Memories

I was reading Vicky's blog about her and the red tent, she said she remembered the tent and the smell but not standing in front of it for the photograph!

It made me think about photos that I have of me as a child and do I remember the event from my own memory or do I think I remember it because I have a photograph telling me I remember it?

When we were younger (I was maybe 8 at a guess) we were photographed (unknowingly) by someone who used this photograph for a travel agency brochure.
I'm unsure how we got to know about it, maybe someone saw it and thought "that's Barry & Sue's kids, I wonder if they know?"  But anyway, I forget where it was and I have to say, I don't actually remember the event (or holiday) itself but I do remember the god awful swimming costume.  The straps were too big or maybe I was too small and the front kept slipping down.  I also remember the hairband, it was bright orange and made of a jersey material.  I used to put it on a radiator to dry it out and it would go hard and smell funny!

 

I asked my aunt Rita (My dads only sister) if she had any old photos I could use for this project and she sent me loads!  She has hoards of this kind of suff and is a wealth of knowledge for remembering stories that she was told.  She told me a few years ago, for example, that my paternal Grandfather, James, was in the Royal Navy (I didn't know this) and he was a Chef (again, I didn't know this)  anyway, he was supposed to be out on some boat or other during WW2 but was asked to stay behind on land as one of the other Chefs was ill.  He did this and it saved his life as the boat he should have been on was bombed and I believe there were no survivors.  My father wasn't born until 1948 so had James not stayed behind, I wouldn't be here.

Below is one of the pictures she sent me, and I adore it.  It was taken in 1934 and has the label "Betty, Vera and Nan" picnic 1934.  Vera was my paternal Grandmother, Betty is her sister (Still alive as I write this) and Nan was Nanny Webb.  I never met her (that I'm aware of)   I have no idea who the little chaps are at the front either!

I wonder if there are other people out there looking at this picture thinking, that was my Grandad or Great Uncle or cousin in 1934.  I wonder if anyone else knows where this was taken?  I wonder if that piece of land, maybe a field?, is still there or is it now a housing estate or someones office carpark?

This isn't my memory as obviously I wasn't even thought of back then but this memory belongs to those six people or seven if you count the photographer!