We called them “The Twenties”.
When my father was terminally ill, Harry booked us passage on The Queen Mary and took my parents back to Brian’s family in England for a final reunion. We stayed with Uncle Mike and Aunty Gill in Somerset and the other two of the four Barry siblings came to Hays in Brent Knoll for a rare and beautiful June together.
All four were born in the 1920s, hence their collective name. Celia, the “babby” in 1928, Brian in 1924, Mike 1923, and Uncle Pete was born 100 years ago today, in 1920. They are all gone now. Pete was the last to depart, living a long, independent and interested life to age 98.
The Twenties (June 2010)
Pete was also the last to marry, and he married an actress, Aunt Molly, which we thought was a very glamorous romance. They had two children, cousins Philip and Petra.
Whenever we flew back to England, Uncle Pete met us at the airport. I think he worked in London, and they lived in Kent then. Here is a picture from 1971, when I spent a memorable summer in England.
Molly, Petra, Anne, Bunty, and Pete
Pete and Molly moved to Cromer in Norfolk in retirement. Uncle Pete was always interested in many things, particularly, for a while, in rocks. He was a very private person, and I don’t actually know much about his life. He wanted no service at the end of his life, and Philip and Petra were instructed to notify people only after his ashes were scattered in the sea at Cromer. Seems that was appropriate, since Pete had been a Commander in the Royal Navy during World War II at Scapa Flow. My father always said that Uncle Pete was a spy, but I think he meant Pete was in Naval Intelligence.
When Trudy, my mother, turned 70, in 1998, my father threw a party for her at The Savoy in London. Harry and I arrived as a surprise, and to my dismay I was wearing a dress very similar to my mother’s. We got off the elevator and Uncle Pete came up to me and wished me a Happy 70th Birthday (I was 43). Nonetheless, I dearly loved Uncle Pete and I miss our email correspondence. Like Brian, he embraced computers right away.
Brian and Pete 
The Barry Boys – Mike, Pete and Brian 
Uncle Pete (2010) 
Pete and Brian
Uncle Pete would always say “I’m still on my perch”, but now he, and that whole generation of Barrys are gone. We were lucky indeed to have them for as long as we did.
Here, this November day was warm and extremely windy. I didn’t take many pictures.
Cedar keeps an eye out for varmints 
Twizzler and Tom Morris in the barn
A few birds…
A red bellied woodpecker 
Doves and finches 
A turkey vulture rides the winds
Oisin reminded the other horses that HE is a World Champion.
Stay safe, stay well.
Love the family stories and photos. It seems as a fairy tale to me, family, England, Somerset, and the Savoy. The dress, no picture of you in the dress much like your mom’s? Go Oisin!
No picture of that infamous fashion faux pas, Jane, at least no picture I can lay a hand on yet. In many ways, all of our lives are fairy tales, I think. That’s why fairy tales resonate, eh?
Thanks for sharing adventures of the Barry boys. You are indeed a lucky girl. It is fun to be a World Champion. Happy to see Oisin standing up for himself.
Linda – you were the first World Champion I ever met! The QH world is a much bigger world than the Pinto world, but it certainly is fun to be a world champion. Good boy, Oisin – aka Bachantes Painted Pearl (his world champion name) 🤣
Still laughing!
You are a witness!
It’s so sad that most of the greatest generation are gone. You look very beautiful in the picture and you still are..
Your family stories made me laugh, similar dresses and being 75 especially. I hope as I get older I don’t wear my pants like Uncle Pete.
Trying to send a message – hope it works!
Success, yes, it worked!