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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

WWI British Nurse Photo Album


rcleary171

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In answer to TEW's query in post 73 in 1911

Elsie Kenshole age 9 born 1902 Merthyr Tydfil and Charles age 7 born 1904 Merthyr Tydfil are both with their parents at 4 Hampton Place Merthyr Tydfil.

Also at home is Edward Harold Kenshole age 17 born 1894 Cardiff occupation listed as law student

Their parents James Edward and Mary Ann Kenshole have been married for 22 years they have had 7 children 6 still alive and 1 has died.

Mandy

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Mandy

Thanks for that, No sign of a Charles then at 4 Hampton Place in 1911? And which Child has died?

If I could be really cheeky and ask about Edward John Kenshole b 7 Aug 1901, Birth Registered in Cardiff but shows on 1911 as being in Tiverton and died in Tiverton 1975 where Ida's Grandfather came from (well, general area). Can I ask who he is living with in Tiverton 1911 and precise location and relationship to head?

I found by complete coincidence from HERE that Ida's Paternal Grandfather was Christened in Sandford Devon 1831. 10 Years ago I bought a Farm Ledger Book 1854 – 1878 and there are numerous payments to and from Various Kensholes including a servant at Shobrooke Barton the farm relating to the Ledger. These Kensholes must be descendants of Ida's Grandfather's siblings. Strange coincidence.

Apologies for drifting off topic slightly.

TEW

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  • 1 month later...

Wow!

These photographs are stunningly good, both regarding content and quality. Thank you very much for sharing them.

Yes lots of nurses etc were referred to by only their surnames. (My Uncle, a surgeon, married a senior sister, and even in the family she was known by her surname, as she had been known by it professionally for so long, though it was a fairly pleasant surname = "Cherry". My mum was a nurse and called by just her surname when she first started out just after the Second War.)

It was also common for people to be known by their initials (and still is).

I hope the detective work is going to confirm the identity of the photographer.

One aspect I found spooky about the handwriting of the labels was how very similar it is to the writing on labels of old photos in my family. (And it makes me realise how bad my dad and his (first) wife were at taking photographs - it was my grandfather who was the good photographer.) And I also have one of their old folding bellows cameras but with black bellows.

From my point of view it is great to see photographs of operating theatres etc that must be similar in appearance to the places my dad worked.

I look forward to more revelations.

Alfred

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Given the date for the entry in the Supplement to the Edinburgh Gazette is for June 5th 1919 (not the London Gazette for some reason) I was wondering if the majority of her time in France (and thus perhaps the photos too) might thus be after the Armistice when there was still a lot of nursing needed, but when there were no restrictions on photography.

If it is like by father's collection of photos, then some of the photos may also be ones that her friends gave her rather than ones that she took herself.

There is a photo of men in beds outside their huts. This looks to me like men who might have been recovering from Spanish flu. My father treated lots of flu victims with fresh air. (When it was a ward in a tent he simply detatched the side panels of the tents.) This was very new thinking at the time, and very effective.

(Even if my dad's photos are not so good I think I will find some way of sharing the ones that have pictures of nurses and VADs in them as they will also be someone's relatives.)

I've also just remembered that my father's first wife's family (Davies) were from Merthyr Tydfil too.

Alfred

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Bob

I have only just logged in to your wonderful album. (In the US at the moment with only occasional internet access). I have for many years been the guardian of the medal group of Sister Midgely and would love to have a decent photograph of her to accompany the group. And suddenly, there she is in one of your photos!!

Any chance of my scrounging a larger copy of that photo ???

Norman

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Any chance of my scrounging a larger copy of that photo ???

Hello Norman,

I will be happy to provide you with any photos you like. I will be out of town for a couple of days but I will provide you with larger scans when I get back (Thursday at the latest).

Bob

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Bob

It must have been a wonderful feeling to stumble onto this amazing photo album in a flea market.

Thankfully the images found a caring home.

Million thanks for sharing.

David

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First post.

I'm thrilled to see the pictures. My grandmothers speak to me through these pictures.

The day I joined, August 08, my paternal grandfather (16th Canadian Scottish) was, in 1915, in Bulford Camp.

Now that I'm here, I can begin to weave the fabric that brought him and my VAD grandmother, who nursed him, together.

Thank you.

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It must have been a wonderful feeling to stumble onto this amazing photo album in a flea market.

David

Hi David,

At the time (and it was many decades ago) I suspected that this was a very unique find. About 12 years ago I started my first website and I published a number of these pictures in the hope that they would be discovered by their families but that project failed and the album was returned to storage. Finding this forum was the jack pot and I am very pleased that these images have helped some members enhance their research. I may never be this lucky again but I am keeping my eyes open when I scan the book shelves of my local flea markets.

Bob

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The photos of Ballieul are fantastic, I've been searching for images of that area for ages.

Thanks for sharing Bob.

Wendy

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  • 3 weeks later...

I am sorry to report that the website that has been hosting the album pictures has been down for three days. I do not know if and when it will be back online. I'll keep the group posted.

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I am sorry to report that the website that has been hosting the album pictures has been down for three days. I do not know if and when it will be back online. I'll keep the group posted.

Hi Bob

All your images are safe here, on the WFA's Flickr site (thanks to your generosity).

Or on the article contributed to by Sue Light on the WFA's main website.

Kind regards

David

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  • 1 month later...

Hello Group,

This may be of interest to this forum. A number of decades ago I purchased an old photo album which appears to have been the property of a nurse who served in France between 1915 and 1920 (how it got to New Jersey I will never know).

Its funny you should say that my Grandfather's sister was a nurse in the war, met an American/Canadian and moved over to America/Canada after the war and married him.

Fantastic record of her time in France. Whoever she was.

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If the diaries and the photo album do tie together, this must surely be a strong contender for turning into a book - ideally with additional material and editorial input from Sue.

Brilliant idea...I hope this can happen !

Cheers

Wig

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Hi there Bob,

You're a champion !

Thanks so much for taking the time and effort to share these photos.

What an incredible find...at a flea market ? wow...

We're talking 'goosebump' material here !

I noticed on the thread here there was a mention of diaries maybe relating to the time frame of the photos ?

If this is so...imagine if a book could be published ? Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself !

Anyways...again, thanks for posting your link...truly amazing stuff.

Cheers

Wig

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This is a fabulous find and a great link. Thanks so much for sharing.

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I agree that these a fabulous photos.

I have some showing similar huts from my grandmother- initials HERO- who also caught the 1919 flue virus which affected the rest of her life.. She was at LE TREPORT for some time from 1915 to the end of the War and at other places. She was a VAD initially then ultimately with the British army on the Rhine.

I have less good quality but some interesting pictures showing bones with bullets in. My grandmother helped a pathologist and there are some pictures of this.Also a burial photo at Le Treport I think showing freshly dug graves.

The lodgings they had were corrugated iron huts she called " bunny hutches" i suspect due to sizxe and construction.

I am not a wiz with putting photos on . But if there is interest will have a go.

GR/ Swansea .

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  • 1 month later...

Just a little additional snippet. A previous post mentions Ida Kenshole being awarded the Royal Red Cross (2nd Class) in the honours list of 3rd June 1919. The actual Register entry shows that she didn't attend an Investiture, and was still living in Merthyr Tydfil at the time as the ARRC was sent to her home address, 12 Courtland Terrace, Merthyr Tydfil on 29th September 1920.

Sue

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Hi everyone,

Please bear with me, I am a newbie that hasn't found her way around this site yet, but what a fantastic thread to have dropped in on!

The photos are amazing along with all the information you have gathered.

I am hoping that with your help I will be able to find out more about the service record of my aunt :-

MATILDA GOODALL TATE (my great Aunt Tilly) was a nursing Sister who, in 1915 was with the 19th General Hospital, ORWA EL WASKA Hospital, Egypt. (I have a postcard of said hospital that Tilly sent to her sister). I have no idea at what point she 'joined'.

In my possession I have Aunt Tilly's autograph Album, in which there are many entries ( poems, drawings,watercolors) by soldiers that Tilly must have nursed, and my aim is to trace the families of the soldiers that made these entries and give them a copy .

There is one entry that is particularly poignant - it is an Acrostic of the 30th AMBULANCE TRAIN. I would love to be able to find out more about this train and if my Aunt was part of this......can anyone help ?

I would be prepared to scan and upload the album entries that contain viable research info (soldier name/no/regt. etc.

Thank you

Nina

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Hi Nina

I would advise you start a new thread about Matilda, your request for information is lost within another thread at the moment. There are plenty of people on here that would be interested to see her autograph album.

Mandy

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Hi Nina

I would advise you start a new thread about Matilda, your request for information is lost within another thread at the moment. There are plenty of people on here that would be interested to see her autograph album.

Mandy

Thank you Mandy, I did a 'cut and paste'. Does my original post need to be deleted ?

Nina

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