I’ve seen many pictures of my Dad as a child, and of course as an adult with me as a child. But I don’t have, or haven’t seen many pictures of him as a teenager. Here’s two pictures from 1946 when he would have been 16 years of age.

So what can you learn from these two snapshots in time?

I do know that Dad loved his Tuba – a BB flat bass which he must have been quite good at playing. He told me about some of the solos he played as a young bandsman. In fact he told me how he used to love having some fun while doing so, and it seemed to me from what he said, that he loved doing so because the bandmaster was quite serious and not impressed by Dad’s sense of humour! (boy do I ever know that feeling). At any rate, he told me that on one band trip he took along a set of glasses with the nose and moustach attached, and just before he started the solo and after the bandmaster turned away to lead the band, he put them on and played the solo with them on.

What that tells me is that he had great self control because if it was me, I couldn’t have played! I would have laughed before I got to the end of the second bar.

But he played it through. And then, he recalled, as he put down the instrument and acknowledged the audience he turned to face the bandmaster who turned red with anger. Oh, my! I can see it. And I have wondered if the cornet player sitting at the left of the photo might be the bandmaster? I don’t know but I can imagine the picture of Dad grinning!

Speaking of grinning – this second photo is from the same time frame, and features a young man outstanding in his field!

Mom thinks that this might be a BB gun, and I suspect she’s right. It’s clearly in the Kingston area where he lived, but I do wonder who took the picture? Can’t you hear Dad saying “get a picture of this”?

I have another picture, rather small and not too clear which I think is of the same time frame. It’s of Dad in a boat and I know he owned a small boat and motor which he loved.

I think his good sense of humour and adventuresome nature would have made him a very fun teenager!