大象传媒

This account was given to Denis Price of the 大象传媒 People's War Team, the 大象传媒 Open Centre, Hull, by Kathie and Stevie Sharpe.

My grandparents bought my father George a ukelele when he joined the RAF during World War Two. It was bought on the 18th November 1944 from a company called Booths of Bolton.This instrument cost seven pounds and ten shillings which in those days was two weeks wages.
My father took the ukelele with him on all his postings. His first posting was to Italy in February 1945 and Iraq in April 1945 where he stayed for the rest of his time in the forces. He was a keen photographer and he kept a photo album which we still have. This contains photos of him in uniform playing his ukelele.
As a child I can remember my father playing on a weekend or a night. Most of his tunes and songs were from the war although the words were not those sung on the records of the day.
My father died in1967 and the ukelele was put into store. Although I did play it, once my father died I did not bother any more.
Over the next thirty years the ukelele was never played although I did from time to time check it over. I kept the instrument at my mother's house in a suitcase as I had married and had three children and I did not think it was a good idea to keep such a delicate thing around the children.
One weekend, my youngest son Stephen jnr. stayed at my mother's and he found the ukelele in the suitcase. He was fascinated by it and took it out of its case and cleaned it up. He was so intrigued by it that my mother allowed him to bring it back to our house.
When I saw just how much it meant to him I gave him my father's writing case which had also gone through the war with him also my father's photo album. One of the photos shows my father in front of the pyramids in Egypt. By some strange coincidence I had my photograph taken in the same spot in 1974 and it was not until last year that I noticed this.
I am very proud that three generations of my family have cherished the ukelele and I look forward to the day when he can play it, thus making him the third generation to play it.
When you consider that the ukelele, writing case and photographs are now over sixty years old it is a great feeling to know that they are loved as much today as they were sixty years ago.

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