The Couple 1920


In 1920, Glasgow was a city undergoing significant change, fresh from the throes of the First World War and adjusting to a new world order. In this setting, we find Corporal Martin Duncan, a veteran recently returned from the battlefields of France, and his wife, Sarah Duncan, whose resilience had been the backbone of their family through the war's harsh years.

Martin, still wearing his uniform as if he hadn't quite left the war behind, carried the pride and the scars of his service. His kilt, badge, and the crisp lines of his uniform spoke of his regiment, the Royal Highlanders, but his eyes revealed the weariness of a man who had seen too much. Sarah, with her gentle eyes and a slight tension in her posture, had spent those years working in munitions factories, her hands adept at crafting the very tools that had kept her husband safe—or so she hoped each day he was away.

Their reunion, though filled with the joy of being together, was shadowed by the adjustments they had to make. Martin, used to the structure and camaraderie of military life, found the silence of civilian life unsettling. Sarah, meanwhile, had grown more independent and assertive, traits necessary to survive and manage their home in Martin's absence.

The photograph taken of them during this time, which they would later describe to their grandchildren, was intended to capture a new beginning, yet it inadvertently captured the complexities of their reunion. Sarah sat slightly forward, her body leaning in—a subtle indication of her supportive yet leading role in their partnership. Martin stood beside her, his arm almost encircling her but not quite touching, as if he was relearning his place in this peacetime configuration.

They lived in a modest flat near the bustling shipyards, where life was gradually returning to normal. Martin took up work at the shipyards, and Sarah continued to work part-time at a local bakery. Their evenings were often spent walking along the Clyde, discussing their hopes for the future and their shared dreams of a peaceful life. Despite the noise of the city and the challenges they faced, these moments offered them solace.

Their story is a poignant reminder of the enduring human spirit and the complexities of returning to peace after the devastation of war. It speaks to the resilience not just of those who fought on the front lines, but also of those who battled on the home front, whose strength held families and communities together.


 

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