Memorials - Sepia Saturday

You might describe this post as a work in progress. I do not have a photo of a soldier from WWI like the one in this week's prompt.

I know that my father and at least one of his brothers took part in that 'war to end all wars.' I know this because of the Roll in the porch to St Mary's Church in the Rutland village of Ketton.

Roll of those who served in His Majesty's forces in the War of 1914-1918

Enlarged section

My uncle Stan (Scotney HCS) was a Sergeant in the Bedfordshire Yeomanry; the first brigade fought at the Battle of the Somme in 1916. I do not know whether my uncle was there, but he would have been 21 at the time. Stan never married and died in the early 1960s. He  left me £149 in his will which we used to buy our first car.

My father, Charles William Arthur Scotney, was a Private in the Army Service Corps (ASC). Born in 1897 he would have been 17 when the war started. I'm sorry to say that is all I know at this time as I have still to find his (or his brother's) war records.

There are no photos of him that have survived from his life. The ASC was the Corps responsible for getting supplies to the armies. A lot of the transport in those days was drawn by mules or horses. My grandfather had been a saddler and harness maker by trade and I know that my father had learnt the skills from him. I like to think that he would have been able to put these to use when in the ASC.

If you look back at the Roll in Ketton church you will see names in a different colour at the top. These are the 38 men who did not return. Counting names on the Roll cannot be completed from the photo but I estimate about 150 survived the bloodshed.

As far as I know there is no war memorial in Kirklevington, the village where I now live. The village is quite small with a population of 1295 in 2001. However is does have a village hall.

Kirklevington and Castlelevington Memorial Hall

The hall was opened and dedicated in December 1954 as a war memorial to those who died in the two world wars. The structure at the front has since been replaced by a new building in 1983.

The town of Yarm, about three miles away, has some special events scheduled for 2014 as part of the commemorations of WWI.

Yarm War Memorial

When you look at the inscriptions this is what you can see.

Yarm War Memorial - those lost in WWI (The Great War)

Lives lost in WWI

I have counted 56 names in these two photos. The population in Yarm in 1914 was 500/600 people. (8674 in 2001). On Remembrance Day this year it is intended to display a wall of poppies on the town's buildings projected over a map of Yarm  showing each of the soldiers names and where they lived.

I just might be there, with a camera at the ready.

To see who others are remembering march over to Sepia-Saturday-211,

In Another City - Thematic Photography

These photos were taken during a visit to Denmark in 2007.

The Amalienborg Palace consists of four palaces located round an octagonal courtyard; they have identical facades.

Amalienborg Palace, Copenhagen

If you are lucky you may get a shot of a sentry marching up and down.

Soldier on Duty at the Amalienborg

Staying on the theme of palaces, I wish I could remember what was on here at the time.

My wife crossing the moat to Rosenborg Palace

Rosenborg Palace, Copenhagen

But visits to cities do not have to just to take in buildings; there is some wildlife too.

Grey-headed Crow

To see what other cities have been crowed about this week just fly over to Carmi's Thematic-photographic-277.

Auto Legends:The Workhorses - Sunday Stamps

Last year I posted the set of British Auto Legends which showed 6 famous cars. Accompanying the set was this sheet depicting the 'workhorses' of the times.

British Auto Legends: The Workhorses

From left to right:

• Morris Minor Van used by the Post Office
• An Austin Taxi Cab
• Ford Anglia Police Car
• Land Rover Defender used by HM Coastguard.

These first class stamps were issued on 13 August 2013. I have never seen one used in anger on an envelope.

To see what others have chosen this week just cross over to Viridian's Sunday-stamps-153.

Photo Archives - Sepia Saturday.

The prompt this week is just the thing to lead me astray; do I concentrate on books or photos or both?

I have found several books which you might classify as old in one way or another, but they did not contain any loose photos - sepia or otherwise. However I do have a box file (not a cardboard box like Alan's) in which are stored sepia photos, postcards and my newest book.

'Sepia Saturday' Box File

The photo on the left has been annotated on the back, "Is it you, or is it me? Mick" My wife is convinced that this is her elder sister Mick when she was young.

The one on the right is the old ferry at Hartlepool.

I left with a bit of a quandary. How do you judge the age of a book - by when it was written or when it was printed? Here's four to illustrate the point.

Chaucer - The Canterbury Tales &
John Bunyan -The Pilgrim's Progress

Chaucer was born about 1340 and died in 1400. He is buried in Westminster Abbey.

Bunyan, born in 1628, died 1688 lies in the Bunhill Fields Cemetery, London along with Daniel Defoe and William Blake.

The Penguin Classic, The Canterbury Tales was first published in 1951 - note the price of 5/-

The New American Library's edition of The Pilgrim's Progress appeared in 1964 at $1.75.

I noticed that the book in our prompt had the text in two columns. I can match that with our copy, a wedding present from 1958, of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare ( baptised in April 1564, died 23 April 1616).

Shakespeare' s The Winter's Tale

The last of my books is The Pickwick Papers, the first novel of Charles Dickens published in 1836.

The Fat Boy Awakes - The Pickwick Papers

What's special about this book for me? Just look at the inscription.

Form Prize at Stamford School 1949

Having been carried away by books I turned back to archives and this file of:

Prospekt Kort (Postcards)

This is the file put together by my daughter while I was working in Norway between 1979 and 1988. The cards are those I sent to her during that time - some have appeared on Sepia Saturday before.

In my archive search I came across some 'old' albums.

I wonder what happened to them

But when I turned the page, this is what I found.

Honeymoon(?) on the left in 1958; our two sons in 1960s

The second album contained more photo's, all in colour.

Cutting Our Wedding Cake

Finally I opened the top drawer of the desk in our lounge and found the largest collection of all.

Photos, photos, photos!

Now I need advice. Do I throw them all away when they are all stored here,

and on the Internet?

For other Sepians' views check out the links on Sepia-Saturday-210.

More Favourite Photos of the Year - Thematic Photography

Carmi has continued the 'favourite photo' theme for a second week, so here are another six from 2013 - three from Michigan and three from our Yorkshire garden.

Michigan Deer

And another shot of that grasshopper that appeared in my previous set of favourites.

Grasshopper in the sun

While on a walk from my daughter's home we came across a colourful postbox.

Red Cardinal Postbox

Back in my Yorkshire garden I soon had a helper when I turned the soil.

Female Blackbird waits for worms

This is what a butterfly bush (buddleia) attracts.

Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly

When I opened up our compost bin this came out the bottom.

Garden Frog

Hope you like these further favourites of mine. To see what others have selected just check out the links in the comments at Carmi's Thematic-photographic-277.

Olympic Sunday Stamps

Although the Winter Olympics are due in Sochi next month I find that almost all of my Olympic stamps deal with summer games so I am going to cheat a bit. I'll start with the man who 'started' the modern games.

Hungary

For winter sports I have chosen two stamps from Norway neither of which are 'Olympic' stamps.

Norway - Skiing World Championship 1997

Norway - Holmenkollen 1979

Why have I chosen Norwegian stamps?

Norway is the only country to have held the Winter Paralympics twice. Once at Geilo in 1980 and once at Lillehammer in 1994.

The 2014 Winter Paralympics are due at Sochi in March.

And I just happen to have a 1994 stamp from the Paralympics.

Norway - Paralympics 1994

For other Olympic stamps please ski over to Viridians Sunday-Stamps-152.

Caving in Yorkshire - Sepia Saturday

I announced previously (in June here) that I was not a caveman so when I saw the Jenolan Caves tour bus in this week's prompt.

I knew I could not compete with the Aussies as we are staring a whitewash in the face. I decided to come back home to Yorkshire where they still know a thing or two about cricket and to go caving instead.

White Scar Caves & Ingleborough in the Yorkshire Dales

What are now Britain's longest show caves were discovered in August 1923 by Christopher Long and J H Churchill. The summit of Ingleborough is some 4 km away.

How can you get there? 

By Tour Bus of course

Once inside the caves there are many spectacular sights such as this:

Inside White Scar Caves

To make you realise how insignificant we are you can always consult the clock.

Geological Clock

Even the devil will have been there before us and may lick you to death.

The Devil's Tongue - White Scar Caves

While in Yorkshire you do not have to restrict your visit to these caves under Ingleborough in the Chapel-le-Dale Valley in the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

You could also take a look at:

Stump Cross Caverns

The caverns make up a limestone cave system between Wharfedale and Nidderdale in North Yorkshire. Their name derives from Stump Cross which in ancient times marked the limit of Knaresborough forest.

So in my Yorkshire tour I have found some caves and a bus, As for men in white coats.

For other prompts all I rely on Clarke Gable

However I suggest that you don't walk away like him before you have visited Sepia-Saturday-209.

Photo attributions:

• White Scar Caves & Ingleborough - Alan Murray Rust - CC BY-SA 2.0, Geograph Project Collection
• Inside White Scar Caves - Sharon Leedell - CC BY-SA 2.0, Geograph Project Collection
• Geological Clock - Immanuel Giel - PD
• The Devil's Tongue, White Scar Caves - Immanuel Giel - PD
• Stump Cross Caverns - Paul Allison - CC BY-SA 2.0, Geograph Project Collection