'With love from cousin Annie'

[grantmal]

My brother bought this postcard in Perth, Western Australia, in the early 80's. On the back is written in purple pencil:

"Cawdor Villa, 52 St George Rd, Aldershot, Hants. With love from cousin Annie, 29-1-19."

Would be grateful for any details, and happy to send on a copy if anyone is interested.

Good on you,

Grant

close up:

[Tonym]

Grant

They are certainly British Red Cross members, possibly an Aldershot detachment group photograph. the Nursing Sister is Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Service.

The Brass shoulder titles, pendant badge and possibly headdress badge would indentify the Detachment location. As the postcard appears to have come from Aldershot it could possibly be a Hampshire Detachment.

Is there a printers identification on the reverse of the postcard?

Tony

[Sue Light]

Very unusual to have a single 'Regular' QAIMNS Matron/Assistant Matron with a group of VADs, with no other obvious VAD officers. And I think, but can't be sure, that at least some of these women are General Service and not nursing VADs. I feel fairly sure that it's a demobilisation group picture, immediately prior to dispersal.

Sue

[tootrock]

According to the census no-one called Annie lived at that address in 1911.

Martin

[CarylW]

Did the arm stripes indicate overseas service?

Caryl

[Sue Light]

Did the arm stripes indicate overseas service?

Stripes are a minefield - I only wish I had all the information. There were no stripes to signify overseas service. Those white ones were for length of service, the first one being awarded after thirteen months continuous service, and the second one a year after the first.

Sue

[Tonym]

One thing that intrigues me is that the two bell pushes by the doors and the architechure would suggest that it is the front of a large/major building. Also the two boot scrapers either side if the front step and the texture of the roadway would suggest that it could get rather muddy.

If someone could possibly identify the building it may give a further clue.

Tony

[Sue Light]

One thing I don't think is entirely clear yet, is whether the writing on the back of the card suggests that it was sent from that address, of whether that was the address it was sent to. Maybe Grant will return to clarify this. I've just been Googling down the present day St. George Road, Aldershot, and it honestly doesn't look like that sort of road, though there are some newish flats where the house might have been.

But if it is in Aldershot, then this sort of large building was exactly the type that was being used as accommodation for female staff of the military hospitals. This is an extract from a letter in the file of one of the 'regular' QAIMNS members who was Home Sister there until 1918:

I was employed at the Cambridge Hospital, Aldershot until my retirement in Jan. 1918 as Home Sister, during which period that hospital was working at very high pressure with numbers of sick and wounded from the front. The staff were living in 8 houses – scattered – and they were all under my care.

So there would have been any number of these houses around, providing accommodation for several hundred staff.

Sue

[mpjbrennan]

52 St Georges Road Aldershot is still there - you can see it on Google Street View (link below). It is a small semi-detached villa - nothing like the building in the photo so I guess it was where cousin Annie was lodging at the time.

Patrick

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&sour...,137.07,,0,1.19

[grantmal]

Thanks everyone for your thoughts. Here's the back of the card:

No photographer's name, place, unfortunately.

The photo is just not quite sharp enough....it does look like 'HANTS' across the bottom:

Is it ST JOHN'S?

[Martin Bennitt]

One thing that intrigues me is that the two bell pushes by the doors and the architechure would suggest that it is the front of a large/major building. Also the two boot scrapers either side if the front step and the texture of the roadway would suggest that it could get rather muddy.

If someone could possibly identify the building it may give a further clue.

Tony

The boot scrapers would have been original equipment for a house of that size and that era. The bell pushes would suggest it had been built as rather grand flats or was divided later

cheers Martin B

[David Porter]

The picture looks very likely to have been taken on the steps of Cambridge Hospital, Aldershot.

See http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Hampshire/Ca...geHospital.html

[Sue Light]

I don't think it's the Cambridge, but do feel now that it's probably the Connaught Hospital at North Camp, Aldershot - scroll down here to the 1918 image:

Connaught Hospital

Sue

[Sue Light]

On the 1905 shot on the same page you can even see the bell-pushes

Sue

[Tonym]

Sue

Spot on! The windows are identical - Pot plants on the front wall of the steps - boot scrapers and the un-madeup road surface.

As you say probably a farewell photograph in 1919.

All we need to know now is 'Who was Annie?'

Tony

[Sue Light]

Grant sent me a high resolution picture, and I think it does identify the group as General Service VADs as opposed to nursing VADs. The woman seated third from our right in the front row has a star on her epaulette and stripes on her sleeve, which mark her out as a General Service officer, and the same goes for the woman seated on the left of the nursing sister - she also has a star on her epaulette. The badge on the left sleeve of the women should say 'VAD General Service' in the outer ring, though I can't confirm that from the image. So a group of General Service VADs on the steps of the Connaught Hospital, Aldershot, with either the matron of the hospital, or their Home Sister, and probably a final keepsake of their time there which was just finishing. My crystal ball doesn't go as far as identifying 'Annie' though

Sue

[Tonym]

Not to be outdone I enlarged the Shoulder Title of one of the girls and it did confirm that it was the standard Red Cross title with

'RED CROSS' at the top and 'HANTS' at the bottom, although still blurred I was unsure of the number in the centre identifying the

Detachment but guessed that it was 2 ? 4.

An enquiry to the BRC Archives has confirmed that this was Voluntary Aid Detachment Hampshire/224 who were located in Connaught Hospital Aldershot. It also confirms Sue's identification that these were General Service Personnel, the officers wearing a badge with the wording 'General Service' and the non officers with the wording 'VAD Special Service Probationer' which was discontinued if they signed for a further period after their first seven months. Whether they then wore a 'General Service' badge was not indicated in their letter.

It has also occurred to me that Annie could be in the photograph that she sent to a friend or relative in Australia.

Tony