Dkillock
Digging & Flying
Meet Reg Deller. I met Reg in the coffee shop where my mum works. He caught my eye as he was extremely cheerful, joking around with the employees, and was extremely well dressed (as he always is apparently). Many people of his age are, they have a lot of respect and discipline, which contrasts greatly with the way myself and most of my generation are. Reg is 85, although my initial enquiry was answered with the standard '21'. :)
Maybe Reg's apparent (or imagined) discipline and tidiness stemmed from the fact that he was in the Ulster Rifles Glider Squadron at a very young age. At 85, Reg must have been 14 at most when World War 2 started. As he fought in France during that conflict, he must have joined almost as soon as he was old enough or before. So in my eyes he must be extremely brave and courageous and also somewhat of a hero.
After the war Reg was a Tunneler, which strikes me as another dangerous job. Basically he was boring holes deep under land and rivers to drive the tunnels for roads and the railways, including the London underground. He was involved in digging the Blackwall road tunnel, about which he told me a story of a lorry being swallowed up, indicating to me how dangerous it could be. He also helped bore the Victoria Tube line, which, until a while ago, I travelled through everyday.
So that is what I learnt about Reg. I also asked him about his family, which was a little awkward as he split with his wife and hasn't seen her or his children from that relationship for a long time. He didn't want to talk anymore, but his already watery eyes welled up and he confessed (whilst I muttered apologies for asking) that he would love to see them again, but it just didn't work that way. So in that brave and courageous man I sensed a lot of hurt and regret. Maybe his outward appearance and jovial character is used to hide that? Maybe I am thinking too much about it, but I think this is a good example of why I am so excited about this project. I was so nice to listen to someone, talk to them and try to understand a little about their lives, characters and feelings.
I like the angle of this picture. He was sitting down drinking his coffee, and it just felt right for me to kneel and get slightly below his line of sight so he looked down a bit. I don't know what it is about that pose, but it strikes me as quite dignified, slight authoritative and gives him a worldly air, like he is saying to me that has experienced things that I haven't and seen things I have never seen and might not want to see. That what I get from this picture anyway! But maybe that is me seeing and feeling what I want to :)
his picture is #002 in my 100 strangers project. Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at www.100Strangers.com
You can view all my Strangers on my new dedicated website - www.wix.com/dkillock/100strangers
Digging & Flying
Meet Reg Deller. I met Reg in the coffee shop where my mum works. He caught my eye as he was extremely cheerful, joking around with the employees, and was extremely well dressed (as he always is apparently). Many people of his age are, they have a lot of respect and discipline, which contrasts greatly with the way myself and most of my generation are. Reg is 85, although my initial enquiry was answered with the standard '21'. :)
Maybe Reg's apparent (or imagined) discipline and tidiness stemmed from the fact that he was in the Ulster Rifles Glider Squadron at a very young age. At 85, Reg must have been 14 at most when World War 2 started. As he fought in France during that conflict, he must have joined almost as soon as he was old enough or before. So in my eyes he must be extremely brave and courageous and also somewhat of a hero.
After the war Reg was a Tunneler, which strikes me as another dangerous job. Basically he was boring holes deep under land and rivers to drive the tunnels for roads and the railways, including the London underground. He was involved in digging the Blackwall road tunnel, about which he told me a story of a lorry being swallowed up, indicating to me how dangerous it could be. He also helped bore the Victoria Tube line, which, until a while ago, I travelled through everyday.
So that is what I learnt about Reg. I also asked him about his family, which was a little awkward as he split with his wife and hasn't seen her or his children from that relationship for a long time. He didn't want to talk anymore, but his already watery eyes welled up and he confessed (whilst I muttered apologies for asking) that he would love to see them again, but it just didn't work that way. So in that brave and courageous man I sensed a lot of hurt and regret. Maybe his outward appearance and jovial character is used to hide that? Maybe I am thinking too much about it, but I think this is a good example of why I am so excited about this project. I was so nice to listen to someone, talk to them and try to understand a little about their lives, characters and feelings.
I like the angle of this picture. He was sitting down drinking his coffee, and it just felt right for me to kneel and get slightly below his line of sight so he looked down a bit. I don't know what it is about that pose, but it strikes me as quite dignified, slight authoritative and gives him a worldly air, like he is saying to me that has experienced things that I haven't and seen things I have never seen and might not want to see. That what I get from this picture anyway! But maybe that is me seeing and feeling what I want to :)
his picture is #002 in my 100 strangers project. Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at www.100Strangers.com
You can view all my Strangers on my new dedicated website - www.wix.com/dkillock/100strangers