ABERCHIRDER POSTCARDS (3 of 4)
W Holmes & Co, Glasgow
The firm of W Holmes & Co Ltd was established in Mitchell Lane, Glasgow in 1878 as wholesale newsagents and stationers. Holmes supplied Aberchirder view cards (printed in England) pre-1914 under their own name, in the Silver City series. They also had cards produced for local sellers - in the case of Aberchirder, for George Geddes - and it is possible that after World War One they had cards printed for Johnston, Cockburn and C S Geddes. For list of Holmes postcards, click here. |
Holmes Postcards
Holmes for George Geddes
For list of Holmes for Geddes postcards, click here. |
Holmes for Geddes Postcards
Peter Grieve, Aberchirder
From 1909 until 1911 Peter Grieve, a printer, was the occupier of the Temperance Hotel shop in the Square previously used by Alex Gardiner. He then moved to premises at 50/52 Main Street (opposite the Post Office) and remained there, (listed as a bookseller), until 1918. There is no further record of him thereafter. The cards in this collection suggest that Grieve may have shared at least some photographs with George Geddes. Printers include Lilywhite and Holmes. For list of Grieve postcards, click here. |
Grieve Postcards
Wildt & Kray, London
This company was set up in London
in 1904. From the beginning they specialised in
greetings cards - which carried the names of towns and
villages all over Britain - rather than views. During
the First World War they published patriotic cards and
continued in business until the Second World War.
For list of Wildt & Kray postcards, click here. |
Wildt & Kray Postcards
THE INTERWAR PERIOD
With the end of the First World War came the end of the Golden Age of Postcards and apart from a few cards produced by E Johnston and W Cockburn, the sole local provider became C S Geddes at the Post Office. As before there was much recycling of photographs and a total reliance on national printers. Cards were all monochrome and the photographs of variable quality. |
E Johnston, Aberchirder
In 1918 Elizabeth Johnston, stationer, rented the shop at 120 Main Street, which she must have vacated in the following year when William Cockburn took over the tenancy. Only one card with the name E Johnston has been seen, printed by Lilywhite and postmarked 1919. For list of Johnston postcards, click here. |
Johnston Postcards
W Cockburn, Aberchirder
William Cockburn was born in 1887 at Hillhead of Mountblairy, Forglen, son of a gamekeeper who moved to South Lodge, Auchintoul. There William met Agnes Urquhart, whom he married in 1908. Soon after the birth of their first child in 1909, William moved to Canada along with George and John Webster of Mill of Auchintoul, where the third Webster brother, Charles, supported the Cockburn family. William soon returned from Canada and moved with his family to Cowfords, Fochabers, then to Banff, where he worked for some time on the timber side of boatbuilding. In 1918 he and his family moved to a house at 118 Maln Street, Aberchirder and from the following year his wife Agnes ran the adjoining sweetie shop at 120, where the W Cockburn postcards would have been sold. William meanwhile worked as a sawyer at Mill of Auchintoul for Charles Webster, who on his death in 1933 left the farm to Agnes Cockburn. William Cockburn ran Mill of Auchintoul until his death in 1956. |
The collection has five cards published under the W Cockburn name, the only one with a postmark being dated 1920. There are close similarities in style of front and back which suggest that cards published by Grieve (in one example), Johnston, Cockburn and C S Geddes were produced by the same printer or printers, probably Lilywhite or Holmes. Likewise the same photos are shared by George Geddes and Grieve (prewar) and Cockburn and C S Geddes (postwar). For list of Cockburn postcards, click here. |
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Cockburn Postcards
Chas S Geddes, Aberchirder
C S Geddes had been running the Post Office in Main Street since around 1900 but published cards bearing the George Geddes name. The earliest postmark seen on a card showing Chas S Geddes, Chemist, as publisher is July 1919. He was Provost of Aberchirder 1921-26 and died in 1934. He was succeeded as Chemist and Postmaster by John B Rattray. Initially C S Geddes cards carried his own name and are similar in style to those of Johnston and Cockburn, so probably printed by Lilywhite or Holmes. There are also two postcards which are anonymous but most probably by Geddes. From 1927 or 1928 he sold cards published by Valentine but also bearing his name. In this way he had much better quality cards to sell. It is also possible that he published or bought in cards listed under Anonymous 1930s. For list of C S Geddes postcards, click here. For list of Valentines for C S Geddes postcards, click here. Click here for details of common features between C S Geddes and other publishers. |
C S Geddes Postcards
Valentine for C S Geddes
For list of Valentines for C S Geddes postcards, click here. |
C S Geddes / Valentine Postcards
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Anonymous 1930s
One card in the collection is inscribed on the back with 'Post Card' 'British Manufacture' and postmarked 1935. Another series, printed in Lilywhite style, inscribed on the back with 'Post Card' - British Made', includes two with postmarks dated 1936 and 1937. Both series include a card which has the same photograph of The Deveron & Bridge of Marnoch as an anonymous 1920s card probably by C S Geddes. This might suggest these sets were late issue by Geddes, but all his other cards bear his name. For list of 'Post Card' 'British Manufacture' and 'Post Card - British Made' postcards, click here. |
Postcard - British Manufacture
Postcards - British Made
ABERCHIRDER POSTCARDS CONTINUED
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