"In the camp at St Giles, England. Breakfast of porridge, fried egg and bread. Bread, butter and marmalade. Tea. Feeling much better.
Filled in interrogation forms, received £6 as second payment. Medical inspection & X-ray.
Lecture on the future & general. Issue of new uniform etc & by the evening I was ready for home."
I thought today to post this shot of my mother who, like many wives, mothers, sisters, had been waiting and hoping.
Her worst time must have been when my dad was captured on 21st June, 1942 at Tobruk and was reported missing. It was six weeks before she learnt that he was alive and a PoW.
And, like my dad's younger sister, Betty, who died earlier this month, at 91 years young, my mum worked in the Women's Land Army during the war.
Gorgeous shot of your Mum. My Mum was a nurse during the war and her first husband died in December 1942 when my half sister was 7 months old. She worked the rest of the war at a local hospital in Yorkshire and then met my Dad just after the war ended. He survived the war but died of cancer in 1951 when I was three years old. Mum had terrible luck with husbands.
A beautiful photo of your mum -- I admire all those wives, mothers sisters who managed the long wait and uncertainties through those dreadful war years !
What a strong lady. Beautiful photo. My mum was in the munitions factories before working for the post office. She earned enough money sewing lingerie from discarded parachute silk to buy a B and B house after the war.
I wonder if your dad had this photo of your mum to look at often Hazel, a lovely picture of your dear mum. Such a long time as a prisoner she must have been beside herself with joy. Big adjustments for all women when their men folk came back from war though!
Beautiful photo and interesting extract from your dad's diary. It must have been a very worrying time, and a lot of adjustment on your dad's return. I can't imagine what it would be like, nearest I've had is when my daughter was in the army and was based in Kosova during the fighting. She was a medic and found it very traumatic.
It is for people like your father that we need to remember what they did for us and get out of the EU so that the UK can get back to being Great Britain!
Gorgeous photograph and wonderful narrative Hazel, looking at the photograph its quite an incentive your dad had to get back home, it was tough enough worrying if your man would make it through without the additional effort and long days working the land to feed the nation, the country owe the Land Army so much:)
it is a striking portrait, very much of it's time haze,
I wonder what photographers of yesteryear would make of all the different and creative portrait genre's we use today
Your mum sounds a very strong lady, too!
Babs, what a tough time your mum endured and ultimately you and your sister too.
Tim, thank you for saying that.
Beautiful photo and interesting extract from your dad's diary. It must have been a very worrying time, and a lot of adjustment on your dad's return. I can't imagine what it would be like, nearest I've had is when my daughter was in the army and was based in Kosova during the fighting. She was a medic and found it very traumatic.
I wonder what photographers of yesteryear would make of all the different and creative portrait genre's we use today