January 8th 1916 M Cottingham to Kathleen mary Hannah halstead

keld, Yorkshire to Huddersfield, yorkshire

101 miles

the message

"Thwaite

Richmond

Yks

Dear K

Just a card in haste wishing you a happy and prosperous new year. Hope you are having a good time, as I have so far. Are you ready for going back to Sheffield. Write back

Much love

M Cottingham"

the sender

It has not been possible to positively identify M Cottingham.

the recipient

Kathleen Mary Hannah Halstead (1896-1972) was the daughter of George Randal Halstead (1859-1935) and Mary Elizabeth Smith (1859-1919). George was a warehouseman working for a tea blender in Huddersfield. In January 1916 when the card was sent, Kathleen would have been 19 years old.

In 1922, Kathleen married John Edward Helliwell (1891-1976). In 1911 he was a mineral water labourer but by 1939 he was a master grocer. They had one child.

the places

Keld and Thwaite, Richmond, Yorkshire

Huddersfield, Yorkshire

what the card says to us

The card is a New Year card and quite unusual. The man is wearing tails which in 1916 would not be common outside institutions like public schools, universities, government or the City of London. The use of the word "dear" suggests some sort of romantic connection between the sender and the recipient, or were they more innocent times? If it was, then it didn't result in marriage because 6 years later, Kathleen married John Helliwell.

The message refers to "going back to Sheffield". Sheffield is another 30 miles south of Huddersfield. What was in Sheffield? The time of year suggests that M Cottingham and Kathleen were at some sort of college or university. Was this a student romance?

So many questions.