The old stone church is still there just like it was when Daddy worshipped there during WW II.

Cemetery at St. Mary's Church.  Original in the possession of the author.

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My father, S/Sgt. Richard W. Wiggins, with his camera while stationed at Knettishall RAF in Suffolk England.  Original in the possession of the author



St. Mary's Church, Coney West, Suffolk, England. Original in possession of author.



Rev. Morgan, St. Mary's Parish Church, 1944. Original in the possession of the author.

Daddy's description written on back of photo of St. Mary's Church. Original in the possession of the author.

Many people have letters written home from the frontlines of various wars by family members.  The letters were saved by mothers, wives, girlfriends, etc.  My grandmother did not save the letters her son (my father) sent home.  She saved the photographs.  Daddy’s lifelong hobby was photography.  His camera went with him to the various places in the U. S. where he received his pre-deployment training and it went with him to Knettishall RAF, Suffolk, England, where he served until the end of fighting in the European theater. 

On the backs on many of the photographs are his notes and descriptions of the person or scene in the photo.  Many have dates.  A few photos have numbers that correspond to numbered lists of description written on military stationary.  I was very interested in the pictures of a stone church.  On the back he indicated that he attended church there most Sunday’s.  Another photo of the same church gave the name St. Mary’s Parish Church.

 I did an internet search and found the same church in Daddy’s photos, but this time it was present day and in color.  I now know that the church is St. Mary’s in Coney Weston, Suffolk which is in England. What a great experience to see that the church Daddy attended while stationed in England still exists.  One of the photos on the webpage for the church is taken from almost the same viewpoint where Daddy stood when he snapped his photo.

 His photo is actually two separate photos printed on the same piece of photographic paper.  A lot of his photos were printed that way.  It might have been a conservation measure due to war shortages.  The originals are also quite small.  I think I like have his photos and notes more than just having letters.  I can actually see what Daddy saw. 

Maybe I will eventually find more of the images in his photos still exist like St. Mary’s Church.  If I ever travel to Suffolk , England, I am going to have to find more places and stand where he stood as he snapped the shutter of his camera. Or maybe my children or grandchildren will make that trip and feel a connection with my Daddy.

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