52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Every so often, a photograph surfaces that feels like a small miracle—one of those images that captures far more than the people standing in it. As a family historian, and as someone who belongs to both of the families pictured, this is one of my favourite photographs. It brings together my maternal and paternal relatives in a way that feels both unusual and wonderfully natural. I often wonder how common it was for both sides of a family to spend time together socially. This seems to be not an unusual occurrence for the West's and the Wadey's. The photo radiates a sense of ease and familiarity that suggests these families were comfortable in each other’s company, something as a family member I can attest to. The picture appears to have been taken at Hollingbury Golf Course in Brighton, sometime in the late 1940s. The war was over, life was beginning to settle again, and families were rediscovering the simple pleasure of a day out together. There’s something quietly joyful abo...