Figure 1.-- Dad presumably took this snapshot of the children in the family. The photograph is not dated, but looks like the late-1940s. The early-50s is also possible. There are four children, three boys and a girl. The children look to be about 6-15 years old. The two younger boys wear short-sleeved shirts, the youngest boy with sleeveless sweater. They both wear short pants, ankle socks and sandals. This suggests that the photograph was taken during the summer vacation.

Dad presumably took this snapshot of the children in the family. The photograph is not dated, but looks like the late-1940s. The early-50s is also possible. There are four children, three boys and a girl. The children look to be about 6-15 years old. The two younger boys wear short-sleeved shirts, the youngest boy with sleeveless sweater. They both wear short pants, ankle socks and sandals. This suggests that the photograph was taken during the summer vacation. Their sister wears a light-colored dress. Their older brother wears a suit. It does not look like a school uniform, but rather a standard suit. An interesting aspect of the photograph is what it shows about British housing. Many Brits lived in terraced housing (row houses) on small plots. You can see that here. If you look at the extrene left you can see the street and the row houses across the street. And if you look closely you can see the very small bit of land between the street/sidewalk and the front of the house. Commonly these are used for small flower plots. In this case mother has planted roses. There will be more land in the back garden (yard). This type of medium denisty urban housing was a factor in World War II. The latel40s of course was just after World War II. London and other British cities were spread over large areas, meaning the Germans had to expend precious military assetts for mininmal impact on Britain. It was in the back gardens that the British built their Anderson shelters. Ironically, Germany which began bombing cities (1939), with its high-denity apartment blocks was much more vulnerable to strategic bombing. And Japan which began bombing cities a decade earlier (1931) with its wood and paper cities was the most vulnerable country in the world.

Created: 4:50 PM 11/23/2023
Last updated: 10:03 PM 11/23/2023