Remembrance...

Today would have been my mum Viv's 100th birthday. Sadly, she passed away at the end of November last year, and in her final three years had disappeared down the long dark tunnel of dementia, which would probably have robbed her of any sense of this occasion.

This Photo was taken in either 1942 or 1943 during her wartime training in the Women's Royal Naval Service at Leigh in Lancashire. Her service in the Wrens was something that she would talk about often, and with great fondness even though it was obviously an extremely harsh time to be alive.

After my father passed away in 1999, mum joined her local branch of the Wrens Association where she made some great friends who had shared similar experiences. Sadly the numbers of Second World War veterans diminishes by the day, but I feel it's important to remember the sacrifices made by such an extraordinary generation.

The extra shot is of mum on her 94th birthday in 2018, the last such occasion when I was comfortable taking a her picture for sharing, as you can see she was still full of life and good humour