Every family has its stand-out characters, be they black sheep or lovable larrikins. Sometimes we find out about them through family stories handed down, sometimes we see them acting out in photos, sometimes it is through newspaper reports and other records left behind.
One of my favourite family characters is my uncle Ernest Green, known to all as Squib. Stories about his exploits abound. In World War 2 he was stationed in Egypt and was frequently disciplined for practical jokes, drinking and going AWOL. He was fond of telling the story of how at the end of the war he and a mate volunteered on a ship transporting soldiers home that was calling for bakers. As they used to work for a baker they were accepted - until they were taken to the kitchens and asked to bake bread, at which point they had to admit that they just drove the horse and delivered the bread, they didn't bake it.
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Squib was second oldest of the 10 Green siblings, and I have only one precious photo of all ten siblings together. Somewhat blurry, it was taken on the day of their mother's funeral, and has the siblings gathered around their father. It is not hard to work out which sibling is Squib - he is the one with the beer bottle balanced on his head!
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