??? 27th 1912 walter Williams to flossie may ferley

symonds yat, Herefordshire to Chepstow, Monmouthshire

21 miles

the message

"Dear May

We are having a fine time here to day. What a pity you are not here, but we are all thinking about you. I should think you will want an extra album for all these cards as we are all writing here. We look like a lot of clerks. I hope people won't take us for German spies

Wallie"

the sender

There are no concrete clues but there is circumstantial evidence that it is Walter Williams. The clues are explained in the Recipient section.

the recipient

There is strong circumstantial evidence that the recipient is Flossie May Ferley (1893-1980). The card is addressed "Dear May". Ferley is an unusual name and there are not many to be found within the census. At first she could not be found but then by chance a search based on the address brought up a picture of Chepstow High Street in 1906 from the Francis Frith collection (http://www.francisfrith.com/chepstow/chepstow-high-street-1906_54506). It shows a sign saying London House Alfred Lewis. Alfred Lewis was a draper. In 1911, Flossie May Ferley was a draper's assistant in Monmouth which is not far away. It is not inconceivable that Flossie May Ferley is the recipient of this card in 1912, now working at a draper's shop in Chepstow. Perhaps she did not like the name Flossie and preferred to go by May.

In 1921, Flossie May married George Manns (1890-1955). They did not have any children. When George died he left some money to a retired draper called Walter Williams. It is not inconceivable that the local drapers all new each other and that this is the sender of the card, Wallie.

the places

Symonds Yat and Coldwell Rocks

Chepstow

what the card says to us

The card tells us that the stamping devices used by the Post Office were not always effective. On this card the year of the postmark is just about discernible as 1912 but the month is completely invisible.

It is interesting that in 1912 someone is making jokes about German spies, two years before the outbreak of WWI. Was that a thing back in 1912.

It also shows that sometimes you cannot get all the evidence in to a watertight case. To obtain an identity for the Sender and Recipient it has been necessary to make some deductions, to put two and two together and to have fingers crossed.

The picture paints a very forbidding picture of Coldwell Rocks. Had no one thought that an enticing picture on a postcard would be good for tourism. Possibly not as the text suggests that this is a day trip to a local attraction. Perhaps Flossie May was meant to go and was ill. We will never know.