Grandma's Souvenir Photo Album

These photographs were scanned from a souvenir photograph album, bought by my grandparents in Douglas on the Isle of Man. As many of the photos in it depict Douglas in 1924, it's possible that it was bought then, but the photographs in it are from 1918 to 1924.

We start off with a charabanc trip from 1919. Great-Grandad Fred Brearley is standing and holding the open door near the rear. It looks like the "charra" may have overheated as the bonnet is open.

My grandparents John "Johnnie" Burke, for whom I was named and Annie Brearley in 1920. They married in 1921. Here Johnnie would be around 27 and Annie 22. Johnnie's right hand shows the loss of two fingers - an engineering work accident that kept him on Essential War Duties at home during the First World War, perhaps ensuring my future existence!

A 1920 charabanc outing. Great-Grandad Fred Brearley is amongst the group of standing men and Great-Auntie Elsie is the girl in the white hat standing towards the middle of the picture at the back of the coach. Johnnie is wearing a straw boater and can be seen over Fred's left shoulder.

1920 again and a woman's work is never done! Annie wields a posser or washing dolly in the laundry tub. She is looking very cheerful about it here, but this was hard work, and the harsh detergent chemicals of the day would leave hands red raw at the end of it.

A group on Blackpool beach from 1921. In the centre of the front row is Annie Burke with Johnnie Burke second from the right, back row. Great-auntie Elsie is sitting on someone's knee on the right of the front row. Between her and Annie is Great-Great-Auntie Florrie with her daughter, Doris. Great-Grandma Maggie Brearley is next to the end of the front row on the left and her husband, Fred Brearley is far left of the back row. Blackpool Tower identifies the location beyond doubt, but also discernible on the extreme top right is Blackpool's original Ferris Big Wheel that was demolished in 1928.

I had to include at least one photograph taken in Douglas, Isle of Man in 1924 and this (though it shows no clue in itself as to the location) is it. Sisters, Elsie and Annie, with Johnnie's sister Mary - always known as "Cissie" at her insistence as she hated her name being pronounced as though it rhymed with "furry"...

The small snapshots album, bought in Douglas, Isle of Man, measuring 4.5 inches x 3 inches (11.25cm x 8cm).

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World War One Era Autograph Book, Part 3

Another look at the autograph book from 1915-1919 bought at a book fair in February 2017. There are more blank pages than used ones and it contains both photographs and pencil sketches besides autographs. The autographs it does contain are of friends and family of whoever owned it rather than of famous people.

We start off this time with a couple of photographs. I've no idea who they are of course, but here are two ladies sitting on a jumble of rocks at the bottom of a sloping field, seen through the gate behind them. The lady on the right is smiling for the camera whilst the lady on the left seems lost in the reverie of a moment as she enjoys the view before her.

A simple sketch of flowers (pansies?) by E.H., some of whose work I've featured from the album before.

This looks like a snapshot taken on a day's outing. I don't know where this is, but whatever the building is, there are several benches for people to sit on outside and under the canopy there is a deck chair and further to the left, almost merging with the row of bushes and trees lining the road where the cameraman is standing, a further group of people are sitting at the very edge of what we can see of the building.

A little bit of World War I humour! A list of "hymns" from the front line.

6:30am - Reveille - Christians Awake
6:45am - Rouse Parade - Art Thou Weary
7:00am - Breakfast - Meekly Wait and Murmer Not
8:15am - Company Officer's Parade - When He Cometh
8:45am - Manouvres - Fight The Good Fight
11:45am - Swedish Drill - Here We Suffer Grief and Pain
1:00pm - Dinner - Come Ye Thankful People, Come
2:15pm - Rifle Drill - Go Labour On
3:15pm - Lecture by Officer - Tell Me The Old-Old Story
4:30pm - Dismiss - Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow
5:00pm - Tea - What Means This Eager Anxious Throng
6:00pm - Free For The Night - Oh Lord, How Happy We Should Be
10:00pm - Last Post - All Are Safely Gathered In
10:15pm - Lights Out - Peace, Perfect Peace
10:30pm - Inspection of Guards - Sleep On Beloved

Initialled N.M. and dated March 16, 1918

A Tail of Woe! A charming little pencil sketch by E.P. and drawn 21 April 1918.

And here the ladies, in best hats and gloves, take their seats in the charabanc - an open-air early motor coach - perhaps for the return journey from the house we saw earlier. They look well pleased with themselves - I suspect a measure of brown ale or milk stout has been involved somewhere along the line...

We will return one last time to this album sometime soon.

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