Smiling During Tough Times – Joyce and Jack Wordsworth

I am grateful to have been born at time where my life has not been impacted by major conflicts, but this was not my parents’ reality.

My father, Jack Desmond Wordsworth was born in Woolage, Kent in England in 1923. My mom, Joyce Florence Healy, was also born in England in 1920.

While they missed the horror of the First World War, they did experience the dislocation of a world-wide Depression, and then the Second World War.

Dad and Mum went to a dance together and that was their first date. It seems like a bit of cliché this concept of a wartime romance, but luckily their relationship managed to outlast the war.

My father was a pilot of Lancaster bombers which had an extremely high mortality rate for flight crew. He lost many good friends and felt fortunate to have completed his tour of duty successfully.

Jack is the first airman on the left in the back row.

  

Here is a zoom on the back row, Jack back row on the left.

This is my mom Joyce (right) and her sister and best friend Peg

Another photo of my mom.

Jack married Joyce in 1947 in Wollage Kent, Broadstairs, England. This is near the iconic “white cliffs of Dover.”

There is a great photo of the two of them in September of 1947 on their honeymoon in Broadstairs, England, and they seem very happy. Now most couples would be happy on their honeymoon, but one wonders if there would be an intensified feeling for many people in Europe enhanced with relief that the war was finally over. Would the sun seem to shine just that much brighter after such a dark time?

This is a photo of my mother Joyce (centre) with her sister, now Aunty Peg (right) and her mother “Gramma Healy” holding my sister Hazel, at 5 months of age.

Black and white photographs harken back to another time, perhaps a simpler time. Below is a photo of mom and dad being tourists in front of a fountain in Europe. You’ll notice they are not checking their smart phones. They aren’t concerned about emails they should be replying to. And some photographer has been gracious enough to take their photo… they are not holding a selfie stick and taking “selfies” in front of this fountain.

My parents witnessed great change in their lives. Thankfully much of it was during peaceful, and simpler times.