Here are few more of my recently discovered family photographs. Old photos are always evocative and somehow poignant but ones that you come across for the first time many years later have a particular power. Here is a group of shot of my entire childhood family with the exception of my half-brother who took the photograph. We are standing in the garden of the house where I was a child and I am smiling to camera, unusual for me, I think it because I am being sheltered by my father’s protective arm.
I was a fortunate child living in a rambling house with a large garden by the sea in a village called Angmering-on-sea now known as East Preston in West Sussex, UK, where I was mostly allowed to run free even if there was always a watchful adult eye making sure that danger was kept at bay.
I may have forgotten about these photographs but I remember those days fondly. I think I was quite a serious child always interested in the world around me but also relatively semi-detached. I had the freedom, even if I didn’t appreciate it at the time, to be whoever I wanted to be. I believe I have become that person.
The old house is now a nursing home as I discovered last year when I visited again with my own children. The circles keep turning.
Hi Colin/ Wolfie
Very interesting photos. My Dad and grandparents are in the top one- I'm Peter Dale's son. I believe that was taken at Christmastime 1954 because my Grandad took cinefilm of the occasion and that has now been transferred to DVD. The home movie shows everyone posing for the photo and your toy train features in it too. Have you seen it?
My parents were in the Worthing area last weekend and they sent me a pic of your mother, who they said is doing very well.
Like the blog posts and share your enjoyment of pencils- 2B or not 2B? That is the question.
Regards-
Andy Dale
Hi Andy, How good to hear from you like this. Have you seen this photo before? I don't know if your side of the family had a copy. Your father gave us all a copy of the DVD which was wonderful to see – strange too to see myself at such a young age especially as I was young before it was so normal for all families to video their kids. We all owe a debt to your very clever and amusing grandfather – I remember him and your grandmother very fondly. Great to know you've read some of the blog posts. I'm still debating the 2B question!
Best wishes too to you Andy and thanks so much for writing.
Oh yes, Andy, have you noticed that your grandfather is holding the cinecamera that he used to make the movie that day?
Hi Colin,
I hadn't seen the photo before, except for that brief clip of it in the film. I came upon your site after watching the DVD again. I googled White Lodge, Angmering because I was curious to see what it looked like now and your page popped up.
My grandad left us a great legacy with those cinefilms and there's still more footage that hasn't been transferred to DVD yet. One of the main things I remember about him was that he loved new gadgets. I wasn't born in the cinefilm era but he was the first person I remember to have a video recorder and also the first to have a cordless phone. I remember him making one of us walk down the garden as he tried it out saying into it "Starsky… this is Hutch". So that phrase dates my memory there.
Cheers and keep the pencil sharp!
Hi Andy, I'd love to see the rest of the footage when it's transferred to DVD. Thanks for staying in touch.
I'm probably going to settle for HB, btw, in the great 2b or not 2B debate.