Two small lives

Alfred Roffey
Buried 9 Feb 1905
Aged 10 months

and

Richard Roffey
Buried 9 March 1905
Aged 3 days.

What sadness in that household for years to come. The most common cause of death in the early 1900's in UK were infections such as tuberculosis and bronchopneumonia.

These tiny crosses, all that remains of the memory of these small boys taken before they had any chances in life.

For the Feburary word, tiny.

[summerfield]

oh, i got chills in my back when i saw this. the way you shot this is so poignant, with the other dead in the fringe in shadows and the two tiny crosses facing the sunshine. such sadness for the family. could they have been brothers? timeline was too tight but they could have been. aces on the shot.

[Rob Z]

Your images just speaks volumes.

[Helen Jane]

@summerfield actually - there are three small lives here, but I got so carried away with thinking about the first two, that I forgot about the third - and I didn't get details from the plaque. The two Roffey boys were on the same cross at the back - so almost certainly brothers. So sad, but I guess, not uncommon in those days.

[LManning (Laura)]

Stunning composition. I love the way you’ve used the shadows, and the two small crosses leaning toward each other. Very moving.

[Esther Rosenberg]

Beautiful composed shot Nice how the two crosses are highlighted in the sunlight .

[Babs]

Oh so sad. My great great great grandparents had 11 children and four died as babies and two died in their early twenties, probably from tuberculosis.

[CC Folk]

Very sad, those little crosses for such tiny baby boys...such sadness for the family. Life was very tough.

[Val]

Very moving story, sensitively composed image

[Kas]

What a touching image! So poignant.

[marie]

Wow, you really captured the atmosphere with your composition.

[haskar]

Life has always been fragile. This is a very moving picture.

[Caterina]

Great composition,Helen, and very moving story. At that age I guess the first cause of death in two (or possibly 3) brothers must have been infectious such as diarrhoea, or measles. Alternatively one can think of a genetic disease. We’ll never know. Fav for the light, the comp, the narrative

[David R]

well spotted and beautifully photographed, FAV!

[Janet B.]

I certainly wouldn't have expected an image like this for "tiny." You have created a powerful depiction of the word. Once again, your talent and creativity shine; and in this case, the shine sheds a particularly welcome light on the story. Well done!