Climbing up the stairs of the dusty antique centre a face caught my eye it was a photo of a soldier hung on the wall, i passed by dismissing it from my mind.
After pottering around upstairs for a while looking at antique tiles and choosing one to buy i headed back down with my purchase reaching the bottom of the stairs i turned around to meet the lovely smile of this boy i climed back up the few steps and scrutinized him, i usually find these sad photos depressing but i found i couldnt help smiling back...I noticed the price tag £9.50 Leaving the shop with my tile i looked back again...
That night i couldnt sleep why hadnt i bought it ???........ Because how could i that lovely young face so familiar so full of promise and eagerness ... did he live did he survive the war? .. The words of a song came to mind "a whole generation that was butchered and damned".. "enclosed in forever behind a glass frame" just two lines but so sad.......Had this photo been the only reminder of a son lost at war or had he arrived home safely back to his family..
Needless to say i went back for it and he now hangs on my kitchen wall making me smile with his lovely face, i like to think he came home and married his sweetheart and had a family .....
Strangest of all ! though not so strange, as it may explain my attraction, but theres more than a passing resemblance to jake my boy.....
