october 19th 1912 henry Benton to alice benton
burnley, Lancashire to wythburn, cumbria
74 miles
the message
"Dear Alice
What fettle now first rate I expect. Had word from Annie this week twice doing allright at present here
Love
Harry"
the sender
Henry Benton (1884-1942) was the second of the six children of William Benton (1850-1915) and Alice Ann Howard Williams (1859-1937). William was an inspector in the Water Works of Manchester Corporation. Henry was a stone mason and builder. In 1931 he married Esther Alice Smart (1893-1980).
the recipient
Alice Benton (1894-1971) was the fifth of the Benton children. She did not marry. In the 1939 register she was a cinema manageress and living with her unmarried sisters Elizabeth (1891-1974), a bank clerk, Florence (1896-1970, who is an invalid, and her widowed sister Annie Wlison (1881-1978) who is a housekeeper.
See also
the places
Burnley, Lancashire
Wythburn, Cumbria
what the card says to us
The picture appears to have no connection to the family or the message. It simply shows a pretty girl in a nice outfit with a bunch of flowers. And a magnificent hat.
In 1912 Henry was 28 years old and Alice was 18. The message is innocuous. The use of the word "fettle" is unusual and perhaps particular to the family or the region.
The address is the most interesting part of the card. The village of Wythburn was flooded in 1894 to create the Thirlmere reservoir to serve Manchester (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thirlmere). That the Benton family are living in a house with an address in Wythburn of interest especially as William Benton, the head of the family has a senior position in the Water Works of the Manchester Corporation. Presumably he had some responsibility for the reservoir. There is no trace of Helvellyn House.