Reminiscene Vintage Postcards and Photographs

Successes

In January 2007, we received an email from the grandson of Capt. Sidney Lawson Smith, diver, whose photograph appears appears on our photograph "Names: S-Y" page. We were particularly interested to learn that Capt. Lawson Smith, was quite a local celebrity who always drew a crowd whilst demonstrating his skills at Folkestone Pier and that he was the first person to develop and use a gas cutter under water in order to refloat ships which had sunk after being holed. Born around 1898, Capt. Lawson Smith was also an excellent illustrator who, in the absence underwater cameras at the time, drew many underwater scenes. He was also a lecturer on submarine life at schools and colleges. Capt. Lawson Smith married twice, had six children and spent much of his life overseas. He died in 1965 or 1966 and is buried in the London Borough of Hammersmith.

We are grateful for this additional information and are pleased to have been able to pass to the photograph of Capt. Lawson Smith to his grandson.

In September 2006, the second cousin once removed of Stephen Laurence Gunyon informed us that his own research leads him to believe that the Nell Gunyon, whose photograph appears in the Hales Family Album, was Helen Clinch, sister to Lilian and Winifred Mary Clinch. Helen Clinch married Stephen Laurence Gunyon in Bicknor, Kent in 1884.

We are grateful for this additional information, and are pleased to have been able to put our contact in touch with the great nephew of Henrietta Hales, to whom the album containing photographs of the Hales-Clinch-Cox-Goodhew families was passed in May 2004, and to other members of the Hales and Clinch families who have also contacted Reminiscene since the photographs were placed on this site.

In February 2006, we were pleased to pass to the niece of Alfred Francis John Sparks two photographs of her uncle. The second photograph included her aunt, Violet Marian (nee Weekes).

In 2004, we passed to the grandson of Thomas Goldie Goldie Scot a set of six Cartes de Visite relating to the Goldie Scot family of Balmaclellan, Kircudbrightshire.