Hertfordshire Genealogy: Summer Holiday in Herts and Bucks, 1912

Rogues Gallery: Who are they?

Do it yourself photography, with the box brownie and roll film, came in about 100 years ago and the result was to produce large numbers of unique pictures of people and places connected with the family. When an elderly family member dies, one of the most frustrating things is sorting through old unidentified photographs and wondering who the people are, and where were they taken. (Have you labelled all your photographs??)

The following pictures all come from a photograph album which I purchased on ebay because it contained identified views of a holiday in Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire in 1912. The Album was sold from Germany, but the captions are in English.

"Ivinghoe Warriors"

It would appear that the party were based at Ivinghoe

"Our Retreat"

The early pictures relate to a visit to Great Gaddesden, Boxmoor and Hemel Hempstead, followed by a visit to St Albans Abbey


*"Norman Door, Hemel Hempstead"*		*"A Quiet Corner, Water End"*

Following a trip to Milton's Cottage, Chalfont St Giles, and to Winsor Castle, they visited Aldbury, and Ashridge, presumably climbing the hill out of Aldbury by donkey cart.


*"Sundial, Aldbury"*		*"If I had a donkey & he wouldn't go"*		"The Queen Beech"

There were also trips in Bedfordshire to Totternhoe Knoll, Eddlesboro Church, and Ascot House, and in Buckinghamshire where Aylesbury, Wendover and the Boer War memorial at Combe Hill were photographed.

Sometimes such pictures can be of interest because they can be linked into some local or family history (see for example the old photos of Wydiall).

In this case the album was disappointing - in part because the "wanderers" are not identified, and in part because the quality of the pictures was at best poor, and at worse totally unusable.

"Master Jack"