My mother was also born in 1908 so would have been 21 when she married Dad in 1929. He was born in 1903.
If bonnets were more of a feature in the 1920's then your photo, Paul, would I think have been well into the 1930's or later. But then the spats and especially the stiff collar with turned up edges. When did they drop out of fashion?
The photo has been cut - note the curving in edge top right and that must mean that your mother didn't know the people on the missing part of the photo very well. So the couple could be some very good friends, possibly from work. Did she talk about old friends at all? Do you know where either Mum or Dad worked, say during the war? If so then try looking for a forum where people want to share memories of an old work place and the friends they worked with. Even perhaps a South Shields forum could do the trick.
I have solved the odd mystery on the Consett & District Heritage page on Facebook _ https://www.facebook.com/groups/213017885386150/ For example I have a photo of my Mam standing outside a Butcher's shop in Consett alongside the Butcher and another lady. When I posted that on the Consett Forum somebody replied within moments saying that the Butcher was his granddad, so I was not only able to add a name to an unknown on the photo but discovered where she worked in the 1920's.
Same with friends I knew in Aden in the RAF in 1952. Several of my photos have been identified through a facebook page on Aden and one member who is still around is standing quite close to me in a photo.
In any case it is nice to catch up with the English we once used. I just had a look at the Consett page and someone has just posted a weather report - "It's stotting down, it'll be clarty the morra".
Good Luck - I think you will strike lucky before too long, Cheers Malcolm
Hi Malcolm, many thanks for your response, judging my the replies it seems to be a late 30's to early 40's wedding. When did spats go out of fashion? Good question, I may put it onto the forum and see what replies I get (very informative lot are the Rootschatters). Also the width of the trouser legs, different era's different widths. Mind you a northern wedding, " Divn't wurry aboot it not being fashion you'll still look canny in it"
Yes my mother was a good un for cutting people off photos if she didn't know them. My father was in the RAF during the war, married in late 39 and my mother lived with her father in Manchester (where she was from) during the war years before heading to N'cle to live. I know she worked in an accounts department before marriage, not sure when she stopped but my elder brother was born in 42. Yes quite possible a workmate, friend, but not a relative as far as I can see. Thats why I posted it on Rootschat, you just never know, as you said you will strike lucky, I hope so.
You know what it's like you never ask questions when you are young but my mother only went to Manchester to visit her brother (and with me when I was young) so she seems to have severed any ties with friends there. Up in N'cle it was just rellies that they seemed to visit although one or two other friends very occasionally, but I have no memories of them.
I don't know if you have visited Consett recently but you wouldn't recognise the place. I passed through a couple of times with my brother last year, I say passed through it's all ring roads so you don't go through the town but all the iron and steel works have totally gone, green fields now. No longer do you hear the sound of two 9F's (steam engines) fighting their way up the inclines fully laden with iron ore for the furnaces ( sorry my brother is a steam engine fanatic he is a founding member of the Tanfield railway formed over 40 years ago).
Once again thanks for your help, I hope the Melbourne weather is good, here in Perth it has been raining for the past week. We've both escaped and live in the land of sunshine (well most of the time). Thanks, Paul
