Nearly eight o'clock

I was watching 'Who do you think you are?' a few weeks ago and discovered that at the turn of the last century folk having their photo taken by professional photographers were often dressed in costume and staged in front of a backdrop to make the photo more interesting!

So you can't be sure if you find old photos that the people in them were actually what they seem to be!

Made me think that maybe this photo was staged!


My great grandfather (my father's mother's father) is sitting on the right facing you.
He was in the navy but look at the weapons!

According to my mother, William Lincoln Sowerby (my great grandfather) was born and brought up on a farm in Yorkshire and ran away to sea as soon as he was old enough.

He met Kate Phaff (my great grandmother) in London and when he left the navy, he got a job in the cinema trade.

I guess with Great Granny Sowerby playing the piano in the silent movies, it was an obvious road to take.

The photo below was taken in the early fifties in front of the communal wash house in Maxwell Street in Paisley.


The old couple are my great grandparents.
Mary is standing between them and that's me standing between Great Granny Sowerby and Jim Bett (from up the next close).