Isle of Wight photos from 1942 being pieced together by family

Susan Peberdy is researching the life of her uncle, Douglas Gordon Rathwell, who was born on May 22, 1922 in Lachine, Quebec, Canada.

He was killed at age 22 just five weeks before the end of the war, and Susan's mother, so saddened by his death, just couldn't find the strength to talk about him.

Scroll through the photos above

Doug's friend at Shanklin High Street (Image: Susan Peberdy)

Susan said: "While sorting through my mother’s belongings following her death in 2012, I discovered a newspaper clipping of the day Doug met the King and Queen while he played ping pong at the YMCA in London.

"I bet his parents were thrilled to see that photograph.

"I also discovered, among my mom’s belongings, Doug’s photo album from the war years. I have stared at the photos in this album for over a decade, photos of Doug with his Air Force buddies, photos of Doug smiling with his civilian friends, photos of Doug with a young woman.

"I decided to put together a book of these and other pictures to share with my siblings, fearful that otherwise Doug’s photos (and memory) might one day be lost to a recycling bin.

At Albert Road, Sandown (Image: Susan Peberdy)

"A photo of what I thought was a bridge (and the same young woman in the foreground) led me down a different path.

"Clearly I needed the help of a bridge expert. The internet can be a wonderful tool and it led me to David Denenberg of www.bridgemeister.com.

"He believed the structure was not a bridge, but a pier…the Seaview Chain Pier on the Isle of Wight, to be precise.

"He even sent me photographic evidence. My uncle’s military records indicated that he had served on the Isle of Wight as a radio mechanic from February to August, 1942, so I shifted my focus to the Isle of Wight.

"My next stop was the Isle of Wight Family History Society. Doug had taken some street photos and I wondered if the architecture was in keeping with that found on the Isle of Wight.

"To my surprise the two streets were immediately identified – Shanklin High Street and Albert Road in Sandown.

"Shout out to Geoff Allan, chair of the Isle of Wight Family History Society.

"There were several group shots of friends and possibly their family members. It is clear from the photos that Doug was welcomed into their home.

"I contacted The Rev Mark Williams of Christ Church Sandown and asked if he might have a parishioner with a long history in Sandown or Shanklin who might be able to identify the people in Doug’s photographs.

"Rev Williams put me in contact with Frank Blackwell who put me in contact with
Mark Saunders of the Shanklin and District History Society.

"A couple of photographs of Doug with his Air Force friends at a beach with scaffold defences (identified as being adjacent to 8 Culver Parade) will be
featured at the Open Day and Exhibition at the Shanklin and District History Society in May.

"During the summer of 1943 Doug returned to Canada to retrain as a navigator. He was awarded the Air Navigator’s Badge and commissioned in January of 1944.

"He returned to England for further training in April that year. In July he was promoted to flying officer. He joined 434 Squadron on February 23, 1945, and was killed during air operations over Germany on March 31, 1945.

"The help I have received from so many people in England has been wonderful.  They are helping me add more texture to what I know was a meaningful life lived in only 22 years."

Anyone with information can contact Susan at borealis8690@gmail.com