The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
Family’s joy at treasure trove of old pictures
Thanks to our eagle-eyed readers, treasured old photographs found in a loft by Peterborough woman Kat Coutts (48) have been reunited with their original family.
Whilemovingoutofherhouse inHemingfordCrescent, Stanground, Kat found a large box in the loft containing black and white photographs from the 1950s.
Not wanting to leave them behind, Kat set out on a missision totrackdowntheoriginal owners and their family.
Having made an appeal through the Peterborough Telegraph’s website (peterboroughtoday.co.uk), Kat was hopeful someone would read the article and recognise a family member.
With only the name of the previoushomeownertogooff: ‘Eunice Milward’ and a handwritten note on the back of a photo, readers rallied together to find the family.
Kat received messages from dozens of readers through Facebook who saw the article online, as they foundlinkstothefamilyinthe photosthroughAncestry.com
Kat said: “I want to thank everyonethatreadandshared the Peterborough Telegraph article and everyone who did research.
“One lady called Anna Taylor did a fantastic job andgave me all the information so myself andthefamilycouldgetin contact with each other.”
Having gone through public records andAncestry.com, Anna was able to trace Eunice’s family tree.
From a quick search of Eunice, Anna was able to find her sister Dorothy Webb and brother-in-law Gerald Prentice.
Thiswasavitalclueinconfirmingthefamilywascorrect as there was the handwritten note on the back of one photo which read: “with love from Dorothy and Gerald.”
Following the lead, Anna was able to trace Jane Clark, Eunice’s niece, and immediately gave herdetails to Katfor the pair to get in touch.
‘Overcome with happiness’ Kat was close to tears after finding out in the early hoursofonemorningthefamily had been traced.
Getting in touch straight away, Katwantedtomakesure Jane and her family received the photos safely and as soon as possible.
The pair joked over the phone about how awful it would be if Kat sent the photos through the post and they wound up lost again
So Kat surprised Jane by driving 116 milesto her home in Wokingham, Berkshire, where she lives with husband Robert ( 63) to reunite the treasures back to their rightful home.
Though sadly Jane’s par
‘They’re our family history and a real trip down memory lane. It’s so lovely to see them again’
Jane Clark
ents and aunt have since passed away, the reunion was ajoyfulmomentforthefamily. Jane said: “What a story! “It wasquitestrangeseeing myfamilyphotosonsomeone else’s Facebook and in your newspaper article.
“I really can’t believe that someone would go to that much trouble to find me, when the only clue they had to go on was my aunt’s name andamessagewrittenin, I believe, my dad’s handwriting!
“So many people could have just put them in the bin. When Kat delivered the photos it was chaos as my daughters had also turned up to see!”
Jane, who works as a charity administrator, nowhas‘no connection’ to Peterborough since her aunt passed.
Amazed at the find, Jane had no idea there was a loft hatch in the property and would have never known these irreplaceable pictures existed if it wasn’t for Kat.
Jane spent endless hours caring for her aunt Eunice, fondly knownasSylviatofamily andfriends, whowas‘like a second mum to her’.
WithherownmotherDorothy passing when she was in her thirties, Sylvie became a ‘substitute mum and grandma’ to her and her children.
Jane said: “They’re our family history and a real trip down memory lane.
“It’s so lovely to see them again, albeit a bit sad too, as I amthelastsurviving member of the Prentice family.
“Somebodyelsecouldhave thrown them away.
“I cared for my aunt when shewasdiagnosedwithbowel cancer and I don’t remember herevermentioningthehatch in that room.
“She lived in Hemingford Crescent for most of her married life, 15 years withherhusband Frank and another 25 years after he passed.
“She had all her mental capability right until theendand I don’t remember that hatch ever existing.
“Thephotoswerewrapped in newspaper from 1969, so I think they may have been placed up there then and forgotten about.
“I have some photos from her already and my regret is not asking Sylvie, when she was here, about the people in thephotographsandwhothey are and their lives.”
Thecollection of black and white photographs from the 1950s captured precious moments of the family. These included: taking boat trips, Jane’s christening, Jane and her brother Richard Prentice running as children and various portraits.
With all the craziness of the moment, Jane hadn’t had achancetogothroughthebox of photos until the next day.
Filled with photos she hadn’t set eyes onbefore, Jane said they then set on another investigation as they set out to work out who’s who in the pictures she didn’t recognise.
The portraits show Jane’s dad Gerald, who was a SuperintendentforCambridgeshire Constabulary and a special photo of her parents just following their engagement.
Other precious moments include Jane and her brother Richard Prentice, who has sadly passed away, playing as children.
Embracing the moment, Jane’s husband Robert, who is akeenphotographer, hasalready scanned the photos and eldest daughter Vicky hopes to create a collage of them all together.
Inspired, Jane has since reminisced over herownfamily’s younger photos andcherishes the idea of memories and photographs yet to come.