RoaminRascal: A Brief Early Pictoral Dip into (mainly maternal) Family History

Tuesday, 24 February 2015

A Brief Early Pictoral Dip into (mainly maternal) Family History

Recently cleared out Sis's numerous files as she migrated from Desktop to Laptop and came upon a collection of early black and white family pics, many from the turn of last century, that I thought I'd share. A sketchy history of the period goes something like:

Grandfather Thomas Alfred Sewell, Mothers Dad, had been engaged in the war in Mesopotamia:

He was injured and invalided out. Joining the Imperial War Graves Commission with the vaunted title of Head Gardener he was in charge of creating many of the cemeteries around war torn Ieper, Belgium.

Poperinghe then

and now

the Sewell abode

Some how Gran (Elizabeth) ended up in the mud and destruction that was Iepres of the time, probably as a nursing auxilliary, met Thomas and married, settling in Poperinghe.

Gran and sister Rose

Gran in Belguim

Grans Sister Rose, Gran and Grandad in Belgium

Along came mam (Rhona Margaret) and brother (Alfred Kew)

Rhona Alfred + Grandma

Rhona

Alfred with Titch the dog

Thomas Alfred died in service and is buried in the military cemetery, behind the Menin Gate, in Iepres

Gran and the family returned to Carlisle and opened a guest house in Howe Street.

Alec & Theo Prince @ Howe Street

Gran Alfred & Rhona @ Howe Street

Alfred @ Howe Street

Gran and Mam @ Rocliffe

Gran - Elizabeth (Sissy) Sewell

Gran began as cook at a country house in Rocliffe and ended her working life as head cook at the Cumberland Infirmary.

During the Second World War mother was an ambulance driver, a job she loved but, unfortunately, after the war women were no longer allowed to drive ambulances.