Children's fancy dress time for VE Day
Before the echoes start to fade on the 75th anniversary commemorations of VE Day, here's another little reminder of that time with a new picture of Shrewsbury celebrations.
It has been emailed in by Chris and Glen Coleman – that's Christopher and Glenys – who now live in Lincolnshire but have Shrewsbury roots. It shows a VE Day street party at Roselyn, Harlescott, and young Glenys is one of the children on the photo, dressed as Bo Peep.
VE Day was on May 8, 1945, but they are not sure of the exact date of the street party – as they took a little while to organise, there were many victory celebrations parties and events in the days immediately after VE Day.
Chris said: "The photograph is from our family archive, and has been in our possession for many years.
"It is an old family photograph, and includes four family members, who all lived in 51 Roselyn at the time, although at that time it was known as Harlescott Close. The family later lived in Meadow Farm Drive.
"We are ourselves of the wartime generation, my wife, Glenys, being born at that address, a few years earlier than VE Day.
"Family members in the photograph are: Mr Fred Richards, father, born 1902, who is wearing the top hat, far back centre; Glenys Richards, daughter, aged three, as Bo Peep, with ribbons on crook, front left; Peter Richards, son, aged six, as Robin Hood, directly behind Glenys, centre row, left.
"Michael Richards, son, aged 12, as Len Hutton, with cap, back row, third from right.
"Fred Richards was an engineer, working for Chatwood's, and was the People’s Churchwarden at the original Harlescott Church of the Holy Spirit, and also at the new church in Meadow Farm Drive, where we were married before moving away.
"He fitted strongrooms for banks and so on throughout the UK, and in the Irish Republic.
"One of his major successes was the fitting of a new strongroom for the display of religious artefacts for the benefit of the public in Lincoln Cathedral."
