Ruins in the Walled City, Manilla

From the Crown Lane archive.  I cannot identify the handwriting, but more of that later.  And I do not know of any relatives who had any connection with Manilla. Top to bottom and left to right the comments read:

"Damaged Catholic church walled city - Manila" (sic)

"Ruins in walled city, Manila"

"Ruined church - Manila. Many of these buildings were unnecessarily destroyed by the Japs"

Presumably this damage was caused during the Manilla massacre of 1945 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manila_Massacre

The catholic church is San Augustin http://www.etravelpilipinas.com/tourism_news/manila-philippines-san-agustin-church-in-intramuros.htm

Royal Visit

Slightly larger than A4 so I have had to scan as two over lapping sections. A Royal visit by King George V, Queen Mary and Princess Mary. Princess Mary was the third child and only daughter of King George and Queen Mary. The picture must predate her marriage on 28 February 1922, when she became the Countess of Harewood. Also in the picture is the Duke of Connaught, otherwise known as Prince Arthur, son of Queen Victoria and George V's uncle.

This picture came from the Crown Lane archive and I would take an educated guess that the location is the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich.

Paul Fau's First Communion

This came from the Crown Lane archive. I don't know if there is any particular connection to my family, or whether it is just something that came into Ada's possession somewhere along the way. Translating as best I can, the front reads "The heart of Jesus, open for all. The balm that heals our wounds. Each wound of his divine heart, he suffered for the forgiveness of our sins." On the reverse, "Souvenir of the first holy communion of Paul Fau, made in the chapel of St. Joseph's boarding School, St. Omer, 20 June 1878".

This appears to be some sort of old boy's website for the school http://copainsdavant.linternaute.com/etablissement/247545/1/pensionnat_saint_joseph_la_malassise/

The Guild of the Blessed Sacrament

Don Mackie was a member of the Guild of the Blessed Sacrament. The picture above was taken at one of their processions at St. Joseph's Convent, Abbey Wood. That's Don with the moustache in front of the second window on the right. The picture was probably taken some time in the 1950s. The convent and school subsequently became part of Bexley College, but have now been converted to residential use as St. Jospeh's Court. Below is a GBS lapel badge.

The Dynamite Plot of 1883

From "The Graphic" - April 28, 1883. I can only upload five images at a time so I have had to spread these over two blog entries.

The Dynamite Plot of 1883

From "The Graphic" - April 28, 1883

The Dynamite Plot of 1883

My great grandfather Adam Mackie was a police inspector. He was one of the arresting officers in the Dynamite Plot. Described by some contemporary newspapers as "The Fenian Plot to Destroy London". I found a full transcript of the trial here.

http://www.oldbaileyonline.org/browse.jsp?path=sessionsPapers%2F18830528.xml
It is the section beginning Reference Number: t18830528-620

There are some choice, if rather understated, quotes in the evidence of some police officers (not Adam)

I can't say if I said, "If you do not be very civil here you will get a rough Handling"—I had to request you to be civil, and I said it was a pity you did not know how to be more civil—I did not say, "I will have no d—d Yankee nonsense here"—I did say, "You must remember you are in England now and not in America," when I requested you to be more civil

I asked him a second time to give me an account of himself—I pressed him, and said that if he did not he would probably be put to inconvenience

A number of contemporary newspaper accounts of the trial can be found online - Google the words dynamite Gallagher Whitehead Curtin Wilson.

Later newspaper accounts suggest that those convicted were not well treated in prison. Here is an example from the New York Times of September 5, 1896, describing the return of Dr Thomas Gallagher to the USA on his release.

DR. GALLAGHER'S RETURN; HOME FROM HIS ENGLISH PRISON A RAVING MANIAC. Repulsed His Sister and Kicked His Brother -- Force Needed to Restrain Him -- Doctors Say He Bears Evidence of Inhuman Treatment -- A Wreck Physically as Well as Mentally -- To be Sent to an Institution.

Read the full text here. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9B05E7DA1E31E033A25756C0A96F9C94679ED7CF