This is my first post in a while, and the first non-transport one. I hope it will be the first of many to record my past and adventures.

Scroll (or read) down for the links!

I’ve decided to create a series to exhibit family photos, firstly (and mostly) those taken by my father and scanned by me in recent years.

I also have slides which I took myself, and other photos from relatives and friends. I’ll continue to post these over time.

I realise that these will primarily interest my relatives and close friends, but to you others, feel free to delve in and explore them anyway!

About my father

John Roderick Tritton McDougall (1922-1978) was born in Boston, Lincolnshire. His father Roderick (Rory) McDougall, was a vicar, of Bonby in Lincolnshire, and later of Sibton in Suffolk, and his mother, Dorothy Tritton, was an amateur actress, and quite a character! Dad went to school in Aldeburgh and when WW2 broke out, he enlisted in the Navy in 1939.

After many wartime adventures, he settled into civilian life. He married my mother, Brenda Yates, in 1950. My sister was born in 1952, I arrived in 1954, and my brother in 1958. Mum and Dad separated and divorced in 1970, and Dad died in 1978 of a heart attack.

My mother, incidentally, had a notable career in journalism as fiction editor, later overall editor, of Woman’s Weekly magazine in the UK and famed for its fiction, knitting and cooking! She also edited a lot of romantic fiction for publishers Mills and Boon; many of her Woman’s Weekly authors also wrote for them.

Dad started a biography, but only covered his life up to just after the war, and before he met my mother. It’s an interesting read, and I’ve uploaded it HERE. As a sailor in Mountbatten’s fleet in the Mediterranean, his ships were torpedoed three times. The last time he was rescued, he met Lord Louis himself, who recognised him and remarked: “Hello, McDougall. Not you again.”

Dad had a passion for boats, cars and motorcycles, history and the natural world. Most of his photos are of these subjects, rather than people.

As I write up and upload each roll of film, I’ll add links to them below. I’ll keep the photos in the order they were taken, because they clearly show the trips and experiences he recorded.

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