#52Ancestors 2025 Week 2 - Favourite Photo

Both my Grandfathers playing Cricket

This was taken at a cricket match in Balfour Road Brighton around 1950's it will be before the end of 1954 as that is when my maternal Grandfather died.   

A bit of background.  My Mum and Dad started "walking out" when they were both 15, the families got on well and there are lots of pictures like the one below showing both my Mum and Dad's families together on days out so to see both Grandfathers in the same photo I didn't consider unusual

But I digress 

I had never thought overly much about the Cricket photo, it was just one of many family pictures in my Mum's albums.  Well, it was just that, until many years ago now my mother-in-law (to be, at the time) brought out lots of family pictures as they do and low and behold she produced the identical picture !  Not only did the picture have my maternal and paternal Grandfathers in it kneeling right next to my maternal Grandfather is my husbands paternal Grandfather too!

My Mums family had a house in Hythe Road,  Brighton, just along the road the Gander family were renting a flat.  I imagine that was the link as that seems to be the only crossover between the Grandfathers,  although the family cross over continued down a generation as my husbands father and mother also went to the same church as my Mum and Dad so knew each other as teenagers.

The odd family link continues as standing right next to me in the next photo is my now sister in law ! (same church!) we were around 9 or 10 at the time

The church seemed to be a hub for both families, both my parents were members of the Boys Brigade and Girls Guildry (later to be Girls Brigade) respectively at Florence Road along with my maternal uncles and aunts. My husbands uncle was also part of the "BB".  Both sets of parents were also part of the Youth Club run  from the church.

Strangely although I knew of my husband from the church it was not until years later we met at a local pub and the rest as they say is history,  We have now been married 43 years next month!