Ok there is a (sort of story) behind this one. It starts in the Crimean war, the charge of the light brigade, Florence Nightingale and all that, and ends for now, in my garden last Saturday evening. On June the 25th 1852 one George Winterbourne, my Great, Great Grandfather ( http://www.pbase.com/gerrywinterbourne/image/92139795 ), enlisted in the Army, having run away from his home in Leeds, he was a Dragoon (Heavy Calvaryman). He served in the Crimea, fought at Balaclava where the Heavy Brigade made a far more successful charge, than the Light Brigade. Later he was in India and fought in the Indian Mutiny. He was discharged in October 1864 and lived the rest of his life in Leeds working as a gardener.

His son (Charles Edward http://www.pbase.com/gerrywinterbourne/image/81412172 ) also served in the army, an Artilleryman, he was stationed in the batteries protecting Portsmouth harbour, and later fought (at the age of 41) right across Palestine with Allenby in WW1. My Grandfather (another George http://www.pbase.com/gerrywinterbourne/image/84264221 ) who was also in the Artillery and was in North Africa and Palestine in the Second World War. My Dad was in the Royal Engineers, and my cousin Paul is entering Sandhurst to train as an officer (probably destined for the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers) this September.

Now my son Robert (George) Winterbourne has also decided on a military career, after university he’ll be applying to Sandhurst, but for now has joined the TA for ‘work experience’.

It was his prom on Saturday and he decided to forgo the usual dinner jacket and go in his uniform. His Girlfriend decided to join in and went for a very 40’s wartime look.

I think they look great together and I decided to try and capture the feeling of history that six generations of Army service brings by editing it to look like the sort of snap shot that might have been carried by a soldier to remind him of his sweetheart back home.

I'm sure any of my family historians will correct any errors above.