Lost Photo, Looking for Home!!

hblock21 · 15-01-2012 6:50pm #1

I have an old photograph of someone which I found in a book I bought.

It's of a man in his late 20's maybe early 30's, wearing an army uniform (I think).

I want to find this man descendants and give them back this lost photo.

Luckily, I (or we!) have a starting point. There is an address on the back:

P H(?) Gorery
68 North Strand Road
Dublin

It also says:

From Paddy
To Jerry (or Jenny?)

There's other faint words too, but can't read them.

Can anyone help? I have searched the census' for a similar name in Strand Road, but no luck.

Where next???......

I will scan the photo during the week and post. Ye maybe able to help with the uniform and date of photo. I'm guessing 1930's/40's.

shanew · 15-01-2012 9:55pm

I've had a look through a few Thom's directories between 1920 and the 60s, but no sign of that surname at #68. For most of the years it's divided 68, 68a, 68b with hardware and confectioner/tobacconist businesses, and the surnames mentioned are Russell and O'Donnell.

Shane

meercat · 15-01-2012 10:13pm

gorery

grocery????

http://www.dublin.ie/forums/showthread.php?5948-North-Strand-bombings-1941/page6

post # 59

yaledo · 16-01-2012 12:48pm

Searching the Dublin electoral rolls for 1939/1940 at
http://dublinheritage.ie/electoral/search.php
shows at 68 North Strand Road:
Patrick and Julia McCrory

JR79 · 19-01-2012 5:35pm

Is it possible to get electoral rolls for the rest of the country for 1939/1940 or other dates

hblock21 · 19-01-2012 10:47pm

Ive attached a scan of the photo and the rear of it with the writing.

Maybe someone will be able to read the name better than me?

shanew · 20-01-2012 8:57am

It think it looks like P Mc Gorery - but was probably a misspelling of the P. McCrory mentioned above.

Shane

Jellybaby1 · 20-01-2012 4:17pm

I'm making a wild stab at it and suggest 'Gogerty'.

Coolnabacky1873 · 20-01-2012 9:19pm

JR79 wrote: »

Is it possible to get electoral rolls for the rest of the country for 1939/1940 or other dates

The relevant county/city library is a good place to start. Here are two random examples:
Kilkenny
Limerick

spurious · 20-01-2012 10:10pm

Upstairs in Pearse St. library is the place to go for all Dublin related stuff. They have old electoral rolls.

tac foley · 30-01-2012 8:37pm

Let's see the photo, then we might be able to tell you about the military connection - if any.

tac

Waitsian · 30-01-2012 8:49pm

tac foley wrote: »

Let's see the photo, then we might be able to tell you about the military connection - if any.

tac

See post #6.

Stripey Cat · 30-01-2012 8:56pm

Funny collar badges on the uniform and great coat.

annieoburns · 06-02-2012 10:40am

Could this be World War 1 soldier? It was customary to have photo taken before heading off to action. He might have been in digs over a shop in North Strand. Might he have died in WW1? there would be records there.

What of checking the name in 1911 census?

Check emigration records ... perhaps he had photo done as a memento for those he was leaving behind.

Pity the name is one that might be transcribed incorrectly. The name and address on the back might be just the photographer's record so he was not too bothered about accuracy.

Stripey Cat · 06-02-2012 2:03pm

I keep looking at the insignia onthe collar of the tunic and greatcoat. They are hard to make out, but you can see that they are not a harp (most "Irish" regiments in the British army had some sort of hard collar badge). If it was possible to identify them to a regiment you'd have a place to start looking.

The high collared uniform under the overcoat looks dark too. That seems odd, since I would imagine most uniforms were of a consistent, khaki colour.

It might be a trick of the light though.

Jellybaby1 · 06-02-2012 3:01pm

As soon as you mentioned the dark colour of the uniform underneath I immediately thought of the S.S. Surely I'm wrong?

Stripey Cat · 06-02-2012 3:25pm

Let's hope so.

I think it might be an Irish Army uniform from the 30's.

They had stand and fall collars like that.

annieoburns · 06-02-2012 4:19pm

I would not associate the fine overcoat with a soldier's rigout for this country. What about policeman/custom's officer on duty out of doors? He could have been in some other country/service and home to Ireland on a holiday and had the photo taken for family/girlfriend. The 'great coat' suggests Russia etc!

Stripey Cat · 06-02-2012 4:27pm

As far as I know, the Irish Army issued overcoats like that.

This is an Irish Army Engineers collar badge

What do you think?

Jellybaby1 · 06-02-2012 6:05pm

Your gentleman looks very healthy, physically fit and well fed.

I found this and noticed a similarity between the badges on your chap’s lapels, and the medal Myles Keogh has on the right. What do you think?

http://www.myleskeogh.org/2008/10/keogh-and-popes-irish-battalion-pt-1.html

Kalimah · 08-02-2012 12:04am

I had a quick look at the 1911 census and there is a Charles McCrory in West Road with a large family including a Phillip Patrick who is aged 12. I don't think the photo is First World War.
Funnily enough the Charles McCrory listed was a retired RIC Sergeant. I think the uniform is more police than military.

Irish Wolf · 08-02-2012 12:50am

Excuse the n00b input

I had a quick look at the photo, well quite a long look truth be told... and to muddy the waters further:

Are you sure it's a Mc? I reckon it could be a Michael/Micheal - there looks to be a definite loop on the second letter.

The 68 looked like it could have originally been (meant to have been) a 67. Looking at that address from the link provided by yaledo, there appears to have been an occupant with the surname Gallery - further search for that name indicates a Patrick Gallery in Terenure.

That's where I finish - I can't seem to view the .djvu file.

Not sure it's a help or hinderence, but thought I'd share.

Stripey Cat · 08-02-2012 2:08pm

Kalimah wrote: »

I think the uniform is more police than military.

I was thinking that too, but the more I look at it, the more I think it looks like Irish Army, Corps of Engineers, 1930's-40's.

Kalimah · 08-02-2012 2:28pm

I think you are right with the dates. I think McCrory is the name. I wonder would it be a bit of a shot in the dark to look at the phone book and check for McCrory's living in Dublin?

whippetgood · 10-02-2012 4:30pm

That photo is GORGEOUS, the hand writing is beautiful too. What a great thread. Sorry I am not offering any groundbreaking information to progress it further, but just had to say.

Lost Photo, Looking for Home!!

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