I've always wondered about that, myself. I guess it's a combination of the clothing, the hairstyles (sometimes), and the fact that many folks back then lived harder, rougher lives. (My wife's grandfathers were both farmers in rural Michigan and they certainly looked older than their years.) I know in my father's case, World War II was an absolute horror that he seldom mentioned, unless directly questioned. Even then, I had to find out the real details from my aunt (his younger sister).

Here's a shot of my father from again, c.1947, with an anonymous hottie on the beach at (I believe) Coney Island. Now, you have to understand, my Dad wasn't the most talkative man. You had to pry stories out of him. If you were lucky, he tell you, if you weren't, he'd "clam up", give you a look, end of story.

Years ago - I may have been a teenager at the time - I came across this picture in an old envelope full of photos that had not made it into any of our family albums. I showed it to my father, and said something brilliant like, "Hey, Dad - who's the babe? You never mentioned her!" He stared at the picture for a few moments, then handed it back to me saying, "Ehhh, I don't remember." Then he gave me "the look". End of conversation.