Hadley Highstone

New Year greetings from New Barnet. I wonder what the initials M B meant to the sender and Jane Povey. I think that the card was from her stepbrother Henry Mould.

The Highstone is the Battle of Barnet monument unveiled in 1740 and the inscription on the four sides are

"HERE was fought the Famous BATTLE Between EDWARD the 4th and the EARL of WARWICK April the 14th ANNO 1471 in which the EARL Was Defeated And Slain. 

TO HATFIELD VII MILES ¾. 

FROM ST ALBANS VIII MILES ¾. 

THIS WAS ERECTED 1740."

December 29th 1903 was a Tuesday. French Equatorial Africa separated into Gabon, Chad & Ubangi-Shar.

A Postcard from Elizabeth Tidy

A Card from E.T., John's father had a sister called Elizabeth who married James Tidy and the lived in Horsham. It's a reasonable assumption to believe this card was from John's aunt. 

Elizabeth Tidy nee Goodridge.

March 8th 1904 was a Tuesday.

Postcard to Mrs Povey from S Baldwin

I have not yet discovered the relationship between Jane Povey and S. Baldwin. As the cards she sent are post marked New Barnet she may be part of the Mould family.

The 1911 census records that an S. Baldwin was a housekeeper at the Middlesex County Asylum at Napsbury Park. John's son, also John was a hospital manager who moved from Exminster to Hertfordshire to undertake a similar role.

July 22nd 1905 was a Thursday. Harper's Weekly featured a cartoon about the problem of yellow fever during construction of the Panama Canal.

How is Grandma?

This is one of the later cards in John's collection, his twentieth birthday was less than three months after this card was sent. It is also poignant to read as it was posted a month after Grandma, Mrs Jane Povey had passed away. Had Edith and her husband Percy been on a holiday to Italy several weeks?

March 10th 1910 was a Thursday. Winston Churchill had been appointed as Home Secretary in February 1910 and Hansard reports one comment by him in a debate on that day and two written answers. One of the topics was about the Employment of Children.

Teddy has got a little brother!

I think this post card was sent by Mary Goodridge, John's mother's sister in law. The handwriting on a card sent in February 1907 is the best match that I have found in the collection. As for Teddy and his brother I have not as yet been able to find them in the births or census records.

December 11th 1907 was a Wednesday. The wooden Parliament House of New Zealand was almost completely destroyed by fire on that day.

Contrary to regulation 132

This card is intriguing as it has a halfpenny stamp post marked September 22nd, 1904 and a 1d penalty charge. Page 53 of the Post Office Guide, July 1920 explains the regulations for Post Cards at that time.

September 22nd, 1904 was a Thursday. The Olympic boxing event was held on the 21st and 22nd September 1904 in St. Louis, USA.

An unposted card - Warwick Castle

One of the few unused cards in John's collection.

Many happy returns - birthday 1904

On June 8th, 1904 John celebrated his 14th birthday. He left school soon afterwards and started working in his father's butcher's shop. Late in his life, he recorded:

"I remember wanting to go into the Omnibus business when I was a lad, but in my young days' children whose parents had a small one-man business had to help in that business. No doubt if I had any brothers, no doubt I should have done, but being an only son I had to follow in my father's footsteps. By doing so I pleased him and enabled him to die happy. I am positive that I have gained by doing so."

He was a shareholder of Southdown from its beginning and left a collection of timetables starting from around 1920. These were donated to the Amberley Industrial Museum and some are on display in the Southdown Garage exhibit.

June 7th 1904 was a Tuesday. The first electric tram service in Preston started its run at 7.10 am on that day.

An image of Matlock Bath

A post card from Edith with no message. I am beginning to think that the post card album that these cards are from may have been a Christmas gift from Edith to her brother in 1903. Edith was by far the biggest sender of cards and 1904 appears to be the peak year for cards to John.

January 15th 1904 was a Friday.  

Guys Cliff from Idle Moments

This is the third post card that Edith sent to John from the Idle Moments 'free gift'. She used this one to ask for some nice fat to make dripping.

July 5th 1904 was a  Tuesday. This was a day that Winston Churchill MP for Oldham did not speak in the House of Commons.