Christmas From The Trenches

I have blogged about my husband's grandparents - Joe and Sarah - whose lives I researched following the discovery of a treasure trove of photos and lots of other items such as autograph books, medals, telegrams and more. However, the biggest treasure of all was Sarah's collection of postcards sent from her family and friends that dated back to the early 1900s.  The greatest find in the album were dozens of postcards sent from Joe during his service in the Great War. In this blog I will share the story of the beautiful silk Christmas cards. 

Joe and Sarah had been sweethearts before the War and married in 1915. Just days later they were to be separated by the War and did not see her again for many months, when he was injured in September 1917 and sent home (see my blog https://historicalclues.blogspot.com/2022/01/joe-and-sarah-mr-and-mrs-vernon-smith.html)

Joe spent at least two Christmases away from Sarah but did not forget her hobby of collecting postcards and sent her dozens. The silk postcards he sent for Christmas are wonderful.

 

 

Postcard sent to Sarah from France. Dec 1916

Embroidered silk postcards were popular souvenirs during World War One (1914-1918). They were often sent home by soldiers serving in France and Belgium.

The postcards themselves were made by out of work French civilians and refugees, they were embroidered by hand and mounted on a piece of card. Some examples, had a silk pocket, which contained a written note or letter.

We even have the little card with his message on it!

 

Joe also wrote on the back of this card - he did not always do so. I wonder if those with no words on had been sent with a longer letter -very sadly lost!

As can be seen from the back of this card, and indeed all other communications that we still have, Joe was extremely affectionate. 

Joe was in the KLR but after being seriously injured in 1917

(when he was awarded the Military Medal)
he returned to England and after months in hospital, joined the 

Military Foot Police and was not demobbed until 1919

 

Sarah at the time of their wedding. Sarah's mother died

when very young, leaving Sarah as the eldest daughterto look after her 4 sisters, 

brother and father. 

 

Joe had been very close to Sarah's family for many years before they married and knew all them very well.  He also sent cards to her family. I have a lovely silk christmas card sent to Sarah's father, Henry Banks Rich, back in Liverpool.

 Joe also wrote on the back of this card, that seems to have 

been sent at the same time as Sarah's.

 

 

Joe survived the War although the serious injury to his head affected his hearing for the rest of his life.

Sarah and Joe settled down to life in post war Liverpool and had a son and daughter. They briefly emigrated to the US but came home after three years due to Sarah's homesickness.

This photo of the happy family was taken just before they emigrated.

 

Joe and Sarah had many happy years together - I have the photos to prove it! Here is an absolutely charming photograph of one of their family Christmases. I am guessing by the age of some of the family members that it is the 1950s. Joe died in 1957 and although he is not in the photo, I am pretty sure it was him who took it. He was a very keen photographer of the family! so I would place it in the early to mid-fifties. It is clearly Christmas tea - I love how it shows the food and drink of the time. Bread and butter, cups of tea- no alcohol! Sugar lumps!

This wonderful photo shows Joe and Sarah's family. I can

see Sarah, her daughter (my mum in law) and her husband.

Also Sarah's son, sisters and brothers in law. I love it!

 

 I have many wonderful items from this remarkable family including 100s of photos, pre WW1 autograph books, postcards, medals, union badges, telegrams and letters. The family lived mainly in Bootle and surrounding areas, in Merseyside. Sadly no local museums are interested in the huge archive. This is why I am blogging about the items. They can be saved for posterity! If interested, there are many blogs that I started, beginning in 2022. The stories go back well over 100 years. Happy Christmas!

Every Picture Tells a Story Part IV - "Whoops!" - Less than perfect photos (?)!

As previously mentioned, my husband's family not only took lots of photos (100s!) but they also wrote on the back of many sharing with us their thoughts and comments on them. This gives us a lovely glimpse of their lives,  sense of humour and the places they visited - written by themselves. Occasionally though, there are exasperated comments - explaining that their photos are "not very good". These are not only fun to read- but untrue; they are are really "very good"!

"This should have been all of us, on our back garden steps

Elsie Baines snapped up and left us all out!"

 

You can sense the slight annoyance here! A classic mistake - even today many of us have photos that have been truncated! It is also slightly blurred and in a very poor condition. I recognise my husband's (long lived - 112 years) great aunt on the left, standing somewhat awkwardly. Her neice, Elsie is pictured with her doll (both Elsie and her "dolly" are much photographed!). I don't know the other lady and of course, the others have all been obliterated!

"Not very good of Elsie but thought you could have

an idea of her doll's house that Grandma bought her last Xmas.

The garage is on Elsie's side"

 

I have found several photos that are deemed not very good which are actually lovely! I wonder if at the times many of  these were taken (pre WW1 and inter war years) more formal photos were in vogue. This photos seems to me to be a charming photo of a happy little girl with Granny's Xmas present! Maybe the informality seems far more endearing to modern audiences? Many of these photos have comments that would almost suggest that they were sent to somebody in the post - rather like the writing on postcards. 

"I think I was too near when taking this"

 

This further shows that less formal or composed shots were considered something of a failure. In fact, today, making the subject fill the whole frame is very popular. This is Elsie yet again- there is absolutely nothing wrong with this photo and is a delight!

"This one is really not too good"

 

Not true! it is really very good indeed! That cheeky smile!

"This taken a month ago is not very good. Gracie was tired. 

She would not keep her thumb out of her mouth"

 

 "Taken a month ago" shows the immediacy of the writing on the back and also that the person who wrote it is expecting someone to be reading it very near to the date of the photo. I have no idea of the year. Gracie was my husband's great aunt's name. However, she was born in 1906 and so this would be around 1907/8. I think the clothes make it appear to be a few years later? Again, the comment that it was not very good isn't true! 

Finally, a couple of photos that in my opinion, are just wonderful. They show a very happy family. And no negative comments written on the back!

My husband's grandparents, Joe and Sarah

with his mum and uncle

 

 

The Vernon Smiths and Richs

My husband's grandparents, great grandad, 

great aunts and a few unknowns! A big family.

 

The gang's all here!

A huge and loving family - perfect photos!
 

Who's That Girl? Family mysteries

Many of us have photos that have been passed down through the family that are so old, there is no-one left to help identify them! When my mother in law died 2 years ago, we found 100s of wonderful family photos - if only we had known about them! She would have helped us to put names to faces. 

 

Although I hardly know anything about some of them, they are such lovely old photos I thought I would share a few of the very stylish women who are in the collection!

"Agnes 1920"

I do have a first name and even a date on the back of this photo but frustratingly, I cannot find an Agnes yet in the family. Both of my husband's grandparents had very large families; Agnes could be an aunt, sister in law or other female member of the family. As  yet I have no idea, but I love her calm face, understated jewellery and smart spectacles! 

 

 "From Auntie to Dorris"

Another photo that has a tantalising message on the back. Dorris was my husband's great aunt. "Auntie" could be one of her mother or father's sisters - there are a LOT! However, she does look very much like Dorris's mother - Sarah Eilbeck. The clothes and jewellery are as similarly understated as those of Agnes, especially the choker worn at the neck.

And now some of the real mystery women!

 

I wondered if these were possibly the same woman at different ages? the photo on the left has the date "25 June 192?" on the back. I need to search through some more photos to see if there are any clues. This lady is wearing far more jewellery than the previous women - and I love the hair decoration. 

My favourite mystery woman! So classy - even the little card that encloses the photograph is beautiful! This woman is the least adorned - and yet the simplicity just accentuates her lovely features. I have inherited a lot of costume jewellery with my mother in law's things. I am going to try and match up some of the items with those in these photos (when I get the time!).

 

 

This lady's accessories are just beautiful. A lovely brooch, gorgeous corsage and a stunning shawl.  Who she is, I have no idea!

My final mystery - are these photographs of the same woman?

I believe the photo on the left is of my husband's great grandfather, Joseph McDougall Smith. The photo was taken in Birmingham - where he came from before moving to the NW. The photo on the right is definitely of his wife as it has her maiden name written on the back (Fanny Vernon). Is the lady in the centre (of whom there are no clues) the same woman? Once again, lovely accessories including lace.

To end - some lovely ladies in the family who I have been able to identify!

My husband's great aunt Grace ("Gracie"). She lived to be 112! I have blogged about her previously. She had a very interesting life, living through two world wars and the terms of several Prime Ministers!

Gertrude was a half sister to my husband's grandfather (and much younger; his father had three wives). stunning photo.

My husband's grandmother, Sarah, older sister of Grace. She has a very large, elaborate bow in her hair but a much more simple outfit.

I have previously blogged about several of the people mentioned here. I shall be blogging about some of the others at a later date- it's not quite as complicated as it sounds! Lots and lots more photographs and stories of this lovely family.

"A good snapshot keeps a moment that's gone from running away" Every Picture Tells a Story Part III

 To this quote from Eudora Welty, we could add "and a few words make it last forever"

I have been blogging about my husband's family's habit of (very luckily for me!) writing little notes and commentary on the back of their copious photo collection (Thank you Joe, Sarah and family!). The examples below illustrate just how much trouble they took to preserve that moment in time for the future.

"Sunday morning.

Nan beating a batter

Bet bursting her sides

Ken has had his 2nd port and pushed his hat back"

 

This delightful summation of a Sunday morning could almost be a poem! Although the photo is of poor quality, the words add so much to our understanding of that archetypal British Sunday morning - and with some affectionate humour! Sadly I don't know who they are - but the three children (Known as "The Triplets" from previous photos) are Ken, Jay and Betty. The older lady (who also crops up a lot in our photos!) is surely making a Yorkshire pud. The children are really enjoying their day, although I HOPE the fact that Ken has had two ports is a joke! The younger woman also features in lots of my photos - she might be one of Sarah's sisters. Did she maybe write on the photo? I need to do some comparisons of handwriting at a later date! A truly lovely snnapshot of a family Sunday a long ago...

 

 "Elsie washing at our back door.

Notice what is on the gas stove, it was not the tea-pot!"

 

Elsie now features in the next few photos. She was Sarah's niece - daughter of her sister Dorris. 

This is a bit of a mystery! WHAT is so amusing about the item that "is not a tea-pot!"? Definitely something seemingly amusing that anyone looking at the photo will need to think about. Elsie is clutching a wooden duck, which appears with Elsie a lot! However, the next  photo shows her with a Teddy - and there is even an explanation of when and where it was bought!

"Elsie in her pajamas. 

Note teddy, Sal {Sarah, my husband's gran and Elsie's aunt} 

bought this for her in Southport 3 years ago"

 

The duck has been forsaken for Teddy and a tennis racquet!

"Taken on the sands at Blackpool

Whit week

Elsie has Dorris's dimples"

 

At first a simple explanation of time and place, but then a lovely little affectionate comment that could only come from a family member. Lovely!

 "Mrs Sharpe's sister's house.

The monkey tree grows a branch higher each year

Elsie ran off when taken!"

I don't know if it is Elsie in the photo and she ran off after it was taken or if she ran off when it was being taken! I do think this is Elsie as have seen her in other photos around this age. Quite a mundane fact about the monkey tree - but clearly the person who took it thought it was worth sharing!

My next post will feature some photos that, according to the writing on the back, had been less than successful although to my eye, 100 years later - they look perfect!

But to finish, just a few more lovely snaps of Elsie, today's Star of the Show!

 

 "Elsie opening the front gate"

"Waterloo"

This is a lovely family photo, taken at the beach, Waterloo, Sefton, Liverpool. Elsie is the baby seen with her mum Dorris (far right) and Aunt Grace. I love this! It has Sarah's three sisters and her father in law. The older lady crops  up all the time!

 

 "Elsie having dollies (sic) photograph taken"

"Elsie on the side of the tennis court"

I have a sad postscript to the story., Elsie died at a young age, of cancer. She was aged 24

 

Elsie with her mum and dad c1928

ELSIE BIRCHALL 1927-1951 

Now reunited.

 

Every Picture Tells a Story (Part II) - Glimpses of Happy Family Days

We have inherited 100s of photos in some albums belonging to Joe and Sarah (my husband's grandparents). Their family wrote on the back of dozens of the photos. I discovered many little comments that are unique to them and yet so like millions of other families. Not simply names and places but jokes, affectionate comments, nicknames - things that make photos that were taken many decades ago (and indeed in many cases over 100 years ago) still resonate with families today!

"Dad says she look as if she's on a week's notice!"

"Just had lunch"

 

This lady is a family member but I don't know who she is. She is in several photos and is possibly an aunt of Joe or Sarah, or maybe related to one of Sarah's brothers in law. It's a lovely little witticism  - comparing her to the home help, although I doubt it would have improved her mood if she knew that she was being compared to the servant of the house! I have to say, she does have a pretty grim scowl in most of the photos that she is in!

"What do I look like!"

 

I think this is Sarah's sister, Doris and her daughter, Elsie. I am assuming Doris did not like this photo of herself, hence the exclamation mark ending the rhetorical question! I really relate to this - how many of us have looked at a photo of ourselves and hated it! She looks a bit stressed on her day out to the beach! Am guessing it is the late 1920s.

The Duke and Duchess of Walton at their Town House"

 

I know that this is taken at 277 Queen's Drive Liverpool because that is the address of Sarah's sister, Lilian and her husband Tom for many years and I can make out the number 277 on the door! . If it is the day they moved in, then I know that the year would be 1931 because in 1930 they were at a different address. They were married in 1923. Clearly, this is an affectionate comment by a member of the family. Presumably the couple are really proud of the house (which was rented). I have seen photos of the house and the front has changed little. Was it considered a step up from a previous address? They certainly look very proud of it! I love their obvious pride and happiness.

"Jay got too close to the sweet peas

Ken is selling clothes pegs!

Bet can see the joke

Our back garden"

 

I am still trying to find out who these three children are; they appear in several photos linked to Joe and Sarah. It's just a lovely description of the children - we can recognise who is who because of the little story that is attached to each name! We know it's a back garden - but not whose! Really frustrating. I will keep trying to identify them as they appear in a lot of the photos. This is a lovely, happy moment captured in time.

"The triplets"

 

See previous photo! I really need to find out who they are. Another really lovely family photo. Clearly they were really close, hence the nickname!

"This one is for Edgar from Betty

(Eve Tempting Adam!)

 

Edgar is Joe and Sarah's son. Once again, Betty turns up in a photo! Who is she!!? It's a rather cheeky comment! I actually thought at first that this was a cricket ball, but  maybe it is indeed an apple. I suspect both Betty and Edgar were a bit embarrassed by the comment!

 

"In our back garden, supposed to be the lawn

but no neighbours possess a lawn mower, so it's more like a field!" 

 

Ken again - the story is self explanatory  - no mowers in the street means a scruffy back garden!

 

"Nanna and Duggie eating lumps of sugar off the tea tray!"

 

Nanna turns up a lot in photos - often an early "photo bomber" appearing in the background! Duggie is also in several - again, I'm not sure who either of them are but they were in Sarah's photo album so must be related. I didn't notice the sugar lump until I turned the photo over and read the back! I then notice the sugar and tea cups -just the job for a day on the beach!

 

And finally, another happy photo and a happy Lilian! (seated, 2nd right) at Holcombe Hill

"Lily says, note how nice she looks!"

 

And she does!