My dad died 2017 and with him went so many stories and memories. We shared a lot about his family and childhood. Now that he is gone, there is still so much I would love to ask him. I consider this post a gentle reminder. If you are interested in family history research, start by talking to those who are still with us. Their memories are invaluable. When they are gone, it’s too late.

Dad’s memory deteriorated very quickly in the last few years of his life, so don’t wait, have those chats now. I am so pleased my mum and dad rummaged through piles and piles of old photographs. They wrote down the names of cousins, aunts who emigrated to Australia, neighbours, places, and soldiers. All people who would eventually be unrecognisable faces to a younger generation.

This task brought back many memories for my parents. A letter was also found, sent home from Balmoral Castle where dad did part of his National Service. As rationing was still in place at that time. To help out, he had very thoughtfully parceled up some much-needed meat to send home. His mother almost had a heart attack when she opened the parcel to discover a hare, fur and all! My old dad cried with laughter at this memory!

As Dad’s memory deteriorated, I created a memory book. I put together photos of all of the cars he had ever owned. He enjoyed this and even remembered one I had missed!

You can see some of the cars below. I hope I have managed to inspire you to have a chat with your family. Don’t delay.

Dad’s first car was something he was very proud of. It must have turned a few heads when he had it in the mid to late fifties.

This was our first family car. I remember the beautiful walnut dashboard and the smell of the green leather seats. Dad used this car to pull our Thompson caravan to Gairloch, Wester Ross on family holidays.

When dad sold the Rover, he bought an old Austin Westminster to pull the caravan. He had a work car for everyday use. This car would mostly sit in the garage until it was needed for the caravan. I remember one year the gear box was a goner. He and my uncle spent the best part of a day ‘fixing’ it. We finally managed to set off on holiday. There must also have been problems with the exhaust. They decided to tie the exhaust pipe on with orange plastic twine. This fix only lasted part of the way to Gairloch before it melted!

This was dad’s first ‘work’ car. He had received a promotion at work and with it came a car. I was impressed by this car. It had a two-way radio fitted so dad could be contacted when he was out and about!

The 1970s brought this lovely gold coloured work car to the family. It had a toffee coloured interior and seemed very modern!

This was a very modern, wedge-shaped car. It had lots of space inside. I remember we went in this car on holiday to the Isle of Man in 1974. We took the ferry from Ardrossan and the crossing was wild and stormy. The ferry was quite empty until the Glasgow train arrived at the station and people poured onto the ferry. It was a very entertaining journey!

Dad loved this car! It was a coupe, and looked very sporty. He and mum drove this car all over Europe one summer around 1980. He wore the breaks out driving across the Alps!