Ramblings of a Grouch

In my last article in this series I mentioned a photograph which I had coloured as I saw fit. Maybe the colours were not strictly accurate, but I felt the final image was pleasing to the eye.

Well, Fred Leadbetter, one of our best local historians and the owner of that photo, kindly gave permission to display it on the DigitalMemoriesonline site. Judge for yourself if the false colour works for you.

Fred also told me a little about the photograph, which dates back to the 1920's. The picture shows a member of his wife's family, who can be seen holding the horse steady to the right of the picture. The photo was taken in front of a house named 'Stillions', in the county of Sussex, where a Major Young and his family resided.

Without snippets of information like these I suspect that in a hundred years time it would be difficult (or impossible) to identify the area in the photograph. More difficult still to identify the house and name it. And virtually impossible to name the people. But with this information we have a starting point - we could visit the area to see the house, read the local parish records, research Major Young and even trace his descendants. The name 'Stillions' may be a clue relating to the brewing or pottery industry. Not only do a few facts make the picture far more interesting, they also open up a whole web of ideas to explore and research.

So I say again, don't miss the opportunity to find out about your own family's photos while there is still someone left who remembers them. Don't worry about sounding nosey or boring or morbid - most folk relish the opportunity to recount earlier times to someone who is genuinely interested.

Don't leave it too late. As they say in the old gangster movies: "Dead men can't speak".

Until next time ...

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