The recent re-discovery of the Buckingham Book and the uncaptioned contents has raised many questions about who in the Head family is in the photographs. With over 130 years elapsed since many of the photos were taken and the last of the subjects having passed away by the 1980’s there maybe only a few people who will have met any of them to identify them specifically. A few named photographs exist as references – notably Sir Henry Head, Hester Pinney and Christopher Head. But who are the others?
As you browse the scrapbook and scrutinise the faces do you see similarities that will help identify individuals? Most of the photographs are undated so it is useful to see Bernard Head in many group photos as we know he was born in 1876.
Mystery photograph 1:
Sir Henry Head b.1861
Head was born in 1861, and attended Charterhouse school in Godalming and then Trinity College, Cambridge in 1884
Christopher Head b.1869
Christopher is illusive in the Buckingham Book. If it is him with the camera in the mystery photograph 1 above then maybe he is often the photographer rather than subject of some of the family photographs.
Christopher died in 1912 on the Titanic.
Christopher Head’s brief biography is here.
John Alban Head b.1873
John Alban is 2 years older than Bernard and so turns up in more group photos alongside Bernard. They were both attending Lancing College in the early 1890’s so would be more likely to be included in family activities at Buckingham. Their older brothers Geoffrey, Francis, Hugh, Henry, Christopher were either at university or working away from Shoreham.
John Alban died from lung and throat cancer relatively young in 1931 in a private hospital in Denbighshire.
Bernard Head b.1876
Bernard, the youngest of the brothers, is easily identified – often smiling in group photographs. He was also the subject of some of Hester’s sketches. Bernard attended Lancing College alongside his brother John.
Bernard had an exemplary career in the army achieving the rank of Major in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers: The Second Anglo-Boer War 1899-1902, South Africa and First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
Bernard died at the age of 39 at Gallipoli. “…land force was needed to support the project by suppressing the Turkish mobile artillery batteries. By the time all was ready the Turks were well aware and well prepared. Despite amazing heroics on the day of the landings only minor beachheads were achieved and over the succeeding 8 months little progress was made. Eventually the beachheads were evacuated in a series of successful ruses.“
The Battalion records for 13th August 1915 state: “Same trenches. Enemy opened fire with shrapnel + high explosive on block house immediately in rear of centre of trench. Continued for about one hour. No casualties. Heavy sniping. Major Head killed by sniper.”
Bernard is buried in Gallipoli in Turkey.
Mystery photograph 2:
This photograph shows Bernard (far left and looks to be 13yrs old) so dating this to be c1889. Christopher?, John Alban?, Geoffrey (far right) would 17 years old.
Geoffrey Head b.1872
We have no confirmed photos of Geoffrey. Could this be him?
Mystery photograph 3:
This image above appears to show a woman (left) who is a constant in the many Head family group photographs. It is deduced from 1891 census that this is Violet Louisa Ponsonby b1877 (2 years Hester’s junior) who appears not to have lived with her parents John Henry Ponsonby-Fane and Florence Ponsonby née Farquhar being previously domiciled with grandparents in London Harvie-Farquhar Banking family. She married in 1905 Edward Archer Bolton Clive. There are similarities with the known portrait of Violet. So why is she at Buckingham? Was she a family friend from the Head’s time in Stamford Hill and perhaps being tutored alongside Hester? The lady in the middle is possible Mary Felce listed as Governess at Buckingham.
Violet Louisa Ponsonby b.1877
Mystery photograph 4:
This image above is notated as possibly being the Squire Bridger (of Adur Lodge) and his daughter Florence or Dulcibella Bridger at Buckingham.
Florence Louisa Bridger (1856-1935), Dulcibella Mary Bridger (1859-1934)
If you can find any similarities that help identify the people in the photographs from the Buckingham Book then please do comment below.