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Not sepia, not suits and not (only) three men.
There is a story behind the postcard. It is one from a pack sold to raise funds for the Deal Memorial Bandstand Trust which was set up to provide a memorial for the 11 bandsmen who were killed in 1989 by the explosion in the Royal Marines Barracks caused by an IRA bomb. My neighbour who lives only a few hundred metres away remembers the explosion and resulting uproar very clearly.
There are concerts every Sunday and Wednesday throughout the summer in the bandstand in Deal, Kent, but each July a special Royal Marines concert is held in memory of those bandsmen. The pictures on the postcards come from the 20th anniversary concert. This year there will be another anniversary, the 25th.
The three plus one people in the picture are Chelsea Pensioners in their very distinctive uniforms. This means they live in the Royal Army retirement home, the Royal Hospital Chelsea. It was only in 2009 that women were first allowed so we must be looking at one of the first here, possibly Winifred Phillips. The scarlet uniform is worn on ceremonial occasions.
This is a post for Sepia Saturday
A lovely, and colorful photo, and quite closely related, to our theme photo, almost!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful picture! The man & woman in front look like they're having a rousing good time of it. The two in the back, not so much . . . but maybe they were just camera shy? Really nice post. I count 4 people, 4 hats, & 4 suits making 12 altogether divided by 4 = 3, and 3 of them ARE men, so there you go!
ReplyDeleteI was living in London in 1982 when another IRA bomb killed cavalrymen at Hyde Park and bandsmen at Regent's Park. I had been to the park only the day before. Terrible murders and sadly not the only ones committed in that troubled decade.
ReplyDeleteNow where have I seen that photo before; it's the lady's laughing face that I remember.
ReplyDeleteWhat joy is being expressed in that photo, and as a feminist I love seeing a woman included...and she just may be the source of the good humor!
ReplyDeleteColorful reds! saw the woman right away but almost missed the man in the back. Good photo
ReplyDeleteA happy postcard for a sad but worthwhile cause, and a great choice for this week's theme.
ReplyDeleteNothing better than seeing an older person in bright red. No dark drab colors for them.
ReplyDeleteA wonderful photo for the theme.
ReplyDeleteOne woman amongst all those men! Why is she laughing?
ReplyDeleteA red coat is always so cheerful-looking, even as part of a uniform.
ReplyDeleteAn occasion that merits a remembrance of its own and rightly so.
ReplyDeleteInteresting subject for a postcard.
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