Celebrating The Life of a Beloved Granddad in Pictures

Thomas approached us at reLOVE about his plan to document the life of his beloved grandfather, Reginald, following his passing. We were more than honoured to be able to help Thomas with his plan to keep the memory alive of this exceptional man and what he meant to his family.

Reg and his twin brother Fred were held in particularly high regard in the family because they were twin boys born just after the Second World War. The boys were welcomed into a family that had lost many male relatives to the First and Second world wars.

The boys grew up surrounded by a family of fierce and strong-willed women, bringing double the love and laughter into a family that had lost so much. Reg and his brother formed a strong bond that provided each other with a lifetime of companionship.

Although Reg had a lifelong passion for taking photographs, Thomas was particularly proud to be given a picture by his mother that was of Reg rather than taken by him. The photo was of Reg and Fred's christening. Christenings are usually great family affairs. However, because the twin boys came at such a poignant time, their christening attracted many extended family and friends to share in the joy of the new arrivals.

Growing up in the post-war period

The post-war period in the UK was a time of significant change and upheaval. The war devastated the country, and people were eager to rebuild their lives. However, for Reg and Fred, it was a childhood of rationing and making do with what they had.

The boys took a great interest in gardening from a young age and helped the family to grow their own food in the back garden of their home. With so many local widows and families struggling financially, Reg and Fred started growing vegetables they harvested and left them on the doorstep of those in need.

Reg honestly had a heart of gold, and his generous nature never left him. Once the brothers were old enough, they started their own successful market garden business and regularly donated some of what they produced to the church and local food charities.

Thomas felt that his granddad's life story was worth preserving as a shining example of kindness and generosity for his own children to learn from. This is why he chose to have his granddad's many boxes of photographs converted to digital with reLOVE Photos.

Thomas chose our Premium service because he wanted professional, high-quality digital photo scanning by a company that could genuinely appreciate these photographs' sentimental value. He decided to have the original copies of his granddad's pictures returned as he felt he couldn't part with them.

He plans to use the scanned copies to create a photo memory book that he can print and give as a gift to his children so they never forget their great-grandad's important role in their family history.