February 5th 1930 marion hill to Cynthia M anstey

Nottingham, Nottinghamshire to Weybridge, surrey

140 miles

the message

"Dear Cynthia

I think that this sort of an engine goes through your station doesn't it. Tell mummy that I will write a letter

with love from

Auntie Marion"

the sender

Marion Hill (1896-1972) was one of two daughters of Tom Hill (1865-?) and Alice Carter (1866-?). Tom was a commercial traveller in soap. There is nothing to suggest why Marion was in Nottingham in 1930. In 1911 the family was living in Kingston, Surrey.

the recipient

Cynthia M Anstey (1925-?) was 5 years old when she was sent this card. Her parents were Stuart Anstey (1879-1961) and Marion's sister Jessie Hill (1893-1965). Stuart, in 1911, was Secretary of the Havana Railway. In 1948, Cynthia married Derek P Kirkland (1921-?). They had a single child in 1953.

the places

Nottingham, Nottinghamshire

Weybridge, Surrey

Dublin, Ireland

Cobh (formally Queenstown), Ireland

what the card says to us

The picture on the card is from a series called Famous Expresses. The engine is not named as many are. It represents the Great Southern Dublin to Queenstown (now Cobh) mail train. The painting is signed Barnard Way. Robert Barnard Way was a noted painter of railway subjects as this blog post reveals. https://bearalley.blogspot.co.uk/2008/10/r-barnard-way.html

There has been two additions to the picture in pencil, presumably by Cynthia Anstey. There is a bi-plane flying over the train and on the hill to the left there is what looks like a stick man although it might be a tower with a flag on top.

There is a railway theme al through this card. Marion's father, Stuart Anstey who was Cynthia's grandfather was, in 1911, Secretary of the Havana Railway. All the railways in Cuba were British owned in the early part of the 20th Century.