Women, War and Work

World War I

When asked, “How long do you think the war will last?”, Hans Heinrich XV, Prince of Pless, declared,  “The war will be over by Christmas!”[1]  And, for most of the men of the British Expeditionary Force, it was. By the end of 1914, in five short months of desperate fighting, this all-volunteer, well-trained and well-equipped, professional army had been virtually wiped out.  More canon-fodder was needed to fill the ranks, and Lord Kitchener’s plea was answered by nearly 2.5 million new volunteers.  

On the very first day of the Battle of the Somme, British casualties numbered in their tens of thousands. By the end of the battle, the number had risen to hundreds of thousands.  Not since the Black Death had Europe seen so many corpses. It is not surprising that the number of volunteers dropped, forcing the British government to introduce conscription. But, there was more in store. The upper echelons of society, those who populated government and the officer class, were seemingly unaware that huge swathes of the British population were living in such squalid conditions that more than 40% of those conscripted were too unhealthy for service.

So, as the fittest were transferred from industry to the front, the production of materiel began to suffer. By 1915, there was a shortage of artillery shells, which affected the prosecution of the war, caused a political scandal and brought down the Liberal government.  With manpower in short supply, Britain turned to woman-power. Previously, many working women had been doomed to a life of domestic service or in the cotton mills.  Now, to fill the labour vacuum, they were encouraged to do their bit in the factories. They were told that the lives of the men in the trenches depended on them, and these were the same women who were denied the right to vote!

                   

The photograph below shows a group of women who accepted the invitation to become factory workers.  It was taken in 1917.  The young woman in the centre is May Cawdery.  Born in 1898, she was 18 when she started working for British Westinghouse at Trafford Park, Manchester.[2]  British Westinghouse began as a subsidiary of its American parent, and construction of their Trafford Park plant began when May was just one year old.  However, by 1917, Metropolitan Cammell Carriage and Wagon Company (MCCW) bought a controlling interest in British Westinghouse, which eventually became Metropolitan-Vickers, one of the largest engineering companies in the world.  The MCCW had been contracted to build tanks, particularly the Mark V, and although Metropolitan was a Birmingham-based company, tank engines were built at the Trafford Park factory.[3]  May Cawdrey worked in the production of these engines.[4]

Click on photo to enlarge

While the photo reveals a light-hearted moment—someone had wrapped the group in brown paper—the emery wheel [5] at their feet is indicative of the work they did. More of these wheels can be seen stacked on the table and on the floor.  These abrasive discs were used on grinding machines, an example of which can be seen below, and a slightly earlier model (1907) is illustrated in Modern American Machine Tools.  These were driven by an electric motor, and were used for the cutting and finishing of small engine parts. The various uses and processes involved are described in Production Grinding, which makes particular reference to the use of these machines by women during World War I (pages 43-44). 

Source: Iron Trade Review 27 Dec 1917

Source: Production Grinding 1922

May Cawdery lived at 23 West Brownbill Street, near the corner of Cross Lane and Regent Road, Salford, with her parents Francis Arthur Cawdery and May Hall Cawdery. She married John Taylor on 30 July 1921 at St. Cyprian's Church, Ordsall, Salford. She died at 23 West Brownbill St. on 30th December 1955 at the age of 57. She had three children, John, Frank and May.

World War II

On 11 November 1918, the First World War came to a close. Sadly, the prospect of a "war to end all wars" would prove as unattainable as transforming Britain into "a land fit for heroes".  Nevertheless, the twenty years between 1918 and the outbreak of World War II was, conveniently, enough time to raise a new generation capable of fighting another war. And fight they did, though with a dogged resignation not shared by their 1914 counterparts.  No longer would they harbour any illusion about the new war being a short one. On the contrary, it would be longer, deadlier, costlier and more destructive than anything they had seen before. Moreover, new technology would make the terror of war impossible to contain. At the wail of the air-raid sirens, their front rooms would become the front line.  

Ethel Lomas was born at 8 Branson Street, Ordsall, Salford in 1906 to James William Lomas and Frances Ronan. Typical of her class, she started work immediately after leaving school at the age of 14.[6]  Her first job was a nine-month stint at Richard "Dickie" Haworth's textile mill on Ordsall Lane, followed by twelve

Richard Haworth's Mill, Ordsall Lane, Salford

months at the nearby factory of James and John M. Worral.[7]  Established in Manchester in 1786, Worrall's moved to the Ordsall site in Salford in 1792. At their peak, they employed some 3,000 workers. Once the world's largest dyer of velvet and corduroy, their business began to decline in the face of competition from synthetic fabrics. Worrall's closed in 1964.  Except for a brief interlude at Fleet Printing Co. in Hulme, Ethel worked at Worrall's from 1920 to 1936.[16]  During this period, she married Walter Wood (1927), had two daughters, Irene (1928) and Doris (1936), and moved to 32 Hanover Street, Salford.  Ethel left Worrall's when her second child was born,[8]  and while she was busy with the traditional pursuits of housewife and mother, the Second World War erupted.

Detail of an advertisement

Watercolour: Worrall's on the River Irwell

Advertisement 1922

The prosecution of the war meant unparalleled government centralization in order to mobilise all necessary resources. The National Service (No. 2) Act 1941, extended previous legislation to include the conscription of women between the ages of 18 and 40 into the armed forces, civil defence or industry.  Ethel, being married with children, was exempt from this regulation. However, she was feisty and patriotic, and decided to support the war effort by going to work once more.[9]  It was to prove a transformative moment, because when she started working at Sir James Farmer Norton's Adelphi Iron Works in Salford in 1939, she developed a passion for engineering, which endured throughout the rest of her life.  At the Adelphi Iron Works [10], she learned to read a micrometer and operate machinery in the production of diamond dies for wire-drawing.[14]  These dies were strategically crucial in making very fine wires used in range finders, gun sights and communication equipment. She also operated a lathe in the production of parts for Sptifire fighters.  After that, Ethel went to work for Thomas Bradford & Company at the Crescent Iron Works, Salford, where she produced munitions. 

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Thomas Bradford, Salford

Industrial sites like the Adelphi Iron Works were always a target for the Luftwaffe, and it was during one of their raids (June 1941) that the nearby Salford Royal Hospital was bombed, killing fourteen nurses.  The adjacent River Irwell, may have been mistaken for the docks, or the Adelphi Street complex of factories may have been the intended target.

Proximity of Salford Royal Hospital to Adelphi Iron Works
click on map to enlarge

Adelphi Street factories [11] with the Adelphi Iron Works in red.
The R. Irwell is in the lower left-hand corner.
Photo credit: Britain From Above

Salford Royal Hospital at the corner of
Chapel St. and Adelphi St.
Before

Salford Royal Hospital: After

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

Ethel's oldest daughter, Irene, who had been evacuated to the Hambleton, near Poulton-le-Fylde, in September of 1939, returned home to Hanover Street during the Phoney War period.  Within weeks of her homecoming, Salford experienced its worst blitz of the war. Over two consecutive nights, Sunday (22/23) and Monday (23/24) of December 1940, the Luftwaffe attacked the Manchester and Salford area with over 440 planes, dropping 467 tons of high explosive and over 1900 incendiaries.  Consequently, the run up to Christmas was spent in a bomb shelter, which had been hurriedly built to cover their back entry.  For those who are unfamiliar with terraced housing in a British industrial city, a 'back entry' is found between parallel rows of terraced houses, and is used for access into the back yards, where coal was stored.  

Schematic drawing of terraced houses with back entry

Section of prefabricated bomb shelter over a back entry.

Of course, these bomb shelters were ineffective against a direct hit, but they did protect against flying shrapnel. However, the adjacent brickwork was vulnerable to blast, and eventually Irene's family had a Morrison shelter placed in the front parlour of their house.  Irene's maternal uncle, Harry Lomas, lost his house in West Fleet St. during the Christmas blitz, but he and his wife survived thanks to Groves and Whitnall Brewery opening its cellar to the public. Even so, the brewery was badly damaged. While her mother was engaged in war work, Irene helped to shoulder some of the responsibility of caring for her younger sister. However, when she left school [12] in 1942 at the age of 14, Irene started work at Glass's, a Manchester garment factory, where she made utility clothing for displaced persons, and for a six day work-week, she received 10/6.[13]

Post War

The end of the war marked the end of Ethel's employment at Thomas Bradford's. It was back to hearth and home along with some two million other women war-workers.[15] As the men returned home from the battlefield, women in engineering plants became surplus to requirements. Undaunted, Ethel found work candling and grading at a local egg supplier in Trafford Park, but her appetite for engineering never waned, and eventually she found work at Dorman & Smith's (1937) Ltd., a firm of electrical engineers.  Charles Mark Dorman and Reginald Arthur Smith established the company in Manchester in 1881, but they subsequently moved to Salford in 1892, operating under the name of Ordsall Station Electrical Works.  In August 1958, Dorman and Smith closed their Salford plant and moved to Preston. For fourteen weeks, Ethel was bussed to the Preston plant, where she trained new personnel, but she found the commute tiresome and resigned. She then went to work for A.J. Flatley Ltd., a manufacturer of washing 

Ethel operating a drill press at Ward & Goldstones,
and following in her father's footsteps! [17]

machines and dryers, until it went out of business in 1962.  At the time, Flatley's was operating from Irwell Bank Mills in Stoneclough, near Kearsley. From there she went to Ward and Goldstone (Frederick Road), Salford's largest industrial employer, where she worked until she was made redundant at the age of 61, and forced into an unwelcome retirement.

Ethel (standing centre) with workmates at Flatley's

Ethel installing 1/5 horsepower electric
motors in Flatley's washing machines (circa 1961)

Ward & Goldstone (Frederick Road, Salford)

Ethel's Union Contribution Card

click on images to enlarge

One wintry afternoon, thirty-six years ago, I was sitting in the front room of Ethel's council flat, warming myself by the fire, when she came in holding a micrometer. She asked me if I had ever seen one. I hadn't, and she proceeded to show me how it worked. I remember asking myself, How had my grandmother, now in her late seventies, acquired this arcane skill?  The answer came as she began recounting the history of her working life.  The micrometer was the one she had used at Farmer Norton's during the war. It linked her to the world of engineering, and she was proud of this association and of the opportunity it gave her to serve her country. My grandmother believed in the nobility of work. How could it have been otherwise? Work had filled most of her life, but its rewards were not monetary. Actually, she earned very little, and certainly less than her male counterparts. To Ethel Lomas Wood, work was a means of demonstrating her worth.  I hope this was enough, for when she died, she left no will, for there was nothing much to leave.

Of Interest

The history of Dorman Smith, 1878-1972

Notes

[1] The Kaiser I knew; my fourteen years with the Kaiser
[2] Metropolitan-Vickers Electrical Co. Ltd. 1899-1949. p. 2: "During the war, the number of workpeople increased from 5200 to a peak figure of 8000 in May 1917, but the old skilled workers nearly disappeared. Women came into the factory in large numbers, growing from 620 to 2500—nearly a third of the employees. They worked on munitions such as 9-2 and 3-3 shells, Hotchkiss fuses Marks III and IV, and magnetos, thus adding machining, inspecting, and varnishing to their normal occupations, and they were also employed for storekeeping, crane-driving, transport and maintenance work."
[3] Metropolitan-Vickers Electrical Co. Ltd. 1899-1949. p. 48: "Actual war material manufactured included field gun parts, engines for tanks and submarines, mines and mine-sweeping paravanes, shells, bombs and fuses, and aircraft magnetos." 
[4] May Cawdery was my paternal grandmother. This information was conveyed by her to my father. 
[5] A modern emery wheel.
[6] See Poverty and Aspiration: Young Women's Entry to Employment in Inter-War England
[7] Known locally as 'Worrall's', 'Jimmy Worrall's' or occasionally the Salford Dye Works. 
[8]  Ethel's shift started too early in the morning to get Irene ready for school, so during the week the child stayed with her grandmother, Frances, who lived in Ordsall, which was close to Worrall's.  Between 4 and 6 years old, Irene attended Nashville Street Infants School.

Nashville Street School

Map of Ordsall area (1932)

[9] By 1943, nearly 3,000,000 married women and widows were in employment as compared with 1,250,000 before the war. Among women aged l8-40, it is estimated that 90% of the single women, and 80% of the married women and widows without young children were involved in war work. (Production and Engineering Bulletin vol. 3 (1944:301). 
[10] And its subsidiary, Wire Drawing Dies (Manchester), Ltd., Adelphi Iron Works, Salford.  See also: Interview with Mrs E B Matthews
[11] See also aerial view further along the Irwell
[12] Irene went to Windsor Institute.  Pendleton Ragged School was founded in Ellor Street in 1858, its name being changed after a few years to Pendleton Sabbath and Week Evening School. The school building was closed in 1902 but accommodation was found for the pupils in Bethesda School and in a building in Peel Street once used as a school. In 1907 it acquired premises in West George Street, Windsor Bridge, Cross Lane, The name "Windsor Institute and Pendleton Ragged School" was adopted in 1914 and from 1920 it was known as the Windsor Institute. Its officers worked under a Board of Trustees established or re-established from time to time. In the1950s attendance at the Institute considerably diminished as nearby houses were demolished and the Institute was closed in 1966, its work being taken over by Manchester City Mission. Information on its wide range of activities, which included Sunday evening schools for children and adults, the encouragement of temperance, physical education, the "Little Folk Choir", the maintenance of a penny bank and the use of the buildings as a cinema and for recreational purposes, is given especially in its annual reports.
[13] In 2011 labour-cost terms about £63 (GBP).  George Glass had a factory in Manchester.  Originally, he opened in 1932 a little drapery shop on Regent Road, Salford. He called himself "the cheapest man on earth" and sold shirts for a penny. The business he started with 200 pounds mushroomed into a chain of 22 stores. The family slogan was "Look into the Glass Window". They also had a factory at Brynmawr, Wales.
[14] See GEC Research Laboratories, 1919-1984 ; Diamond Dies for High Speed Drawing of Copper Wire
[15] See When the War Was Over: Women, War and Peace in Europe , 1940-1956
[16] Ethel's nephew, Norman Lomas, was a foreman there.
[17] On Ethel's marriage certificate, her father's occupation is a 'driller'.

The Nichols Family. Part Two

In the 1960's, my wife came into possession of a collection of old postcards. The exact details of how she acquired them have been lost to the 'teeth of time', but they may have been purchased while she was living in Kinsale, County Cork, Ireland.  Many of the stamps had been removed, thus destroying the postmarks. The collection has languished in a box for decades. Then came retirement, and the leisure time to look at them more closely. We saw that many of the postcards were addressed to Mrs. Nichols, of whom we knew absolutely nothing .  However, further research identified the recipient as Mary Cowie Nichols of Tasmania, who emigrated to Ireland at the beginning of the 20th century.[1]  Through the magic of the Internet we were able to return this collection to a descendant of Mary Nichols.

The Collection   (click on the postcards to enlarge)

Apparently, Mary Nichols kept her collection of postcards in an album, which has long since disappeared.[2] 

1. Kilbrack House, Doneraile

A blank Christmas Greeting card of Kilbrack House, Doneraile, County Cork, Ireland. This was the home of Mary Cowie Nichols.[4] Kilbrack House was originally built in the late 18th century by William Stawell, a member of an influential Anglo-Irish family.[3]
Mary Nichols purchased the property on 1 February 1897.[5]

2. A Maori Kiss

Verso: New Zealand Postcard issued by Muir & Moodie, Dunedin.
Addressed to: Arthur Nichols, The Old Ride, Branksome Park, Bournemouth, England ; and redirected to Kilbrack, Doneraile, Co. Cork, Ireland.
Inscribed on front: Up in Invercargill today & soon to Dunedin tonight so we will soon be home 28/11/05 J. Cowie Nichols.
Commentary: Joseph Cowie Nichols (1859-1954) writing to his son, Arthur Cowie Nichols (1893-1971), in 1905. The postcard was intially sent to Old Ride, a preparatory college for boys between the ages of 7 and 14. Arthur was 12. It was then redirected to Kilbrack House, home of Mary Nichols, Arthur's grandmother.

3. New Zealand Maori

Verso: New Zealand Postcard issued by Muir & Moodie, Dunedin.
Addressed to: Master J. Nichols, c/o Revd. Rogers, Old Ryde [sic], Branksome Park, Bournemouth, England ; and redirected to Kilbrack, Doneraile, Co. Cork, Ireland.  Inscribed on front: From Jack.  Commentary: Jack is unknown, but the handwriting appears to be that of a child, perhaps a friend. Master J. Nichols refers to Joseph Nichols (1894-1916), son of Col. Joseph Cowie Nichols. The postcard was mailed from Dunedin, franked 1 December 1903, and franked again 3 January 1904 from Bournemouth. Joseph would have been about 10 years old, and at the Old Ride Preparatory School with his brother, Arthur [see postcard 2]. It may be that they had gone to Kilbrack for the Christmas holidays. Revd.Gerard Saltren Rogers was the headmaster of Old Ride.

4. A Maori Dark-Eyed Maiden

Verso: Address, handwriting, and franking identical to no. 3.
Front: S.M. & Co. Series.  Iles Photo.  Inscribed: With Cecil's love.
Commentary: Arthur James Iles (1870-1943) was an early Otago photographer.
The identity of Cecil is not known.

5. Double Bay, Sydney

Verso: Art Series (printed in Australia). Franked: Edgecliffe, N.S.W. Addressed to Mrs. Nichols, Kilbrack, Doneraile, Co. Cork, Ireland.
Front: Inscribed: 20/11/05 (1905). Every good wish to you all for Xmas & the New Year from Alice, Fred & Vera Moore - Union Club, Sydney.
Commentary: Sent by Alice ffrench Moore, wife of Frederick Henry Moore and their daughter Alice Vera Moore. Frederick was a partner with Dalgety, and a member of the Union Club.

6. Obelisk, Killiney Hill

Verso: Published by Stewart & Woolf, London, E.C. Printed in Saxony. Series 1050. Posted from Blackrock [7](Dublin) on July 9, 1906 at 5.45pm. Written on July 6, 1906. Addressed to: Mrs. Nichols, at 33 Broadhurst Gardens, Sth. Hampstead, London, N.W.  Divided back. Inscription: 9/6/06. I have tomorrow morning & go straight thro' via Harwich & Antwerp. Blair joins me next Sunday at Zurich w[h]ere we hope to spend the day with Ada at the Dolder. E.M.White. Front: The obelisk, Victoria Hill, near Dalkey. Commentary: 33 Broadhurst Gardens was the home of "Bessie" Dinham, whose maiden name was Mary Ann Elizabeth Goodall.[6] E.M. White refers to Emily Maud Tots White, the daughter of Mrs. Nichols. Blair is Richard Blair White, Emily's husband. Ada is Emily's sister.  The Dolder refers to the Waldhaus Dolder, a palatial hotel in Zürich, Switzerland.

7. Caen

Verso: Carte Postale. Divided back. Franked twice, first at Bournemouth and then at Logarno. The postcard was initially sent to Mme. Nichols Grand Hôtel, Locarno, Switzerland, then redirected to Waldhaus Dolder, Zürich, Switzerland. It was redirected on 11 V 08 (1908). Inscription: We arrived at school safely yesterday. I bought a spoon in Caen on Monday which I am sending to you. Please will you send me 5/- out of my money in the Bank because I want to get some cricket things. Joseph.  Commentary: 'We' refers to Joseph Nichols (1894-1916) and his brother Arthur. Joseph is writing to his grandmother. 'School' refers to Old Ride [see postcards 3 & 4]. Front: 54 - Caen - Place de l'ancienne Boucherie.[8] Collection M.D. refers to Jacques Marcel Delboy (1903-1941).

8. Aix-les-Bains

Verso: Carte Postale. Divided back. Postmark Aix-les-Bains, Savoie, 24.6.04 (1904). Addressed to Mrs. Nichols, Kilbrack House, Doneraile, Co. Cork, Ireland. Front: 2232 Aix-les-Bains. Abbaye de Hautecombe. Éditions Giletta, phot., Nice. Message: Thanks for letter. Jane getting well slowly. M.F.C. Commentary: M.F.C. unidentified. Jane was no doubt at Aix-les-Bains to undergo treatment in the therapeutic sulfur baths.

9. Le Havre

Verso: Carte Postale. Divided back. Addressed to Mrs. Nichols, Kilbrack, Doneraile, Co. Cork, Ireland. Postmark partial and indistinct. Message: Dear Grannie, We have just arrived in Caen today & had a very rough passage from Southampton to Havre, which we left this morning. Joseph. [see postcard no. 7]. Date probably 1908.  Front: 87. Le Havre - Eglise Sainte-Adresse. Monogram E.L.D.  Commentary: Eglise Saint Denis at Place Masquelier, Sainte-Adresse (a suburb of Le Havre). The tower is 16th century, while the choir and nave are 18th century. 

10. Varyag at Chemulpo

Verso:  See blog entry for August 2013 for an example of the verso and the historical context of postcards 10, 11, 12. Posted from Weimar, Germany.
Message: Many thanks for the stamps & your letter. B. Fell White.
Commentary: Sent by Mary Beatrice 'Bee' Fell White, the daughter of Mary Nichols, to her mother.

11. Battle of Port Arthur

See postcard 10.  Message: Hansie getting on grand. Will be up tomorrow. B.F.W. Commentary: B.F.W. is Mary Beatrice 'Bee' Fell White. Hansie refers to the grandson of Mary Nichols, Hans Grove White (1890-1971), the son of Mary Beatrice and Commander Hans Thomas Fell White (1856-1919). The postmark is dated 3.9.04 (1904).  Hansie had been ill [with measles: see no.58].

12. Retwizan at Port Arthur

See postcards 10 & 11. Message: Hansie quite well again & will cycle next week. B.F.W.

13. Palmerston, Cressy

Verso: Postmark: Cressy, Tasmania. Addressed to: Mrs. Nichols, c/o S. Nichols, Esq., Palmerston, Cressy. Divided back. Message: Wishing you a Merry Xmas and a Happy 1910. R. Lewis Parker 23/12/09 (1909).
Front: A photograph of Palmerston.
Commentary: Mrs. Nichols had travelled back to Tasmania in 1909 to spend Christmas with her son, Septimus, at his estate, Palmerston, at Cressy.[9] The sender is Robert Lewis Parker.

14. Brussels

Verso: Carte Postale - Postkaart. Partial postmark, Bruxelles, no date. Addressed to Cyril Nichols, Esq. Kilbrack, Doneraile, Co. Cork, Ireland. Front: Bruxelles - Boulevard du Midi. Lagaert, Brux. -No. 504. Message: Many thanks for your letter it was very good of you to write but I have no time to answer love from B.W.  Commentary: card sent from Mary Beatrice Fell White to her brother, Cyril Thornton Nichols, who was visiting his mother.

15. The Foster Mother

Verso: undivided. Addressed to Mrs. Nichols, Kilbrack, Doneraile, Co. Cork, Ireland. Postmark illegible. Front: The Foster Mother. A.J. Elsley (Arthur J. Elsley, 1898). Copyright S. Hildesheimer & Co. Ltd., London. Message: I think this is the first time I have written to anyone out of Weimar since we came in! Jan. 14th, 1904. Commentary: Card sent from Weimar, Germany by Mary Beatrice 'Bee' Fell White to her mother. Weimar refers to the city, a cultural centre, and not to the Weimar Republic, which was established in 1919.

16. Christmas

16. verso

There is no evidence that this card was posted. It appears to have been delivered by  hand, which leads us to conclude that it was sent by someone local to Doneraile. The sender is C.F. Bolton, and the likeliest identification is Caroline Featherstonehaugh Bolton living at 71 Main Street, Doneraile.

17. Princess Royal Locomotive

verso: divided back; stamp and postmark removed, but probably posted in the United Kingdom. Addressed to W.H. Nichols Esq., Kilbrack, Doneraile, Co. Cork. Message: Thank you very much for the money you sent me wishing you happy Christmas. J. Nichols.  The front is a picture of Ramsbottom's railway engine, Princess Royal of the Problem or Lady of the Lake Class. It is an official postcard of the London & North Western Railway Company issued in November, 1904. The top caption reads: During the race to Edinburgh in 1888 this engine took the 10 a.m. train from Euston to Crewe at an average speed of 57.1 miles per hour. Has run 1,080,879 miles to end of Sept., 1904. Bottom caption: Ramsbottom's engine "Princess Royal" built 1859. Rebuilt 1876. Driving wheels 7 FT. 6 IN.  Commentary: Card sent by Joseph Nichols [see postcard 7]. The recipient is Walter Harry Nichols (1874-1953), Joseph's uncle, who was staying with his mother.

18. HMS Warspite

verso: divided back. postmark partial from Bournemouth. Addressed to Mrs. Nichols, Kilbrack, Doneraile, Co. Cork, Ireland. Message: from Arthur. Front shows HMS "Warspite" (8400 tons Armoured Cruiser) no. 6588. Commentary: from Arthur [see postcard 2] to this grandmother.

19. Battle of the Nile

19. verso

Verso: transcription of the message: Tommy va mieux, la fièvre s'est abaissée depuis mardi. Il a eu l'influenza et une forte inflammation à l'oreille gauche la quelle a laisse une petite perforation sa ‘drum’.  Mais nous le faisons soigner par un bon specialiste et cela doit se guérir tres bien. W. part demain. cette carte pourrait faire plaisir à Arthur ou Joseph. Je le trouve assez amusant. A.M.B.
Translation of the French: Tommy gets better, the fever has subsided since Tuesday. He had influenza and severe inflammation in the left ear which has left a small perforation of his [ear]drum. But we do care for him with a good specialist, and it should heal very well. W. leaving tomorrow. This card could be fun for Arthur or Joseph. I find it quite amusing. A.M.B. Notes: A.M.B. is Ada Marion Bond, daughter of Mrs. Nichols. W. is Ada's husband, Sir Walter William Adrian MacGeough Bond. Tommy probably refers to Charles Thomas Blair White (1889-1975), son of Emily Maud Nichols and Richard Blair White. Arthur and Joseph are the sons of Joseph Cowie Nichols. The postcard belongs to Raphael Tuck & Sons' Oilette series, which was introduced in 1903. It is postcard no.9546, and was part of the 6-card 'Humour in Egypt' set. From what is left of the postmark, it seems likely that the postcard was sent from Neumünster, a suburb of Zürich.

20. Alexandria, Egypt

20. Alexandria, Egypt

Verso: transcription of message: Ramleh      Alexandria    6^th May [10]

Starting to-day. Came down here on Thursday.[11] Not an amusing place to stay at. I forgot to bring a book & hardly knew how to get through the day yesterday. No nice gardens or houses to look at in the immediate neighbourhood. Cairo was quite cool the last few days. I could stay on quite a long time at this rate. Came down in the train with Lord Milner. He’s perfectly charming. He & W. had a talk which lasted nearly the whole train journey. He still takes great interest in Egyptian affairs. But says he wants a rest & feels at least 105. He travels on same boat & promised me a fine passage. But I hardly hope for it. Will write from Italy if I get a chance. A.M.B.   Front: Original postmark from Alexandria, posted on 6 May 05 (1905). The second postmark is from Buttevant, Cork County, as the postcard was redirected to London.  Commentary: Ramleh is a suburb of Alexandria, Egypt [12].  On the train journey from Cairo to Alexandria see note [12].   On the identification of 'W' and A.M.B. see postcard 19.  Ada's husband, Sir William, was  a practising Advocate in Egypt, and held the office of Judge of the Court of Appeal [Egypt] between 1888 and 1899.  He held the office of Vice-President of the Court of Appeal [Egypt] between 1899 and 1916. On Mrs. Nichols visiting 33 Broadhurst Gardens see postcard 6 and note [6].

21. Boën-sur-Lignon

21. Verso

Verso: Transcription of message: 21.5.08 (1908)  Dearest A. I send you another view of my home & hope you will see it someday - Take care of yrself [yourself] & give me yr. [your] address when you next write. Much love from yr. affectionate A.B.  Originally posted from Boën-sur-Lignon (département Loire) to Mrs. MacGeough Bond, c/o Dalgety & Co, and then redirected to Hotel Dolder, Zürich. Front: Boën -  Château de La Chaux, côte sud-est (i.e. south-eastern side). Imp. Commarmond, edit à Boën – A. Durand, phot. The château  was located on the boulevard Pasteur
Commentary: "A." refers to Ada Marion MacGeough Bond. The sender "A.B." is her sister-in-law, Angeline Aimee Elize MacGeough Bond.[13]  Ada's father, Charles Nichols, was in partnership with Dalgety & Co. Their London headquarters were at 96 Bishopsgate, St. Within. On Hotel Dolder see postcards 6 & 7.

22. Bisley Camp

Verso: divided back.  The Wellington Series, G & P Ltd. Stamp and postmark missing. Addressed to Mrs. Nichols, Kilbrack, Doneraile, Co. Cork, Ireland. Message: I hope this is an addition to your picture p. cards. I went to Bisley last Thursday & shot for the cadets but did not win. Hans G.W.  Front: Public Schools' Competition, Bisley Camp. 7220. Photo Gale & Polden. Commentary: Hans G.W. is Hans Grove White [see postcards 11 & 12]. Bisley Camp is the site of the National Rifle Association shooting centre.[14]

23. Stancliffe Hall, Derbyshire

Two identical postcards: both addressed to Mrs. Nichols, Kilbrack, Doneraile, Co. Cork, Ireland. Postcard 1. No message but posted from  Derby on 30 Oct 04 (1904) . It appears to be in the hand of Hans Grove White. The second also posted from Derby (no date) with the message: I send a post-card of the place we play football. Hope you are all right. with love from Ion W.G.W.  Front: Stancliffe Hall. -View over park from south lawn. Commentary: Stancliffe Hall Preparatory School is in Darley Dale, near Matlock in Derbyshire. Ion W.G.W. is Ion Whitefoord Grove White, the brother of Hans Grove White [see postcard 22], and son of Mary Beatrice. It appears that the two brothers went to school at Stancliffe Hall.  Ion, following in his father's footsteps, joined the Royal Navy as a midshipman on 15 January 1912, serving on the light cruiser, HMS Bristol.  He commanded the gunboat, HMS Cricket, during the North Russian Intervention in 1919, and won the Distinguished Service Cross.[15]

24. Ceylon

Verso: Undivided. Union Postale Universelle. Ceylon (Ceylan) Postcard. Addressed to Mrs. Nichols, Kilbrack, Doneraile, Co. Cork, Ireland. Posted 2 Dec 03 (1903). Front: Flagstaff. Clock Tower and Fortifications. Galle. Plâté & Co., Ceylon. Message: Colombo. Nov. 30. Just a line of good wishes to you all for Xmas & the New Year. Will write shortly. Yrs. A.F. Vicary. Commentary: The identity of A.F. Vicary is uncertain, but it is probably the same man who sailed from Liverpool, England to Colombo, Ceylon in 1896 on board the RMS Lucania.[16]

25. Ceylon

Verso: Divided. Union Postale Universelle. Ceylon (Ceylan). Addressed to Mrs. Nichols, Kilbracke, Doneraile, Co. Cork, Ireland. Posted 1904. Message: Just a line of good wishes for you all for Xmas & the New Year - Hopefully in England about the 16th April [1905]. Front: Ceylon. Bullock travelling wagon. Inscribed: Berwick House Bungalow, Cinnamon Gardens, Colombo, A.F. Vicary [see postcard 24].

26. Lynton, North Devon

26. verso

This and the following four postcards relate to a holiday taken in Devon during July 1912. They are written by the same hand, but the sender is anonymous. The sender escorted Mrs. White (either Mary Beatrice Fell  White or Emily Maud Blair White) on a tour of North Devon. All the cards are posted from Bideford, and addressed to Mrs. Nichols, Kilbrack. References indicate that Mrs. Nichols herself had taken the same tour on a previous occasion.
The caption on no. 26 is 'Lynton and Lynmouth from the Tors'.  It belongs to Tuck's Oilette series (no. 7016). Message on verso: I have had these ready to send to you for ages but have put it off.

27. Lynton: Valley of Rocks, Devon

Verso: Tuck's Oilette series (no. 7016). Divided back. Message: Mrs. White thought this bit so pretty.

28.  Cottage Hotel, Lynton

Verso: Divided back. Published by Photochrom Co. London, no. 24257. Message: She [presumably Mrs. White] had the same room you had facing the sea. & I found the glass drawing pin we lost stuck in the wall.

29. Porlock Hill, Lynton, Devon

Verso: Divided back. Published by F. Frith & Co. of Reigate, no. 58363B, "Frith's Series". Entitled: Porlock Hill, Lynton and Minehead Coach. Message: This is the hill we avoided when we took Mrs. White in the motor. It is a favorite one for accidents. [the sender may have been unaware of the events surrounding the death of Charles Nichols]. The coach was horse drawn. Details of the coach route.

30. Oare Church, North Devon

Verso: Divided Back. Published by Photochrom & Co., Ltd of London [see postcard 28], no. 84327. Message: I hope you have not forgotten our visit to the spot where Lorna was shot by Carver Doone. Commentary: The Church of St. Mary, Oare (now in Somerset) is located in Exmoor National Park, and is a 15th century, listed building. It is at the altar of this small church that Carver Doone shot Lorna Doone as she marries John Ridd.

31. Teignmouth

Verso: Divided back. Tuck's Oilette series (no. 7371). Posted from Teignmouth on 23 December 1907. Addressed to Mrs. Nichols, Kilbrack, Doneraile, Co. Cork, Ireland.  Message: Best Wishes for a Happy Xmas & New Year to you all. Rita.  'Rita' is unidentified.

32. Manor House, Pilton, Somerset

Verso: divided back. stamp/postmark removed. Addressed to Mrs. Nichols, Kilbrack, Doneraile, Co. Cork, Ireland. Message: Very best wishes from the inmates for a Happy Xmas, 1909. Front: Manor House, Pilton, Mendip, Somerset. Williams Photo, Pilton. Commentary: also referred to as Manor Farmhouse. The 'inmates' refer to the Harper family, and the sender is Emma Olivia (née Cozens) Harper [17] [see also postcard 56]. The photographer was probably George Williams of Rockleaze House, Pilton.[18]

33. Steyning, West Sussex

Verso: Undivided back. Posted from Brighton. Addressed to Mrs. Nichols, Kilbrack, Doneraile, Co. Cork,  Ireland.  Front: Church Street,  Steyning. Published by F. Smart, photo, Steyning.  Message: With Mr. & Mrs. H.H. Taylor's best wishes for Xmas & the New Year. 1903. Commentary Mr. & Mrs. H.H. Taylor refers to Capt. Henry Herbert Taylor, FRCS, a surgeon, councilor for Hove, and rugby player.  His wife, Florence Abbott, was a hospital matron from Hobart, Tasmania.[19]

34. Puttenham Church

35. Puttenham village

 Verso of 34 & 35 written in the same hand. Addressed to Mrs. Nichols, Kilbrack, Doneraile, Co. Cork, Ireland. Posted from Guildford Oct 1904. Unsigned with no message. They were both published by F.Frith & Co., Reigate (Frith's series) and printed in Saxony: 34 is no. 52443 and 35 is no.52441.

36. Monkstown Church, Dublin

Verso: divided back. stamp removed, but enough of the postmark shows that it was posted in Blackrock, Dublin, but the date does not survive. Adressed to Mrs. Nichols, Kilbrack, Doneraile, Co. Cork. Message: I find Prescotts Dyers Dublin very satisfactory & had several things cleaned & dyed there lately. am sending p[illow] slips & all by the boys on Saturday. E.M.W.  Photo copyright Cook, Kingstown.  Commentary: Monkstown Church is Church of Ireland. Prescott & Co., Dyers and Carpet Cleaners was located at 83, Talbot Street, Dublin.[20] . E.M.W. refers to Emily Maud White. "The boys" no doubt refers to her eldest sons:  Charles Thomas Blair White (born 1889), Arthur Blair White (born 1891) and John Henry Jack Blair White (born 1894).  C. Neville Cook was a photographer and stationer in Kingstown (now Dun Laoghaire), and is listed in the 1913 telephone directory.

37. Tewkesbury Abbey

Verso: divided back; stamp removed, but there is enough of the postmark to conclude that it was posted from Gloucester, but no date. Addressed to Mrs. Nichols, Kilbrack, Doneraile, Co. Cork, Ireland. Message: Leaving Gloster today for home. Have had lovely weather. Hope all are well. E.M.W. 20th September. F. Frith & Co., Ltd. Reigate. Frith's series no. 32102. Commentary E.M.W. refers to Emily Maud White.


The following three postcards were sent by Aurora Mocenigo Soranzo, the daughter of Count Mocenigo Soranzo of Venice, and of an ancient and influential aristocratic family. Aurora married Arthur Donald Griffith, an opthalmic surgeon, in1918.[21]

38. Santa Margherita

Verso: divided back. Cartolina Postale Italiana (Edit. Brunner & C., Como-Zürich - Stab. eliografico.) Addressed to Mrs. Ada Bond, Kilbrack, Doneraile, Co. Cork, Inghilterra. The stamp, postmark/date are missing. Message Happy Easter from [?] and Aurora.  Front: Inscription: New Kursaal, Rapallo. Caption: 7116. Santa Margherita - Scogli Cervara. Commentary: These rocks are now part of the Portofino Natural Regional Park on the Italian Riviera.  The New Kursaal, Rapallo, which opened in 1908, was a massive hotel-casino complex that attracted the glitterati of the time. Ada Marion MacGeough Bond is Mary Nichols' daughter.

39. Rapallo. Ponte Romano

Verso: divided back. Cartolina Postale Italiana (Edit. Brunner & C., Como-Zürich - Stab. eliografico.) Addressed to Mrs. Nichols, Doneraile, Co. Cork, Ireland, Inghilterra. Postmark, Rapallo, Kursaal, 1908. Message: New Kursaal, Genova, Rapallo. Dear Mrs. Nichols How & where is Mrs. Bond! I wrote & had no answer & am very sorry not to hear from her. Do write at least you. Happy Easter & best love from Aurora Mocenigo Soranzo.  Front: Rapallo - Ponte Romano.7370. The 'Roman Bridge' is also known as Hannibal's Bridge.

40. Maria de Medici

Verso: divided back. Postmark: 20.12.07 (1907); Firenze, Ferrovia. Addressed to Mrs. Nichols, Kilbrack House, Doneraile, Co. Cork, Ireland, Inghilterra. Message: 59 Valfonda. Wishing you a happy Xmas & a very merry New Year. I hope to see you soon in Italy. Best love from Aurora Mocenigo Soranzo. Front: Firenze - Galleria Pitti - Maria de Medici (Pulsone).

41. The Bure at Wroxham

Verso: divided back. Bell's Photo Co., Ltd. Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex.. Addressed to Cyril Nichols, Esq., Kilbrack, Doneraile, Co. Cork, Ireland. Stamp/date removed partial postmark suggests Wroxham. Message: Perhaps you have seen something of the Broads. Ion would like them I think. Roads seem very good too. We have only taken short walks, but it is all picturesque. Going to town to-morrow weather permitting! I can't venture if very hot. T. loves this place, but is rather venturesome. A.M.B. Front: Bure at Wroxham no. no. 65873. Commentary: Ada Marion (Lady) Bond writing to her brother, Cyril. Ion: see postcard 23. T probably refers to Tommy see postcard 19.

42. Arch of Titus, Rome

Verso: Cartolina Postale. N.P.G. stamp removed, but a complete postmark survives: GRAND HOTEL DE RUSSIE. ROME. 23.DIC.1907. Addressed to Mrs. Nichols, Kilbrack, Mallow, County Cork, Ireland.
Message: Hotel Russie, Rome. Every good wish for Christmas & the New Year. We stayed six weeks in Paris and I enjoyed every day of it, but I think I like Rome even more. We are going to stay here all February. Then I think we go to Wiesbaden & return to London in April. I have good news every week from home. Love from Bee Nichols. Front: Roma - Arco di Tito. 78.

43. Jesus College, Menu

Menu from Jesus College, University of Cambridge, England. 
Mercredi 14 Juin (Wednesday 14 June)
Consommé aux pointes d'asperges (Consommé with asparagus)
Blanchailles (Whitebait) 
Pâtés de Homard (Lobster pâté)
Filet de boeuf aux tomate (beef fillet with tomato)
Petit pois (peas)
Meringue glacé aux framboises (Meringue with raspberry ice cream)
Sardines sur croûtes (Sardines on toast)
Note: Joseph Cowie Nichols (1859-1954), Charles Nichols (1863-1914) and Walter Henry Nichols all went to Jesus College.

The following postcards were sent by Mary Beatrice Fell White to her mother during a family sojourn to Germany. Many were posted from Weimar between December 1903 and June 1904.

44. Gruss aus Thüringen

verso: undivided back. stamps removed along with postmark and date. Addressed to Mrs. Nichols, care of Mrs. Dinham, Louvain, 33 Broadhurst Gardens, Hampstead, London, England [see post card 6].  Front: English translation: Greetings from Thuringia. Message: We hope to hear tomorrow the result of examination. How did you think Hansie [see postcard 11] looked. Postcard published by Verlag W. Zinke, Friedrichroda 1.

45. Gruss aus Thüringen

verso: undivided. Addressed to Mrs. Nichols, Kilbrack, Doneraile, Co. Cork, Ireland. Posted from Weimar 16.4.04 (1904). Publisher: W. Zinke, Friedrichroda. Front: English translation: Greetings from Thuringia. Welcome. Message: These dumplings are quite a Thüringen dish & very good. I can make them. B.F.W.

46. Thüringen

verso: undivided back. Addressed to Mrs. Nichols, Kilbrack, Doneraile, Co. Cork, Ireland. Posted from Weimar on 6.6.04 (1904). Front: In die Augen, die blauen, Möcht ich ewig Dir schauen! Thüringen. English translation: In the eyes, the blue, I'd watch you forever! Thuringia. Verlag W. Zinke, Friedrichroda, 4. Message: So many thanks for your long interesting letter will write soon. B. Fell White.

47. Idyll aus Thüringen

verso: undivided back. Addressed to Mrs. Nichols, Kilbrack, Doneraile, Co. Cork, Ireland. Posted from Weimar on 3.8.04 (1904) Publisher: W. Zinke, Friedrichroda. Front: English translation: Idyll from Thuringia. Message: Many thanks for letter & enclosures received today. Will write soon - B. Fell White.

48. Hunting scene

verso undivided, stamp, postmark/date removed; addressed as no. 47. The trademark, Erika (no. 2260) suggests an early date of 1903-04. Message: Tell that lazy Harry to write to Hansie. It is exceedingly cold now, will have ?Rating tomorrow or next day. We have got our flat very comfy and warm. B. Fell White. Commentary: Hansie [see postcard 11]; Harry refers to Walter Henry Nichols [see part 1]. The scene is based on the artwork of the German painter, Moritz Müller (the Younger, 1868-1934) [as is postcard 49 & 50]. His signature appears below the dog's tail.

49. Hunting scene

verso same as postcard 48. Erika (no. 2259), ca. 1903-04. Message: Kathleen has measles a very heavy crop. Is it not amazing, all her lessons will be stopped for 3 weeks, & she is getting on so well with painting &  music. B. Fell White. Comments: Kathleen is Beatrice's daugher, Kathleen Whitefoord Grove White.

50. Hunting scene

verso same as postcard 48. Erika (no. 2264), ca. 1903-04. Message: I have been neglecting you lately in the way of post cards, but have just bought some lovely ones. B. Fell White.

51. Fröhliches Neujahr

verse undivided. Addressed to Mrs. Nichols, Kilbrack, Doneraile, Co. Cork, Ireland.

Posted from Weimar on 31.12.03 (1903). Front: Fröhliches Neujahr! (Happy New Year!)

Message: So glad to hear you have an album. Many Happy New Years. B.F.W.

52. Schiller

verso undivided. Addressed to Mrs. Nichols, Kilbrack, Doneraile, Co. Cork, Ireland. stamp & postmark/date removed. Published by: Kunstverlag Max Sinz, Dresden III.  Front: Schiller. Message: If you have any Australian stamps will you send me some any colonial ones will do. B. Fell White.

53. Eisenach

verso: Postkarte Weltpostverein / Carte-Postale/Union Postale Universelle. Stamp, postmark/date removed. Addressed to Mrs. Nichols, Kilbrack, Doneraile, Co. Cork, Ireland. Front: Eisenach. Drachenschlucht (Dragon Gorge). 312 Verlag von Zedler & Vogel, Kunstanstalt, Darmstadt. Message: We went through this gorge yesterday. B. Fell White.

54. Fröhliche Ostern

verso undivided. . Stamp removed, but enough of the postmark shows that it was posted from Weimar. The date is missing, but it was most probably 1904. Addressed to Mrs. Nichols, care of Mrs. James, Strathmore, Clevedon, Somersetshire, England. Front: Fröhliche Ostern (Happy Easter). Message: Happy Easter to you all, we have just hidden the Easter eggs & had great fun with it. B. Fell White: Note: 'Mrs. James' is the mother of Emma Olivia Harper [see postcard 32] [22].

55. Fröhliche Ostern

verso same as postcard no. 54. Front: Fröhliche Ostern (Happy Easter). Message: It is holidays now & glorious weather. We are planning some long excursions which will take us away from Weimar for the whole day. B. Fell White. Much love to all. Note: one of their long excursions might have been to Eisenach [postcard 53], Thuringia [nos.44-47] or Schwarzburg [no.60].

56. Fröhliche Ostern

verso undivided as no. 54. Posted from Weimar on 20.3.04 (1904). Addressed to Mrs. Nichols, Care of A. Harper Esq. The Manor House, Pilton, Shepton-Mallet, Somersetshire, England.  Front: Fröhliche Ostern (Happy Easter). Message: Are these cards no delightful. Hans Kaeks & I rode 15 miles on our bikes today, the roads were perfect, and we did enjoy it so much. B. Fell White. Commentary: A. Harper refers to Alexander Forrest Harper, a retired coffee and tea planter in Ceylon. He was the  husband of Emma Olivia Harper [see postcard 32, daughter of Jane James of postcards 54 & 55][see note 17].'Hans' refers to Mary Beatrice's husband [no.11] and 'Kaeks' presumably is the nickname of her daughter, Kathleen [no.49]. 

57. Fröhliche Ostern

57. verso

 Front: Fröhliche Ostern (Happy Easter). Message: Be sure & send me your next address as I have not the faintest idea where you are going. Hans & girls all at the circus tonight. B. Fell White. The verso shows that Beatrice's concerns were correct, and that the card had to be redirected from Clevedon to Upper Norwood.  It was initially posted from Weimar on 8.4.04 (1904) to Clevedon, and redirected from Clevedon on April 10, 1904 to Upper Norwood. Comments: Clevedon address [see note 22]. The Upper Norwood address is incorrect, and should have been Totara, 20 Lunham Road not Limham. It was the home of Edwin John Spence, who was born in Dunedin, New Zealand, in 1864, and his wife, Annie Jane (née Layton), who was born in Dunedin in 1869. Totara, named after a tree found only in New Zealand. The Spence home has been described as "a small corner of Dunedin overflowing with warm Dunedin hospitality and harbouring a collection of Dunedin art". Totara was also visited by the Dunedin artist, Frances Hodgkins.[23]. Edwin Spence was a member of the Royal Colonial Institute,[24] as was Joseph Cowie Nichols.  'Hans & girls' refers to Beatrice's husband and daughters. Circus: probably the Dresden-based Zirkus Sarrasani. Published by Druck u.Verlag Bruno Bürger & Ottillie of Leipzig.

58. Fröhliche Ostern

verso.undivided, stamp and postmark removed. Addressed to Mrs. Nichols, Kilbrack, Doneraile, Co. Cork, Ireland. Front: Fröhliche Ostern (Happy Easter). Message: Hänselien [i.e. Hänselein, 'little Hans'] has a relapse of the measles!! [see no. 11] B. Fell White. Caption: Grüss Gott, Ihr Lieben! - Zur Osterfeier Bring ich Euch ein Häsehen und bunte Eier. Translation: God bless you, my loved ones! This Easter celebration, I bring you a bunny rabbit and colorful eggs-  Published by Paul Suess AG Erika nr. 1347. 

59. Fröhliche Weihnachten!

verso: undivided back. Stamp missing, but postmark indicates it was posted on 18.12.04 (1904). Addressed to Mrs. Nichols, Kilbrack, Doneraile, Co. Cork, Ireland. Published at Nürnberg by Theo Stroefer (serie 279 no. 2). Front: Fröhliche Weihnachten! (Merry Christmas!). Message: The merriest & happiest Xmas to you all from all here. B.F.W. (Beatrice Fell White).

60. Rudolstadt

verso: undivided. Posted from Rudolstadt on 30.8.04 (1904). Addressed to Mrs. Nichols, Kilbrack, Doneraile, Co. Cork, Ireland. Front: Rudolstadt. Published by Druck und Verlag von Aug. [August] Heinecke, Rudolstadt. Message: Aug. 30th. We started at 6.30 this morning for Schwarzburg & have stopped here 24 miles from Weimar for breakfast. It is 10.15 so we have not done two [too] badly - Just going to start again. B. Fell White.

61. Lago Maggiore

61. verso

This postcard is addressed to C. Nichols (Cyril), and sent by his mother, Mary Nichols. It was posted 28.8.08 (1908) from Baveno, Italy, located on the western shore of Lake Maggiore. Message: Monday 27th. We are going to Locarno on Friday next & will probably stay a week there. Lovely weather here the last three days. Ada & I went to Isola Bella today. Mme. van Mecklenburg [25] got such an attack of rheumatism she could not come. I hear from Josey that they are all now at Caen [see postcard no.7]. Got your letter today. Will answer soon. Your loving mother, M. Nichols.  Note: Baveno was a resort with a cluster of luxury villas, one of which was visited by Queen Victoria. The postcard shows Stresa and the Borromean Islands.

62. Santa Caterina del Sasso

62. verso

Like no. 61, this postcard is addressed to Cyril. It too was posted from Baveno in August 1908. Message: Pouring rain for last 3 days does not look like clearing never lifts for a minute. The weather on the whole has been very unsettled ever since you left, so you were lucky and I hope you have good weather in Ireland. – a lot of snow has fallen on the mountains. No news here. I see from C. B. is dead. Your loving mother Mary Nichols. Ada has returned. Walter {?} work in {?} of Madame van Mecklenberg  {?}  I got the boxes from {Ventura?} Ada quite approves of the contents. The postcard was published by Edit. Brunner & C. [see nos. 38 & 39].

63. Kaiserin Auguste Viktoria

verso: undivided back. Stamp removed, but partial postmark shows it was posted from Weimar. Addressed to Mrs. Nichols, Kilbrack, Doneraile, Co. Cork, Ireland. Front: Kaiserin Auguste Viktoria. Message: It has been snowing hard & we all hope for a sleigh drive on Friday. How is the album getting on. I have 300. Mirabel. The sender is Mirabel Grace Grove White, Beatrice's oldest child, and granddaughter of Mary Nichols.

Epilogue

Written over a hundred year ago, the postcards seen above appear quaint, but they are more than old-fashioned curiosities.  They are granules of history, a window on the past. These artefacts belong to the Edwardian Period, the halcyon days of the select few who had benefited from the opportunities produced by the British Empire. The people who sent and received these cards were of this class, affluent and patrician, but they were living on the cusp of unprecedented change.  Some believe that theirs was the last episode of sanity, before the modern world went mad.  It is hard to imagine that Beatrice Fell White, sitting in her ‘comfy and warm’ Weimar flat, could have imagined that, within ten short years, the country she was enjoying would become ‘the enemy’.  How could she have known that her family would pay the price of impending upheaval with their blood, that her brother would be buried only a hundred miles away from where she sat?  Meanwhile, in the tranquil and picturesque Awbeg River Valley, Beatrice’s postcards would arrive at Kilbrack House, and her mother would smile at the antics of the ‘Easter-egg men’, and be completely unaware that soon trouble would be brought to her very front door.[26]  Ireland would be convulsed by insurrection, the fight for independence and a brutal civil war that would leave a legacy of hatred and mistrust. 

As for the British Empire, it would sacrifice some of its best to the First World War, and begin its inexorable decline. The postcard of Queen Auguste Viktoria, wife of Kaiser Wilhelm, is symbolic of Germany's defeat and humilation. She would be the last German empress. The royal houses of Germany, Russia and of the Austro-Hungarian Empire would be swept aside, and the political vacuum thus created would be filled by Fascism and Communism. This would lay the groundwork for the Second World War, and with it the prospects of mutually assured destruction.

Notes

[1] Our findings are outlined in "The Nichols Family. Part One" of this blog (October 2013)
[2] See postcard no. 51 & 60. See BBC on the Edwardian craze for collecting postcards. Generally speaking, cards with an undivided back are earlier than divided back postcards. See Deltiology.
[3] On the Stawells see Notes of Colonel James Grove White (1906-1915)
[4] See Who's Who 1903 (vol. 55) ; New Zealand Herald 12 November 1901 ; Notes of Colonel James Grove White (1906-1915:208 ; Guy's Postal Directory (1914) ; 1901 Census for Ireland ; Guy's Cork Almanac 1907:326 ; List of Fellows and Members of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland (1907:29) ; Hunting Fixtures 1914
[5] Notes of Colonel James Grove White (1906-1915:211)
[6] We assume Mrs. Nichols and Goodall were friends, and that their relationsip was based on a mutual love of art. Mary Ann Goodall was from a family of artists, which included Frederick Goodall, R.A.  Paintings by Mary Cowie Nichols: Venetian Canal ; The Argory from the West ; The Argory Stable Buildings ; Ada Marion Nichols ; An Oriental Woman: Fatima
[7] 1911 Ireland Census shows Richard and Emily living on Monkstown Road, Blackrock.
[8] Badly damaged in World War II.  See Histoire de la boucherie caennaise...
[9] I am grateful to Marion Sargent, Librarian, Reference Library, Launceston LINC, Tasmania for help in identifying the sender and the subject of this postcard.  Marion writes: "The house is Palmerston House itself. The sender of the postcard is Robert Lewis Parker. He was a member of the Northern Tasmanian Photographic Club and a friend of the Nichols family. RL Parker and his wife Aimee, née Archer, were guests at the wedding of Septimus Nichols and Elvira Mary Smith. Their daughter Doris was a bridesmaid."  There is another view of the house in the LINC Archive.
[10] Saturday, 1905. 
[11] Thursday, May 4
[12] Baedecker's Egypt 1902 mentions Ramleh (p.18-19 + map in relation to Alexandria). It also describes the train journey from Cairo to Alexandria (p.20 ff.)
[13] Angeline MacGeough Bond was using her maiden name in the 1906 census for Boën (Chaux) p.45.  {Access to 1906 census: 1. Click here. 2. Choose Recensement de population. 3. Click on "B". 4. Click on Boën-sur-Lignon. 5. Scroll down and click on entry for 1906. 6. Type 45 in the upper right hand page box, and press return, enlarge page. 7. On the right hand page is La Chaux. Angeline is on line 9.}  Her husband, Raoul Recorbet, is also mentioned.
[14] 1.  Prep School participation.   2. Ashburton Shield Competition (Pathé, 1938)  3. Bisley: the first hundred years (film)
[15] The campaign is described in the Naval Review p. 85ff. and Bolos and Barishynas (see p.54). See London Gazette 17 Oct 1919 on DSC award. 
[16] The connection with Arthur Fulford Vicary of North Tawton, Devonshire is tenuous. However, considering that Charles Nichols was involved in the wool trade, it is interesting to note that Arthur's father, John Fulford Vicary was a wool manufacturer. Also there is an A.F. Vicary in a New Zealand context.
[17] See 1891 census.  1901 census. 1911 census. Kelly's Directory of Somersetshire 1914 (p.386/thumbnail 405). Emma Harper was married to Major Alexander Forrest Harper of the 84th Punjabis. Their son Lt.-Col. Alexander 'Alec' Forrest Harper DSO also served in the Indian Army.
[18] Kelly's Directory of Somersetshire 1914 (p.386/thumbnail 405). There was also a Williams & Son, grocers and post office in the village.
[19] The European Mail notices that on March 3 Miss Florence Marie Abbott was married at St. Paul's, Onslow-square,
to Henry Herbert Taylor, F.R.C.S., of Brunswiok-place, Brighton. Miss Abbott was for several years matron of the hospital
here, and was deservedly popular und respected by all. After leaving Hobart she went to London, and applied, among many others for the position of matron to the Brompton Hospital, one of the best positions of the kind in England. To her surprise, she was preferred to all others, and installed in her very comfortable rooms as head of that enormous  establishment, which has over a dozen house surgeons, and is supported entirely by private subscription. After managing the hospital for several years to the complete satisfaction of the committee, Miss Abbott became engaged to Dr. Taylor, one of the surgeons there, who has now taken a private practice at Brighton, where he and his wife will live. The Mercury (Hobart, Tasm.) 25 April 1891.  See also: The Colonies and India 14 March 1891 OCR text. 
[20] The Industries of Dublin. Historical, statistical, biographical. An account of the leading business men, commercial interests, wealth and growth (1887) p. 86.  They were still in business in 1913.
[21] GRIFFITH-SORANZO. -0n the 28th October, at Palazzo Vidoni, Cremona. Italy. Arthur D. Griffith, M.B., B.S., F.R.C.S., Brevet  Major R.A.M.C. (T.F.), to Aurora, daughter of Conte Tomaso Mocenigo Soranzo, and the late Principessa De'Soresina Vidoni, of Cremona. (p.70: Nov. 2, 1918).
[22] Emma's mother, Jane, married twice: first to Robert Cozens, and then to Thomas James. She moved to Clevedon with her unmarried daugher, Sylvia Jane Cozens sometime between 1891 and 1901. Consulting Kelly's Dirctories for Somersetshire, Mrs. James does not appear in 1889, but is at 2, Coleridge Road, Clevedon in 1897, 1902, 1914.  The 1901 census shows that Mrs. James and her daughter are in Clevedon. The 1891 census shows them at Manor House, Pilton.
[23] see also biography in Te Ara . See Museum of New Zealand online for a collection of her work. 
[24] see New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 10515, 7 August 1897, Page 6. He also had business dealings with Dalgety & Co. (see also Oamaru Mail 28 Nov 1885.)
[25] The identity of Madame van Mecklenburg is uncertain. The Mecklenburg genealogy is a complicated one.
[26] "Inevitably the War of Independence must hold memories for someone of ninety years of age. Hannah Spellman recalled the ambush set up outside her parents house at Kilbrack, County Cork when men of the Cork flying column positioned themselves behind the rails of the gate lodge leading to Kilbrack House. The inevitable casualties on the English side resulted in a rampage of terror for days afterwards and may have been the cause of her uncle’s subsequent killing. Tom Hannon was her mother’s brother and he died a young man of a wound sustained in a shoot out with English soldiers." - Hannah Spellman