an old cynic's view

By superhero

94 candles would have been asking a lot

My old Dad out for lunch with the family
Born a year after the end of what was meant to be the last war.
I only mention this because he often reminisces about his upbringing, through the Great Depression ,the 2 world war.
His and my late Mum's best man was a conscientious objector as was his father in the Great War.
Dad often talks about how the family were shunned by everyone,all sorts of distasteful things done to them.
When it came my Dad,s turn for call up he worked in an ironmongery along with his pal, who had suffered scarlet fever and I think TB and had a cough like an old man.
The two of them went together for a medical and his pal was sent to the Black Watch.
My Dad was told he had a heart murmur and was declared unfit for duty.
So he was saved the horrors of war.he was sent to Dumbarton where he met and married my dear Mum.
I was born in Dundee after the war when they went back to live there,shortly after we moved back to Dumbarton and my sister was born, i lived there most of my life.
A few years after Dad retired he was telling the local GP about not getting called up because of a heart murmur, the GP who was a bit of a cardiac specialist told my Dad he did not have ,nor ever had a heart murmur.
Did they get the papers mixed up and it was his pal who had the heart defect.
That's destiny
We will never know.
I just know my Mum,Sister, 5 grandchildren ,6 great grandchildren will all be forever grateful
Not to mention all the extended family
A nice wee happy story with a good ending
Campbell

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