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I know we've had success in the past in identifying artists so I was wondering if RCers would like to have a go at this one.  This painting belonged to my father and all I know about it is that it's Dutch.  I don't even know how old it is but it was bought from an art dealer about 50 years ago and it was old then.

I've increased the size of the artist's signature to hopefully assist and would be very grateful for any suggestions.

Many thanks
GS

I have a relative, Edith Grace Johnson, born Ipswich 5 October 1919, who disappeared in London during the 1940s.  She appears in the 1939 register so presumably is now dead.  Previously, with the help of some brilliant sleuthing from RCers, we established that her father, Richard Johnson, died in the blitz on 26 September 1940: 

https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=784605.0

The background is that at  some point in 1940 Edith returned to Ipswich with a young baby, and stayed with my grandmother, before returning to London, and promising to keep in touch.  That was the last the family heard of her or the baby.  In 1952 there were concerted efforts made to trace her as she had been named as a beneficiary in the Will of my great-grandmother, but even the Salvation Army was unable to trace her.

My question is:  if someone died in the blitz and was never identified, but was later declared missing,  what would have happened?  Would they have been declared dead after a certain number of years?  And what of the unidentified people who died during the blitz?   I accept that they couldn't be named, but I was wondering if figures for unknown dead are held anywhere with locations for their deaths, or lists of those missing for whom death had been assumed.  I ask this because one of the possibilities was that Edith and her baby could have taken shelter in the Kennington Park air raid shelter which received a direct hit on 15th October 1940, killing at least 50 of the occupants, many of whose bodies were never recovered.

I'd appreciate your advice regarding my late father-in-law's WW2 medals.  His name was Stanley Claude Green and he was in the Royal Marines doing service during WW2 on both the Russian convoys and in Japan at the time of liberation.  His grandson is anxious to trace his medals which are missing.  Unfortunately the belief is that Stan might have given them away during his later years when he was suffering the early symptoms of dementia.  He died in 1996.  I don't have his service number and Ancestry has thrown up little information on his service record giving only a Long Service & Good Conduct Medal awarded in the 1950s and his appointment as Temporary Lieutenant for duty with the Sea Cadet Corps (a role he held for many years).

So really my questions are: Is it possible to get a replacement set of medals to replace those lost?  And if we are unable to find his service number can my step-son still apply for his service records?

Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated.

Kind regards
GS

Many years ago I bought two watercolours by H E Vaughan, one of which is shown below together with his signature and the date of 1925.  On the back of the board is a label which gives the title of the painting as 'Sunset at Menton'.  At the time,  I was told that H E Vaughan had, as a young man, gone on a tour of Europe during which he had painted many of the places he visited.  He had also written a journal in which he had made numerous sketches - I was shown the journal, it was fascinating.  Subsequently the person who had charge of the journal died, and I was told (although this was never confirmed) that the journal was destroyed along with a lot of other paperwork, which to my mind is a tragedy because it was a wonderful piece of recent history.

For years I have wondered who H E Vaughan was; I know he was Welsh and I'm assuming he lived in the Carmarthen area but this is only a guess.  So if anyone would like to have a go at trying to identify H E Vaughan, and find out what became of him, I would be delighted.

Kindest regards
GS

I'd appreciate some advice/help please, as I am researching the death of Alice Maud Smith (nee Potkins) who, according to her death certificate, died at Heathfields, Woodbridge Road, Ipswich on 24th February 1920.  The cause of her death is given as Pulmonary Tubercule, she is a widow aged 27, and she had two young children.  I am assuming that Alice was in the Workhouse Infirmary because of her illness, as her death certificate gives a home address for her.

According to the family story,  Alice's children were 'in an orphanage' at the time of her death and for a while thereafter, until their maternal grandmother took them into her family and raised them.  So I am wondering if it is likely that the children would have been taken into the workhouse when Alice was admitted to hospital, and whether there are any records I could access to see if this was the case.

I have posted here rather than on the Suffolk board because it's more by way of a general enquiry as to the existence or otherwise of workhouse records, and where they might be found.  Any help would be very much appreciated.

Kind regards
GS