It can’t be!

Family history 1 Minutes

But it is! This is my dad, John Cuthbert Falkingham, born 28 December 1907. He was my grandparents’ only child, but had 3 older half siblings. Auntie Dodo said that she just came home from work one day, aged 15, and “the baby” was there! There had been no discussion about my dad’s imminent arrival.

He’s dressed in the gender neutral (or is it girls’?) clothing, typical of the time. He looks about 2-3 years of age I think.

He’s obviously a bit older here. Perhaps this is where his love of cars started!

And finally, here he is riding the penny-farthing which I remember was often a feature in one of our shop windows. It looks like he was riding on the cobbled street which ran down the side of the shop.

I never saw him riding it myself but, instead, I used to love it when the “stick-man” was put in the saddle and the power switched on so that it looked like he was pedalling.

I can see you, Jonny, in his face

Published by Anne Pugh

I'm sharing some stories about the many wonderful holidays I've had as a solo traveller. In and amongst are some stories about my family - as much as I can remember. There is a lot that I don't know, because I never dared to ask and I don't want my children and grandchildren to feel the same

Published

5 thoughts on “It can’t be!”

    1. On the website of the V&A (Victoria and Albert) Museum, boys were “breeched” between 4 and 8 years, to mark their passage from babyhood to boyhood. It seems that that they sometimes got their first haircut at the same time. I think that I have one more photo of Dad in a dress but he was still very young. My two girls used to dress their little brother in a dress when he was a toddler and call him Elizabeth Jane (which would have been his name if he’d been a girl). We still tease him about it but it doesn’t seem to have done him any harm!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. Interesting about them being “breeched” haha. So would they then move into some variety of short pants? Poor lil “Elizabeth Jane”!

        Like

      2. Yes, the next step was usually shorts or knickerbockers (knee-length). I’ve just read that it was felt that wearing a dress made toilet training easier, which does make sense, I suppose. “Elizabeth Jane” has just celebrated his 40th birthday with not a dress in sight!

        Liked by 1 person

Leave a comment