september 3rd 1908 Q to emily catherine shorthouse

leicester, leicestershire to birmingham, warwickshire

34 miles

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the message

“Glad you like ??? - Am hoping to get another for Home. You had better look round station (MR or L&WN) for time of that train. I cant tell here. Shall we say (by) the 16th? ??? I return 28th so far as i know at present. Glad you are well. So sorry about Minnie. Would she want to “51” at all. Have you seen “92” lately.

Love

Q”

the sender

There are no clues to he identity of Q.

the recipient

Emily Catherine Shorthouse (1883-1959) was the daughter of Charles Allday Shorthouse (1849-1903) and Emily Wright (1855-1890). Charles was a butcher. Emily’s mother died when Emily was only seven and a year later her father remarried , his new wife being Sarah J Westwood (1863-?). Emily was living with her father in 1901, aged 18, and according to the census her occupation was Tinned Food Worker. In the 1911 census she was listed as an assistant to Kate Hadley in an A La Mode Beef Store at an address in Bristol Street, Birmingham.

In 1912 Emily married George Lea Owen (1884-1930). George was a commercial clerk but also a vicar. Upon his death he was a reverend living at the vicarage in Berrow, Worcestershire.

the tree

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the places

Leicester to Birmingham

data=CybzaUxdGEEwwp3fi6js2Mcj9cM7MXQG-poOYaeYdrZ1uAqqMGwh5-2h0eShhrqW7UUNPSyRjpOHRzmVzjiOjOA4-BBQ5GYfxY5JPkNbgadxbyd_Rd0pR0CexMHYaok0Xl9vVSMcJf26QKPSUONvA_dvSiza552krAE,E0q4lTq8TfL-O_y2zZc9VORJYUD-S.png

Leicester, Leicestershire

 

Birmingham, Warwickshire

 

Berrow, Worcestershire

 

what the card says to us

The picture shows Western Park, Leicester, which is where the card was posted. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Park,_Leicester)

The sender is very mysterious. Who is Q?

And the message is a mixture of normal and not normal. A crucial question is what is it that Emily likes? It looks like Phs, but that makes no sense.

Then there are the numerical references to 51 and 92. What is that all about?

And who is Minnie?

And what is the significance of the train? And the railways (Midland Railway (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midland_Railway) and London and North Western Railway (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_and_North_Western_Railway))? Were there different stations?

So many questions. So few answers.