July 31st 1913 uncle fred to harry norwood

chester, cheshire to mablethorpe, lincolnshire

183 miles

the message

"Dear Harry

Having the day here. Lovely weather, going back via Birkenhead Liverpool

Kind regards from

Uncle Fred"

the sender

There is nothing to identify Uncle Fred. He is obviously on holiday and there is nothing to reveal where he is returning to. Untraceable.

The recipient

The use of "Esquire" suggests that Harry Norwood is a young boy, but beyond that, there are no clues. The fact that he is staying at a boarding or guest house suggests that he too is on holiday. Is he with family? Is he on his own? Is he on business? Where does he live? Does he live near Uncle Fred? Too many unanswered questions and no answers.

the places

Chester, Cheshire

Mablethorpe, Lincolnshire

what the card says to us

The picture is of Chester which is where the card was sent from.

Although the sender and recipient cannot be identified because there are not enough clues, it is possible to identify the landlady of the guesthouse where Harry was staying. Her name is Lilly Gunning nee Palmer (1869-1949). She was born in Nottingham, the fifth of seven children. Her parents were Edmund Wright Palmer (1821-1898) and Emma (1837-). Edmund was a lace maker.

In 1897, Lilly married Francis Edward Gunning (1872-1909). Francis was born in Nova Scotia. He died in Sheffield. He was a linotype print operator in Nottingham in 1901. At some point between 1901 and 1909 Francis, and presumably family, moved to Sheffield. And then, following the death of Francis, Lilly moved to Mablethorpe where she started to run a guest house. Francis and Lilly had a daughter, Mabel Rosamund. Rosamund is also the name of the guest house.