Bert's collection of actress postcards - part 2

Two from Ralph Dunn & Co, 63 Barbican E.C. - Delia Mason and Zena Dare

One from Aristophot Co Ltd, London W.C. of Pinkie and the Fairies - Miss Elise Craven as "Queen of the Fairies"

Finally, a torn one from The Philco Publishing Co, ! Holborn Place, London W.C. It is signed, but only part of the signature is visible. This is the only card that has been sent through the post. It is addressed to Mr A.C. Mackie at 15 Plumstead Common Road. The word "Local" has also been added to the address.

Bert's collection of actress postcards - part 1

These are all by the Rotary Photographic Co and date from the early 1900s. They were obviously purchased as collectors' items as none have actually been through the mail, although one of them has Bert's name and address written on the back:
A.C. Mackie, 15 Plumstead Common Rd, Plumstead, Kent

From top to bottom and left to right we have Miss Winifred Hare, Miss Susie Vining, Miss Doris Lester, Ruth St. Denis "Hindu Radha" (not quite what it says on the card, but results ofGoogle searches suggest that the caption is incorrect), Miss Zena Dare and Miss Maud Allan "Medelssohn's Spring Song".

Your blogger at a very early age

This must be one of the earliest pictures of me, probably taken around August 1952 in the front room at Basildon Road. The sofa is a Lloyd Loom. What looks like wicker is actually made up of twisted strands of Kraft paper. We had a few other pieces of Lloyd Loom furniture, but none have survived. For more about this type of furniture - which is still in production - see the website http://www.lloyd-loom-furniture.co.uk/

Chapel Lane and the Beekens

A few of your blogger, his sister and mum at granny Bailey's. We are quite young here so I would put the year at around 1954. The older children are the Beekens, who were granny's neighbours in Chapel Lane. The younger boy with fair hair is Barry; his brother is Terence and sister Patricia. I know they had a henhouse - that might be it in the background. There is also evidence of allotments. Grandad Bailey used to grow runner beans and you can see the poles.

We are older here so this must be a later visit. Pauline is becoming more mobile and is wearing reins. So I guess it is around 1955. This must have been one of our last visits, as granny moved down to join us in Abbey Wood in 1956. You can just about make out a figure in the shadows in the background to the left of the picture. This might be Mr Parker, who was another neighbour.

Don & Eileen at the seaside

This must have been taken sometime between 1946 and 1952, after Don had been demobbed but before they had children of their own. I would guess they must be somewhere on the south coast and it is a shingle beach. It looks a bit breezy too; Eileen's hair is being blown about and they are all keeping their jackets on.

The other couple are my godparents, Dennis & Maisie Smith. I haven't seen they since they emigrated to Australia in the early 1960s. They used to run the off licence in Bostall Manorway, Abbey Wood. They had two sons - the younger one was about a year or so older than me. But that would still leave the schoolgirl on the left of the second picture (notice her straw boater matching her uniform) unaccounted for. But of course the group also included the unseen photographer.

The Mackies and their WAGs (1940s style)

The first picture shows Don's brother Jack, Jack's wife Celia, Eileen and Don. They are outside the house in Chapel Lane. I think this one was also taken prior to October 1944. The second is the only picture that has come to light of Don and Eileen's wedding. It looks like wartime austerity dictated that this was not a lavish affair. They married in June 1945. Although the war was over, there was still alot of soldiering to be done. After his marriage, Don had another tour of duty overseas, this time to Glinde near Hamburg to deal with returned ordnance. He was not finally demobbed until July 1946.

Don meets his prospective in-laws

These are all stamped with the same number on the back, Eileen is wearing the same clothes and the setting is the same (outside the front door of the house in Chapel Lane) so I think they must have been taken at the same time.

Don is not wearing medal ribbons, so I think these pictures must predate him being posted to Caen in October 1944. (For more about Don's military service, particularly the army dance band he played in, see my blog http://bandof14aod.blogspot.com/) Before going overseas, Don had been based at the Ordnance depot at Old Dalby. It was during his time there that he met Eileen, the future Mrs Mackie. Had it not been for the war, your blogger would not have been born!

The other gentleman seen here is Eileen's father Bill (William Kilby) Bailey. There will be more about him later. He worked at Stanton Ironworks and was a keen cricketer; I still have some of his trophies. He died when I was very young, but I dimly remember him.