice looking couple. Women in that time had a natural beauty. I do like the expressions, makes you wonder as you say. Thanks for sharing that.
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Thank you Ron. It is certainly a thought provoking look, and could be interpreted in so many ways! 🙂
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