In August 1939, Margaret and Denys embarked on a road trip around England in their Morris Eight Convertible, along with their cat Edgar
Seattle-based editor Barney Britton recently unearthed a collection of long-lost photographs of his grandparents on their honeymoon, taken just weeks before the world plunged into World War II.
Thought to be lost, the 75-year-old images were discovered while Britton was cleaning his grandmother’s attic.
Shot in color which was considered a novelty then, the photographs were taken using 35mm Agfacolor film.
The year was 1939, and Margaret and Denys Gardiner were vacationing in the bucolic English countryside.
The lovely, wistful images show the couple getting married, embarking on a road trip in their convertible, interacting with locals, and enjoying a picnic together.
In a particularly poignant scene, they are pictured riding off into the sunset– shortly after their trip ended, Hitler and his forces invaded Poland on 1 September 1939. Two days later, Great Britain declared war on Germany.
In an interview with The Huffington Post, Britton said that Denys, who suffered severe tuberculosis as a child, did not fight in the war and remained as part of England’s Home Guard.
Denys defied expectations that he would die young, and lived to the ripe age of 79 before passing away in 1995. Margaret lived to be 100, and died in February this year.
Scroll down to see what pre-World War II England looked like, and view the rest of the amazing pictures here.
Margaret and Denys were married at the Church of the Holy Trinity in Hampstead, London, in April 1939
The road trip led them through London, Norfolk, Lincolnshire and Yorkshire. The couple are pictured here in Yorkshire, and often camped on stops. Their cat Edgar is by the tent.
Margaret, 26, was a trained nurse and worked in aid stations and hospitals during WWII. She is greeted by local children during a stop in either Norfolk or Yorkshire.
Denys buys some ice cream in Norfolk for himself, Margaret and Edgar to cool off with
The couple having a romantic picnic under the trees in Lincolnshire
The couple stopping in the town of Shernbourne. It is one of the best-preserved photographs of the entire collection and a favorite of the couple’s grandson. The town sign was removed during WWII as a possible attempt to inconvenience the enemy. A replica stands in its place today.
The couple riding off into the sunset. Shortly after their trip, Hitler and his forces invaded Poland. On 3 September, Great Britain declared war on Germany.
[via The Huffington Post and Digital Photography Review, images by Barney Britton]