AGM & Talk on Picture Postcards by Andrew Ingram

The Society held a very successful Family History Day on Sept 13th2008.
At our monthly meeting the profit from that day was presented as a cheque to our President the Rev. Wim Zwalf, to go towards the cost of the refurbishment of St. Peters church hall where we hold our meetings. The improvements include a new kitchen & toilets, the old kitchen converted to a small meeting room, new windows in the hall & decoration .
These new facilities are much appreciated & greatly enhance our meetings.
After our AGM we were taken on a picture postcard journey from Wisbech to Lowestoft & back. Our speaker was the ever – popular Andrew Ingram who told us that the photographs were taken by Herbert Coates who was born in Skipton in 1883. Herbert was involved in transport during WW1 at the Somme & Ypres. In 1921 he came to Wisbech to set up his picture postcard business after having taken several pictures to sell.
So we ‘travelled’ form the Wisbech Port to Lowestoft via Lynn Rd & the Park where he took a picture of a WW1 tank which was taken by the East Harbour rail track to the park & off loaded onto a ready prepared concrete base. From here we were taken to the village stores at Walpole Highway , to Terrington St. John, to King’s Lynn with the picture of the 3 Bridges & the South Gates at the entrance to the town. There were pictures of boats on the Gt. River Ouse, the Castle at Castle Rising, the Snettisham Woods & the seaside at Gt. Yarmouth. He showed his business was successful by buying a car & showing it in several of his pictures.
But even so Mr. Coates was not above ‘doctoring’ some of his photos, one example given was of the floral clock at Gt. Yarmouth which would appear to have been photographed on three consecutive years- the date having been altered – the equivalent to today’s cut & pasting- but the hotel & the cars in the background remaining exactly the same!
Andrew is collecting the cards all of which have an identifying number & he said that a few negatives are still around. On Mr Coates death the collection was given to the Wisbech Museum where it can be seen today. Andrew was kept busy answering questions at the end of a very enjoyable meeting where several new members were welcomed.
[Barbara Holmes]