In April of 2015, I travelled to London to be with my father and his London family to mark the special occasion of his second Bar Mitzvah. After his Bar Mitzvah at the synagogue Aunty Brenda held a very nice reception at her home and many of the London family members were in attendance.

An interesting video from 2012, filmed by Henry Tenby during my visit with my Dad to London. Uncle Colman took us his war time home and explains how his family home narrowly missed destruction from a German whistling bomb that bounced off the chimney stack and killed 22 people in an adjacent structure during the London Blitz of 1940-41. Luckily Uncle Colman’s family were all in an air raid shelter during the attack. (Jack and Trixie were married in this home in 1935).

When then visit 92 Woolworth Road at Elephant and Castle where my Dad first practiced medicine in 1956, this was his father’s office location. My Dad only practiced medicine here for a year or so before he moved to Canada, but he tried unsuccessfully to give the practice to his cousin Basil, but the British medical authorities would not allow the transfer. The video then goes to 45 Woodward Road in Dulwich which was my father’s family home in the past war years while he and my Uncle Stephen were attending grade school at the nearby Dulwich College.

Lastly, my dad took me to the location of his family home during the war years, and explains the home was destroyed by German bomb during a weekend when thank goodness nobody was in the home. My father, Uncle Stephen and Grandmother were sent to Cleveleys near Blackpool to be safer during the war. My Grandfather, Henry Tenby, stayed in London to work as a doctor and care for the sick and injured as his services were needed there during the war year years.

In this video I filmed we see my patents Lionel Tenby and Dale Tenby, my sister Marla Tenby, and my Bubba Lilly Debrofosky who was visiting here that summer. They are great memories for me!

It opens with toddler Lionel Tenby (my father … born 1932) enjoying a drink and bite to eat in a London park. Followed by feeding of ducks in a pond. This could be Regents Park or Hyde Park.

The second segment is a black and white film that features more of (my father) Lionel and his mother Fanny (my grandmother) and we are introduced to infant Stephen Tenby (my Uncle .. born 1937).

Thus, this portion of film might date from 1937 or 1938. It is a real gem to see my Dad and Uncle’s father Dr. Henry Tenby in his car towards the end of the film. Just fabulous! (This film was uploaded by Henry Tenby, son of Lionel Tenby, and the film is in the possession of Stephen Tenby, who had it digitized).