Heritage: Ours, Yours, and Mine

When we think of heritage, the main things that come to mind are the aspects that define cultures. Language, faith, art, politics, and games are the common features of a group that create a sense of community. When considering history, the story of an individual can easily become lost, but it's in these individuals experiences that make up a community's past on any scale, from a family to a nation.

My grandma recently passed away, bringing about a lot of discussion on her life and the family history as a whole. I went to stay with my parents for a little while and one evening we started to go through old photographs to use at the funeral. I hadn't seen many of them before, spare a few of my mum and uncle as a child. What caught me by surprise - especially as a historian - was how little I knew about my family's own connection to history. During the Second World War, my mum's two grandads served in different ways. Her dad's father was a Police Inspector, while her mum's father served in the Royal Artillery in an infantry role. Ironically neither saw any combat, as the latter was stationed on the south coast and only later transferred to Germany as the war came to a close. Finding out about these relatives didn't come as much of a shock to me as most people's ancestors served in some sense or another during WWII. Professions like the police couldn't be too impeded for the war effort either as it would have risked domestic security. What did surprise me was something I'd never heard about my own grandad.

For context's sake, it's important that you know that my mum's side of the family is from Sunderland. This comes up now and then because they (mainly my uncle) are staunch Sunderland FC supporters. I never questioned this fanaticism as I had assumed it was just a show of loyalty to the family roots. While I was right to an extent, there was a deeper connection that no one had told me.

As it turned out, my granddad was the goalkeeper for the team back in the '40s, (He's the tall lad centre-left on the middle row). At first, I was amazed that I hadn't known this, but I quickly realised how little people actually talk about the personal connections they hold to the past. As someone who isn't that into football either it was unlikely that I'd have found out through shared interest with the rest of my family.

Whatever you may think of history, it's important to remember that we have personal connections to the historic moments. We shouldn't overlook it as some abstract concept that we aren't directly tied to. Speak to whoever you have about their experiences of a time before your own, you may find something interesting. My own recent experience may not be considered an amazing revelation to many, but it made me feel closer to my family and I can value that. You might experience the same, or learn something about yourself or those close to you. Something that you could never have predicted.

Dedicated to Audrey Richardson. 2nd December 1933 -15th October 2020.