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Family History Documents and Artefacts => Unwanted Certificates & Artefacts => Topic started by: Cell on Sunday 05 March 17 23:51 GMT (UK)
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Hi,
I have in my possession an old photo album that seems to belong to a WA family (Australia).(1940s and 1950s)
The album contains photographs of Charles William Snook and his yacht Timaru in Perth. The photographs of Snook seem like family shots,they are not professionally taken .They seem to have been taken not long before he died, judging by his age and the other photos in the album, which some do have dates.
Much of the album contains photos of what seems to be a family trip to the uk plus local photos here in aus. Woodside , which seems like the photos were taken at a farm
I think one photo may be of Charles's wife as it is labled Hilda (taken in Ireland climbing up a hill), other photos have them in Trafalgar sq, Wales and Scotland.,loading their car onto the ferry at Fishguard (car reg begins with LA) - sadly the rest of number plate is not visible
Many of the people are not named, but Hilda , Kath , Mrs Reynolds and Patch the dog in front of Chilton Grove Sudbury (England)
There are also photo cards of Qantas first plane and such.
There is also a very old photo on the very 1st page, taken around the late 1800s or or early 1900 of a lady, taken in a studio in Perth, (and a much newer photo of a little girl stuck next to it, which looks to be taken in the 1940's maybe,) which I guess the older photo could be the owner of the album's mother,or grandmother.
I'm hoping a relation of Snook's , or his wife's (Hilda Burn kershaw), or his his 1st wife ( Clarice May Adele De Leon family)will come across this post with a google search.
Snook played a big part of Australian aviation history and I would like to pass the album on to a relation , or someone who has an interest in the man, and will take@care of the album.
http://www.tangeepublishing.com/forgotten_flyer.htm
http://www.raafawa.org.au/museum/wa-aviation-history/airlines-wa
http://www.rootschat.com/links/01jn3/
A little bit about him above
I have tried to contact the publisher of the book in the first link,so that they can pass on a message to the author of the above book(as it mentions he is a distant relative) but my mail bounces back saying that their inbox is full and contains fatal errors.
I don't want any money for the album, I rescued it from a local market here in Brisbane, cost me only $2, an absolute bargain!
Hopefully the author ,if still alive ,will find my post, or someone else who is connected to the family.
Kind Regards
Ps
I may upload the photos of Snook later , just to preserve them for anyone who has an interest in the man and WA aviation history -It seems such a shame if they get lost over time. He apparently used to take young cadets out in his yacht and also race it.
Ive done a fair bit of reading up on the man, too much info to put it all in my post. He had an adopted daughter, don't know if she is still alive, and it seems he also had a daughter and son from his first marriage which ended in divorce (Hilda was his second wife, who was just as@fascinating as him -apparently she was the 1st women to graduate as a dr out of the university )
The album may belong to one of his, or his wife's family members.
Excuse my typos (I am using my phone)
Pps , edited to add, I've just noticed that the pic of a Hilda (written alongside it is Hilda, going uphill at Carrichia Raide (sic)N Ireland , primroses in hand"who I thought may be his wife as her name was Hilda too -I am now fairly certain it is her, as underneath the photo alongside the date in small writng -I failed to notice that it says H.K !( as in Hilda kershaw and I know that she continued to use her maiden name in the medical world)
So who ever this album belongs to is certainly a relative , or a very close family friend who took the trip to the Uk with this family
I do hope that one of his relations finds this post, I'd love to pass the album onto it's rightful owners , otherwise I may ask the aviation museum,or archives over in Wa if they would they like it
I wonder how the album ended up here in Brisbane in a bootsale/market being unloved (In my total excitement of buying the album for just a measly $2 , I totally forgot to ask where the stall holder got it from...but I do know that many of the stallholders at this particular market get their stuff from the local recycle shop at the rubbish tip)
Kind Regards
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Following on, as I have just found some extra info;
His daughter from his first marriage died in 2012 in WA .
His son was apparently a bit of a well known war hero too
http://www.australiansatwar.gov.au/stories/stories_war=W2_id=194.html
One of the photos in the album, there is also young couple on the yacht, with a little boy .The young man looks the spitting image of the picture of the much younger Charles Snook - I wonder if this unlabeled pic is Charles's son .
There must be relatives out there somewhere.
Kind Regards
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:)I am the grandson of Charles William Snook and was delighted to find your entry about the photo album. Clarice's and Charlie's daughter, Gwendoline Lucy Adele Snook, was my Mother, born on Sept 11th 1914. They also had a son, Athelstan Charles Edwin Snook.
How can I obtain the album or a copy of it? I'm willing to reimburse any charges in gaining this information.
Cheers,
John Athelstan Bessell-Browne
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Hi John,
Welcome to RootsChat. When you replied to Cell's post earlier this morning it sent a notification to let them know of your reply. I have just picked up your message in the UK but members are from all around the world so sometimes you do need to allow time for folk to reply to you.
Regards
Sarah
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Hi,
I had trouble logging in - I forgot my password. I got the notification today in my emails - but because I haven't been on here for ages ( taking a break) I completely forgot my password - finally remembered it now :D
Hi John,
I do still have the album. Funny thing only two days ago I was thinking of it - so it's an odd concidence that you replied to my old message two days later - meant to be!
I don't want any money for it- I am really happy that it will go back to it's family especially direct family.. It is a fascinating album and obvious it belongs with it's family. I hope someone out there can do the same for me if they ever come across any of my family.
I enjoyed looking after it. , I hate to see family things destroyed and lost.
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Just Private Message me your postal address and if you're in Australia - I'll just send it to you in an aus post bag. Don't worry about it. If you want to send me the cost of postage back when you receive the parcel it's up to you - I am just really happy that it's found it's home.
If you're not in Aus -postage is expensive to internationally send and we have a problem and we'll have to sort something different out.
Kind regards
Cell
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Glad to hear that you are ok Cell :) John will be able to use the pm function when he has made one more post ;)
Regards
Sarah
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Thanks Sarah :)
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Brilliant posts .. I love it when an album or bible is sent HOME :)
fillin up
xin
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Lovely story Cell, glad you now have contact with a descendant!
I wonder how many of the same sort of thing has been thrown in the bin over time by people without trying to locate the origins/families concerned?
Of course when people have no interest in genealogy it wouldn't cross their minds to search for descendants to reunite any finds.
Annie
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Hello Cell,
I'm so glad to make contact and that you have the album still. My cousin, Athel's daughter, and I have both been interested in our genealogy so this is a wonderful find.
We live in Perth, Western Australia. Both Gwen and Athel died in Perth. Athel fought throughout WWII as a flight navigator who was involved in the Middle East, Indonesia and PNG. His, and eleven other's, dramatic escape from Java in a leaky fishing boat escaping from the Japanese made world headlines. It was a harrowing 47 days trip to Roebourne WA. I will send my postal address when I find out how to send it privately as I'm new to this site.
Cheers,
John
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Cell,
Out of curiosity, what's the distance from Perth, WA to where you came by the album?
It would be interesting to know how it got to be where you found it?
Annie
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Great news!
John ,you just need to make one more post and then by clicking on Cell's profile name you get up a screen where there a link enabling you to send a personal message.
Annette
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Cell,
Out of curiosity, what's the distance from Perth, WA to where you came by the album?
It would be interesting to know how it got to be where you found it?
Annie
A long way :D via the highway as not as the crow flies it is 4340.9 km ( 2697.3 miles)
people travel, I am surprised the original family are still in Perth.
kind Regards
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Hi john,
As Annette said, just click on my profile, you'll find a PM button there.
I thought I'd attach a few photos below.
First page of the book Out of curiosity, do you know who the lady and the little girl are? There are no names on these two . They are stuck firmly to the pages and I didn't want pull them off to see if there is any writing on the back, just in case I damage them.
kind regards
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page 2 and 3:
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page 2 ( page 3 is the above one)
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page 4
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page 5
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page 6
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page 7
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page 8 ( I may be here for a while lol - I've compressed them for the web, so they may not be very clear. Many are postcards of their trip, with photos of the family in between) - I don't know if there is any writing on back of cards.
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page 9
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page 10
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page 11
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page 12
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page 13
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page 14
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page 15
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page 16
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17
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18
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19, 20 and 21 ( I have just realised that rootschat allows multiple photos in the same post! lol)
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22, 23 and 24
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25, 26 and 27
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28 and 29.
I think that is it.
Pm me your address if you would like it sent to you.
Kind regards
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Replying to rootschat in th hope that this will enable me to use personal mail to Cel with my address and mobile number without others seeing it.
Cheers,
John Bessell-Browne
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Thankyou Cell for those interesting snapshots of the album. It looks to be in very good condition. I should be able to send you my address and phone number on the private site.
Cheers,
John
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Hi John,
You are looking for the dark round button below cells profile name, it is on the right if you hover over it the button will show its name as a private message.
Nice to see the photo's Cell :D
Sarah
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Pm's Done :)
Thanks Sarah, I thought I'd upload them too to the post , just to preserve them -because if anyone in the future from extended, or close family is looking for their history too , they can copy the above photos ( although they are very small files)
Kind Regards
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Hi,
I was just wrapping up the book( I'll get to the PO tommorrow to post it ) - and was taking some decent photos of it just to store on my computer away before wrapping it up, when I noticed that one of the postcards has writing on the back - I can't pull it off without ruining it as it's stuck down firmly in the middle of the postcard, but I can read a couple of the lines on the bottom of it.
Something about Loch Lomond and it is signed from Aunty Hilda - so whoever album this belonged to was , or is (if alive) probably a niece or nephew to Charles Snook and Hilda .
The written address part of the card reads Vermont Victoria. -I can't read above that ( the full address) as it's stuck.
When you get the album you may want to see if you can remove the cards to check the backs, I know I would! ( it's killing me not being able to get the card off to read what the letter says lol). - Maybe a museum can offer you advice on how to remove them safetly without damaging the backs of them. Exciting that there is actually a letter there from Hilda.
Kind Regards
Ps
The letter is on the back of the bottom left photocard on the page that is marked kyles of Bute( when you go to look for it ). Hopefully some of the others have letters too -I can't tell as most are stuck down solid around the edges. This one was loose at the bottom of the card, so could just peer around the edge
Kind Regards
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What a treasure you have found Cell. So nice of you to save it and return it to where it belongs. I'm glad that John has found you and is so interested to claim his family photos. A great story.
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What a treasure you have found Cell. So nice of you to save it and return it to where it belongs. I'm glad that John has found you and is so interested to claim his family photos. A great story.
I am excited that I have just discovered a letter from Hilda on the back of one and they're not even my family lol. ;D
The album has just been gathering dust for the past year. I hate to see things such as this thrown out, probably because I'd love to find some of my old family stuff - wouldn't we all?
Kind Regards