Frampton Cotterell, now a suburb for middle managers in quality consumer durables, was once a Gloucestershire village whose only connection to Bristol, six miles away, was by a twice-weekly horse bus service, probably laid on by a local carter. My maternal grandmother was born there in 1878 and all the men in her family were employed in one or other of the village's two industries, mining and felt hat making. She married a Somerset man and set up home with him at Pontypridd where their second daughter, my mother, was born. In 1928 they moved back to the Bristol area to be close to my grandmother's family, and bought a house in Downend. To my mother, then aged 12, a descent among the Bantu or Esquimaux could not have brought a greater apocalypse of her circumstances: she found herself among the strange rituals and alien speech of a heathen tribe. Her first surprise was the red tiles on the roofs ..."ever so pretty after the slates". The next thing she noticed was the tendency of Bristolians to stare. "It must be our family's clear complexion," concluded her father. Sent on an errand to the greengrocer's, her request for "jibbons" was not understood. Eventually she led the man to the front of the shop and pointed ...to what he knew as spring onions. It was this aspect of her new surroundings ...the local speech... that she most enjoyed, and for the rest of her life she was amused by it. She often recalled how she and her sister sat on the floor in her aunt and uncle's cottage in Harris Barton, Frampton Cotterell, rocking with laughter as they listened to an argument concerning a newly-installed fireplace. Was it or wasn't it the same as the old one? "Well I say 'twerd" "And I say 'twerdn't" "Well I say 'twerd ..." And so on. Walking along Park Lane behind this same pair one day, the aunt loudly broke wind. "Will, will, will ...were thick thou?" Ah, who'st think 'twer?" Will theece wanta watch who's behind thick 'edge, woman." The argumentative aunt and uncle are to be seen at the left-hand edge of this photo. She, Eliza Brown (nee Wilcox, 1873-c1951) is the figure in the white blouse and long skirt; he, William Brown (b 1872) is the man wearing the straw boater. I did not know either of them although their son, my "Uncle" Alec (actually a first cousin once removed) was a frequent visitor during my childhood. Alec was said to be "eccentric", a circumstance attributed to the fact that his parents, as well as being husband and wife, were also first cousins ...the closest degree of consanguinity permitted in law. I never noticed any evidence of this alleged oddness beyond vegetarianism, bachelorhood and a fondness for attending the public gallery at Staple Hill magistrates court. The photograph is quite well known and I have seen it illustrated in books on local history. There are boy scouts in the procession, which means that this must be the Coronation day, 22nd June 1911, of King George V, rather than that of the only other contender, King Edward VII. The boy scout movement was founded in 1908. Who were the brass band I wonder. Salvation Army? A local colliery? I would have preferred a rustic orchestra, equipped with serpent, sackbut and hurdy-gurdy ...as in a Thomas Hardy novel... but in 1911 the modern age had already arrived. The next photo in my stream shows the equivalent modern view...

U.S. Marine Corps Public Affairs Officer Captain Tyson Dunkelberger is a native of Burke, Virginia. He graduated from Lake Braddock High School in 1996 where he lettered in football and track. Upon graduation from high school, he attended Frostburg State University in Frostburg, Maryland, where he played football. Tyson graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and received his commission through the Platoon Leaders Class (PLC) in 2000. Tyson reported to The Basic School (TBS) in Quantico, Virginia that same year. Upon completion, he reported to Field Artillery Officer Basic Course at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Following Artillery School, Tyson reported to M Battery, a training unit, to serve as the Battery Executive Officer. Following his tour in Oklahoma, Tyson reported to the Defense Information School at Fort Meade, Maryland. Tyson became a Public Affairs Officer in May 2002 and reported to Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Cherry Point, North Carolina, to serve with the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing Public Affairs Office. During that tour, he managed the base newspaper, the local community relations program, the external media program and assisted in coordinating numerous high-profile events, including President Bush?s visit to the air station and the 2003 Cherry Point Air Show. In April 2004, Tyson was assigned to Marine Forces Reserve Headquarters (MARFORRES) in New Orleans, Louisiana. Shortly thereafter, he deployed to serve with the Multi-National Corps in Baghdad, Iraq, as an Individual Augment in April 2004. Tyson served as the Digital Video Imagery Distribution System (DVIDS) manager and was responsible for broadcasting live and taped video, via satellite link, to TV stations around the world. He managed six DVIDS teams in country while simultaneously operating a DVIDS team of his own. Tyson?s DVIDS team reached an estimated 150 million people world-wide with news broadcasts from his satellite TV system. He also made several trips to the city of Najaf to assist the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit with external media operations during The Battle of Najaf, and continued to make week-long visits to cover the city?s reconstruction and the elections. Upon returning to MARFORRES in January 2005, he served as the Community Relations Officer and oversaw several hundred community relations events. Tyson served as the Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots National Coordinator for two years. During his tenure as the national coordinator, the program had the highest grossing year in its 59-year history, distributing 19.2 million toys to 7.6 million needy children. He also served as the external media officer and was responsible for managing external media affairs for 183 reserve sites across the nation. Tyson reported to the Blue Angels in September 2007. His decorations include the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal and various personal and unit awards.