Sepia Saturday - Three's Company

Sepia Saturday give bloggers an opportunity to share their family history and memories through photographs.

My theme this week is very obvious - Threesomes.

 THREE SIBLINGS

 
Florence Annie (born 1894),  Lily (born 1886)  and William (born 1891)  - 
children of Henry Bailey and Annie McAffray of Blackpool, Lancashire 

This charming photograph is  one of the oldest  in my family collection and comes from my third cousin, Stuart.  Elizabeth Danson, the  mother of Henry Bailey above,  was Stuart's great grandmother and  the eldest sister  of my great grandfather James Danson.   Henry, a stone mason, died at the age of 41 in 1903, leaving his young family fatherless. 

THREE GENERATIONS

 My great grandmother Maria Danson, nee Rawcliffe (1859-1919)

with her daughter Jennie (my great aunt)  and little granddaughter Annie - c. 1909. 

Jennie was the only daughter and last child of James and Maria Danson, born on Christmas Eve, December 24^th 1897, with her eight (surviving)  brothers,  George then aged 3, Frank 5, Albert 7, Tom 9, William 12, Robert 16, John 18 and Harry 20 – quite a household in what looked like  a cramped terraced house.  Their father James died in 1906. 

Jennie's photograph collection forms the basis of much of my family history and even better she had identified the names on the back of most of the photos.   

Little Annie,  the daughter of second son John Danson and Sarah Haydon Lounds, was born 1905, but sadly Sarah died a year later and the infant Annie made her home with her grandmother, her many uncles and  her aunt Jennie, who was only eight years her senior. Further tragedy struck when Annie's  father John died in army camp in 1917. leaving Annie an orphan. 

THREE SOLEMN CHILDREN

Tom, Janie and Jack Riley, the grandchildren of Maria's sister Jane Riley, nee Rawcliffe, c.1913  

THREE SAILOR LADS

Jack Riley (above)  is identified in the centre  of this group,  
wearing sailor’s uniform  and a cap HMS Chester.

Jack was 5 months old in the 1901 census, but so far I have been unable to find him ten years on in 1911, with his surname a popular one in the Fylde region of Lancashire. 

I did a search for HMS Chester and was surprised to find it was the ship on which a young sailor John Travers Cornwell fought at the Battle of Jutland in 1916 and  was warded the Victoria  Cross for a conspicuous act of bravery.  The citation reads  "Mortally wounded early in the action, Boy, First Class, John Travers Cornwell remained standing alone at a most exposed post, continuing to service his gun, until the end of the action, with the gun's crew dead and wounded all round him. His age was under sixteen".

Was Jack Riley another young sailor  on board HMS Chester at this time?  I have  a postcard sent by his mother to my great grandmother Maria to say " Jack went out to sea today.  He went in good spirits".  The postmark is difficult to make out but could be 7.?? 16  or 18. 

John Cornwell was a keen scout in his home town and in his honour the Boy Scout Association instituted  the Cornwell Scout Badge, awarded for outstanding acts of  courage and endurance in the face of adversity.  There is an additional  personal dimension to this story, for my husband received the Cornwell badge in 1948 following three years serious illness  in hospital.

It is amazing the direction family history can take you!

THREE SISTERS

                     

Another photograph from Jennie's collection, identified as 

Amy,  Edna and Lavinia Dodd, Todmorden.

Jennie's youngest brother George had enlisted  January 1916 at Todmorden, West Yorkshire.  His army service record gave his   address at the time as  17 Harker Street, Harley Bank,  Todmorden, with occupation station bookstall manager. 

I turned to the 1911 census online  and found the Dodd family at  17 Harker Street, Harley Bank,  Todmorden, with head of household Elizabeth Dodd (occupation choring) and three daughters Amy aged 15 (a cotton weaver) , Edna 12 (a fustian sewer)  and Lavinia  aged 9.  They never George again, as he was killed on the Somme in 1916.

  

THREE MEN IN A PUB - or a club? 

Admittedly there is no sign of any drink, but here is my grandfather Willian Danson, in the centre with his brother Robert  (he had 7 brothers), and  a friend.  

THREE ON A ROCK

My parents, though I suspect this was taken prior to their marriage in 1938, with Mum (Kathleen Danson) on the left and Dad (John Weston) on the right  - plus an unidentified friend.

A  FAREWELL TRIO 

 

 My father in RAF uniform, with my mother on the right and her sister, my Aunt Edith on Dad's left - taken in the garden of my grandfather's house, c.1940.

THREE IN A ROW

Dad on the left  and his older brother Fred - whilst I am the little girl, not looking too happy

 THREE HAPPY HOLIDAYMAKERS  

 My brother Chris and I,  with our father on a busy promenade in Bournemouth, c.1952  

AND THE FAMILY TRIO 45 YEARS ON........

Dad, Chris and I

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