Broad Street, Oxford

A post card from Fred about an awful storm and the poor summer weather.

September 22nd 1903 was a Tuesday.

Barcombe in Sussex

Edith had a pleasant afternoon drive and posted this card in Barcombe which is north of Lewes.

April 16th 1906 was Easter Monday.

A post card to Mrs Hurst

A post card from Florrie to Mrs Hurst from Sheffield. Mrs Hurst was widowed 1898 and appears to have been working as a housekeeper at 103, Western Road. How this card arrived in John's collection is currently unknown, but maybe through his grandmother, Jane Povey's family.

August 2nd 1906 was a Thursday. A Great Storm occurred at Little Staughton, North Bedfordshire on that date. Jane Povey's father, Thomas Cooper was born at Staughton in 1807.

Silver Strand, Katrine

With love, Auntie, but which Auntie. John's father had three sisters, Elizabeth, Sarah and Fanny. He also had two brothers William who was married to Mary and Harry who married Emily. Harry and Emily with their three children lived over the butchers shop at 6, Richmond Street in Brighton. Having cards from the other four aunts in the collection it is reasonable to assume that this card was from John's Auntie Emily.

Emily Goodridge

January 31st 1906 was a Wednesday.

Shap Abbey, Westmoreland

A post card of Shap Abbey from Edith, no message.

January 12th 1904 was a Tuesday. Henry Ford set a speed record, 91.37 mph.

Merton College Library, Oxford

Another post card from Edith when she and her husband were on holiday in Oxford. 

August 9th 1906 was a Thursday. The Times published a letter from Lord Kelvin on that day.

Brazenose College, Oxford

A second post card sent by Edith when on her visit to Oxford with her husband in August 1906. The other card sent two days later is addressed to her home in Lewes to her brother, John.

August 6th 1906 was a Monday.

Who was Mrs Williams?

There are several post cards in John's album that were sent to people that appear not to have a connection with him. This card to Mrs. Williams who was at an address in Torquay at the time is one of them. A search of the 1901 and 1911 census records as well as the BMDs suggest that Mrs Williams may have been Alice Langford before she was married. There is a post card from Alice within John's collect.

August 13th 1906 was a Monday.

Now you have left School

John left school in the Summer of 1904 just after his 14th birthday. As the only son, he felt that it was his duty to work for his father in the butcher's shop that he had lived above since his birth in June 1890.

July 11th 1904 was a Monday. William Morrissey alias Smith Arrested for: Sleeping Out Arrested at: North Shields Police Station Arrested on that date.

Worcester College, Oxford

In August 1906 John was staying at his sister Edith's home while she and her husband were visiting Oxford.

August 8th 1906 was a Wednesday. The SS Doric set off on her last voyage for The White Star Line from San Francisco on that day.

Wu sing is my new name

Who decided to call themselves Wu sing in 1904? This card contains a clue, "You know the P.C. with the motor bus on that you sent, well I thought it was for me but discovered on Friday that it was for Mother."

The post cards in John's collection contains one from Elizabeth Tidy, his aunt and Lily, his cousin so could Wu sing have been his cousin, May Tidy?

This photograph shows John as a young child holding the reins with his sister, Edith behind him and cousin May on the right. her father Jim Tidy is holding the pony.

In 1904 John left school and started working for his father, in the butchers shop, but would have liked to have had a career in buses. Was the Motor Bus post card an illustration of his interest?

February 22nd 1904 was a Monday. Winston Churchill spoke three times in a House of Commons debate about the Army (Supplementary) Estimates 1903/04.

Langland Bay, Swansea

Thank you for P.C. Wusing?

On another card in the album this correspondent describes 'Wusing' as their new name. One of John's aunts may be.

March 5th 1904 was a  Saturday, Nikola Tesla publish his paper entitled The transmission of electricity without wires on that day.

Ted and Freddie have got colds

A post card from Mary Goodridge to her sister in law Emma Goodridge. Her message about what is happening on the farm she and her farmer ran, Ted and Freddie have colds, three calves born and a foal on the way.

March 10th 1905 was a Friday. It was the day that Chelsea FC was founded.

A post card from Nellie

This card suggests that Nellie was working as a domestic servant for Miss H. and was clearly worried about having supper ready for her employer at 8 o.c. Was she and the George she mentions former school friends? The first post card that was posted on this website from John Goodridge's collection was to "Miss Hall", was she Miss H.?

John received this card while staying with his aunts, Sarah and Fanny.

August 25th 1903 was Tuesday, this was the last summer before John left school.

Wimbledon Common

Edith's lodger had left. In 1901 Edith and her husband, Percy we're living in an eight-room house at 62, Noth Street in Lewes and in 1906 a postcard in the collection shows that they had moved to Regis, Abinger Place in the town, a ten-room house.

July 11th 1905 was a Tuesday. There was an earthquake of 7.2 magnitude off the coast of Japan.

Lewes Castle

From Edith to Johnnie, pleased to receive your P.C., let me know when your bed will ready and Majorie is full of the Aquarium. The Brighton Aquarium was a ten-minute walk along Marine Parade from John's home so it is reasonable to assume that he would have visited there during his childhood.

June 21st 1906 was Thursday.

Post card of Lewes

A card from sister Edith to John about the weather. It was a snowy end of the year in 1906.

December 28th 1906 was a Friday. There was a rail accident on the British Northern near Arbroath.

Shall we go to the Hippo?

A post card from the Wrench Series of Southsea Terrace. Edith wrote to say that she was going to Brighton on the following Monday and would like to see her brother and may take him to the Hippo. His elder daughter, Betty said that her father enjoyed variety theatre and one of his grandchildren added that he found Monty Python funny when they watched the programmes together in the early 1970's.

October 22nd, 1904 a Saturday. It was the day that the Imperial Russian Navy fired on British trawlers, the Dogger Bank Incident.

An Idle Moments Post Card from Edie

Another of the free gift post cards from the Idle Moments magazine. Edith used this one to ask for a joint to be delivered on Wednesday. John's father travelled by train to Lewes each afternoon to visit his farm in Ham Lane. Taking a joint to his daughter would not have been greatly out of his way.

May 11th 1904 was a Wednesday, so I hope the card arrived in time.

St Giles Fair, Oxford

No message on a card from Sutton Courtney. The other postcard from the Oxfordshire village was from Fred.

October 29th 1903 was a Thursday. 

The West Pier, Brighton

A post card from Mother, Emma Goodridge to John when he was visiting his aunts, Sarah and Fanny in Horsham. Later in his life, he recalled that he generally spent the summer holidays with his maiden aunts or otherwise stayed at home. In August 1903 he was thirteen.

Mrs. Goodridge failed to put a postage stamp on the card so a 1d. penalty charge was made. There are two round post marks, Brighton at 9.30 am and Horsham at 12.30 pm.

August 26th 1903 was Wednesday.

Happy Christmas 1906

Wishing you a Happy Christmas with best love from Lily.

December 24th 1906 was a Monday.

Post card from Lily

Lily was John's cousin and had married Dave Streeter in 1905 and by the time she wrote this card she was a mother with a one-year-old son, Reginald. Her message about why her husband had not responded giving puzzles and making a "metal" for keeping with the greyhounds, fascinating.

November 7th 1907 was a Thursday. The Ottawa branch of the Royal Mint struck the first test tokens on that day in preparation for the minting of Canadian coinage.

Birthday wishes from Nellie

Many happy returns of the day, Nellie. But who was Nellie?

June 7th 1904 was a Tuesday. John started working for his father after leaving school in 1904.