Fred

While working on Dad's papers I have (inevitably) come across his extensive photo library.  

There are boxes and boxes of 35mm slides that will need sorting out at some stage.  Fortunately Dad was pretty methodical and I have also located the two books that he used to record brief details of each photo. When nights draw in I can see my setting to on that task.  But for now I am just making sure that nothing that might be important gets thrown away. 

Amongst the photos are also some old family photos.  This mono image from the First World War shows my grandfather Fred in uniform with his fellows from the London Scottish regiment.  Fred is standing in the back row on the left of the photo.  

Fred survived the war, although he was mustard gassed and sometimes had a bit of weepy left eye as a result.  It didn't stop him from smoking a pipe though!  When we were small, my sister and I would be allowed to take it in turns to blow out the match that he used to light his pipe.  Although smoking is beyond the pale now, I still remember the smell of his pipe tobacco which I have always associated with him and find that its a smell that I like even now.