Dated December 1940, Queen Street Ak. Hitler was astride  Europe, the Battle of Britain was over and British cities were being bombed in the "Blitz". Pearl Harbor still a year away,  Hitler and Stalin still had their Non-Aggression Pact.   My father Sam enlisted in December 1940 and served in the Pacific; for photos and history of 3rd NZ Division in the Pacific see my web site http://au.geocities.com/third_div
Funeral of Prime Minister M.J. Savage, 31, March, 1940. Auckland Railway Station, crowd near Constitution Hill.  One politician I recall always mentioned with great affection.
First surviving Grandchild of the generation, Myreine  Alice Osborne, b August 1939
My Fathers Grandma O'Donnell with Faye O'Donnell Artie's daughter b  1946
My mother with her first niece Lynnette Gail b  October 1940  Lyn a little later
My father in camp with three mates.    They just get through the depression then along comes the mother of all wars.  Hardly the lucky generation.
My parents, Sam and Connie Hughes and I am there too, (b October 1941).
After my christening in summer of 1941/42, Cynthia Schneiderman on left, then Dulcie with daughter Lyn (b October 1940), Trevor at back behind my Grandma Hughes with Carole Bentley in front, Uncle Don next right  then Uncle  Alf Webster,  husband of Dulcie next right. then Mildred and Jack Bentley with Mum and I in front.  Sam was in Lautoka area Fiji with the 14th Brigade early January to August 1942
The steamer Monowai which carried elements of the 14 Brigade to Fiji, embarking on 2 January 1942
On leave after Fiji, Sam with Carole and I.
Ailsa Wallace (see in 1930's) on left holding me, then my mother Connie, cousin Lyn,   then on right, Cynthia Schneiderman, probably Dulcie took picture summer 1942/43 at French Bay.
Aunt Jean Edgerley (nee Pilkington) with Ian Trevor b 25 April 1943
Casualty photos from Weekly News 27 October 1943. Also photos of recipients of  awards / medals.
At Ellerslie races 1943 Sams middle brother Ted on left with his mother,  Cyril and Jean Smithson (my fathers youngest sister) on right.
Sam with mates on Green Island (just north of Bougainville).  March 1944, they were demobbed and home mid 44, younger members may have gone to Italy with the 2nd Division.  Older guys like Sam went into essential industry, he was directed into the New Lynn Brickworks.. For more photos and history of 3rd NZ Division in the Pacific see my web site http://au.geocities.com/third_div
These tar-paper walled and tarpaulin roofed ex army huts were our first family home in Leamington Road (now Evans Rd.) Glen Eden, probably 1945 (down in the hollow on north side near the Pleasant Rd end), photo looks SW.  Connie had been living with either her parents or Sam's parents during the war and must have been itching to get a place of her own. Her story is that she bought the huts because "..Sam needed a bomb under him."  He was very steady and reliable and no doubt working things out in those rapidly changing times, as guys do.  For a year or two strawberries were grown and packed on a few acres west of the huts.  Close up of hut nearly completed.
Cottage built on same site ( by Bill Cumberland) possible late 1945 which we lived in for five or six years till new brick house was built in 1951 further west at the zig-zag in Evans Rd. Sam must have had a returned soldiers loan because he owned quite a few acres in this part of Glen Eden (mostly covered in Gorse as thick as your leg) and subdivided sections in a strip from this house to the new brick house. These were sold for about 60 pounds each under Labour's land sales controls. The National Govt. in '49 removed these controls and land prices jumped to a few hundred pounds per section. I remember Sam saying he thought Labour was in for all time.
Primer I and II at Glen Eden School  1946, I am near left between the Bourne twins with tie. I eventually convinced Mum that ties were not required at  school.   Later class photos in the Standards, possibly 1948 and 1951. This class was in Form 2 in 1953.   Text file of names from 1946,   1948,   1951
The O'Donnell family at time of funeral for Grandma O'Donnell who died in 1947.  My late aunt Jean Smithson(nee Hughes)  said the  names are  from left, back row - Herb, Artie, Mick, Len, --  front row, William, Bessie, Jim, Nell, Richard, Annie(my Grandmother), Harold.
Valerie Gillies (now Mudie) b 1946 a grandaughter of William Arthur (see 1900's)one of my paternal grandfather's Melbourne brothers. Valerie has supplied much information about  my grandfather's family.  All after her husband Paul found the Edward Walter Arthur Hughes name on this website.
There seem to be few early photos of my little sister Colleen Margaret born September 1945. This could be the earliest I have, she looks about 3 and I would have been about 7; I  would like to hear if anyone finds any older photos of Colleen.  I can not place the other children, all those gorgeous older girls !  The only clue that comes to mind is that there was a sharemilking family on Hugh Wallace's Mangere dairy farm with a similar platoon of wonderful daughters.
My Uncle Alf Webster taking smoko on a building job. He was a brickie and Sam off-sided  for him for many years in 40's and 50's. Fishing on the Manukau, me with mouth full of toffee.  Fishing again, Sam on left, Lyn, me, Alf's father  Pop Webster,  Alf.
From left, Sam, Alice, Ted, Mildred and Don, Archibald Rd 1949. Another snap from 1949 with the various cousins. Me on left in front of Don, Jannie Bentley (b Feb. 1944) held by Grandpa, her mother Mildred at back, then her sister Carole, my sister Colleen b Sept. 1945 held by Grandma, then Myreine Osborne with Sam holding "Pal", Dons dog. Jack Bentley, Mildred's husband at back with Alice Osborne on his right.
Glen Eden main street looking west at cnr Valley Road - Post Office with white painted window, grocers on corner. I remember a butchers beyond the corner. Probably 1940's.
Glen Eden  looking SW from near cnr of Bowers Rd and West Coast Rd - annotated with road names.
Glen Eden from Auckland Council website featuring marvellous airphoto maps dating from 1940.
Scan of  Whites Aviation 1965 photo of our part of Glen Eden - from a fold-out in John T Diamond's book, "Once...The Wilderness"
Summer of 1948-49  Huia Beach, my young sister Colleen then maybe  3 holding tight to Sam;  scrawny me second from right envious of model boat. The three boats visible in background were all speedboats that used to race. A yellow one was always the winner.

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