This photo shows my father and his older brother; a right couple of junior swells!
The picture would have been taken well over 100 years ago, and was amongst a bunch of old photos I recently brought back from France.
I never really knew my Uncle. He didn't live too far away from us, but he obviously wasn't 'family orientated'. He had no children, so we had no cousins on my father's side. However, my father looked after his interests to the end. He was a bit of a Playboy.
One enigma about my Uncle, that will now never be solved, is about his 'given names'. His third Christian name was Terenzio. Why he should have been given an Italian name was never explained; my father just laughed about it. There were no heart-throb singers/actors around at the time with that name, and as far as I know we have no Italian ancestors. Although, looking at his photo above, he does have a rather 'Mediterranean' look about him!
I really know very little about my Uncle. He was sent off to Ceylon to grow Tea, then a few years later had to be repatriated having contracted para-typhoid. He later ran a business in Crawley. After his death his wife (my Aunt) moved to Hove, but we never met.
I would have liked to have known him; he was a bit of a 'character'.
I love family history. Such a pity they're not around now so you could interrogate him. The name is most unusual. One of my Uncles was in Ceylon too. On a tea plantation. Wonder if they ever met? Seems to have been the thing to do. Or go down to the colonies
ReplyDeleteI think it was the wayward sons who were sent away to grow Tea. If they were there at the same time, they would certainly have met. The British Tea planting community was very close-knit.
DeleteHow sad that you didn't really know your Uncle Terenzio and did not have contact with his wife, your auntie, after he died. Sometimes when we look back it's frustrating to recognise that it is too late to make amends.
ReplyDeleteYes, I regret it, especially as we lived so close.
DeleteI thought he looked a 'bit Mediterranean' when I first saw him as well. I think Granny must have had a bit of a fling at some stage...!
ReplyDeleteOne can but wonder!
DeleteDocument the history and share it with your grandkids, so 100 years from now they will be remembered.
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping to write it all here, but that doesn't mean they'll be interested.
DeleteThere has to be a story. Your Uncle's name alone suggests some interesting history. It seems with him sent away and then living close by with no contact, for whatever reason he was not acknowledged as family.
ReplyDeleteIt's all a bit of a mystery. My father hardly ever spoke of him, but when he did he just laughed.
DeleteFamily history is interesting. Problem is that we never seem to delve into it until there's no one around anymore to ask. My dad was born in London but family was originally Irish. Would have loved to have known my grandfather... bit of a character too... did a little of everything... even fought in the Boer's War (took his discharge in Cape Town). Brought his family to the States in 1918. Why they left England we'll never know...
ReplyDelete