Achtung! Postkard!

[Karmann Ghiaman]

This is where everyone wants to be (except, it seems, the Scots):

 

 

It's the traditional starting place for our dubious postcard threads. A little further upriver:

 

 

Sent to Mrs Adams from Southend-on-Sea, May 1961:

 

Dear M. Many thanks for your very nice letter. Trust your Mother is feeling a bit better. Lots of love to you all. Yours affect, "PAT" xx

 

It seems unlikely that Mother made it to the end of that decade and remains a mystery as to why Pat signed in capitals and inverted commas, but that's what it says. How many of the Somali, Syrian and Eritrean illegal immigrants currently fighting the Calais Police will ever visit the Tower of London? How many of them have ever heard of it... or really know what sort of a country they're trying to get to?

 

This map will be useful for the next few cards:

 

 

Buona Vista Farm/Lymore/Milford on Sea. Hants

 

12. viii. 60

 

This is a wonderful spot for youngsters - boating, bathing & swimming: country or the ships in the Solent & wonderful views of the I of W. We visited So'ton & Hurst Castle & its lighthouse Weather variable - beautiful today after 2 days nonstop rain. Thank you for all you have achieved at 56. It has been much appreciated there & here & in BH, Bath & other places. Bless you. Trust you are all well & enjoying yourselves. Love D & M

 

Presumably '56' is a house number, not an age. (I am just waiting for one of you Shitehawks to write in and say 'We stayed at Buona Vista Farm in August 1960!')

 

Coming up: New Forest ponies, New Forest ponies and more New Forest ponies...

[mercrocker]

I await with baited breath.....Just to see if one of the New Forest Ponies cards is really in Dartmoor.   They didn't care, you know....!    Don't know about Lymore Farm but we are staying at Milford on Sea next month, I'll see if its still there!

[Karmann Ghiaman]

Well here they are...

 

 

Top left does look a bit more like a 'Moor' rather than a 'Forest', but isn't a Dartmoor a distinct breed, a rather barrel-like, short-legged pony, not so lanky as this lot?

 

Sent to Northampton on 17th September 1979

 

Sunday PM.

 

Dear Auntie/ Had a good journey down here in lovely weather. Hope it continues. The van is quite nice & the site is really lovely, with plenty of interesting birds to see and lots of squirrels. Hope you are OK. See you soon, Love NAMES OBLITERATED BY BOURNEMOUTH POOLE FRANK

 

 

This is definitely in the genuine New Forest since it's where William Rufus came to a sticky end. I still remember the childhood rhyme that he 'was shot by a fellow called Tyrell/ Who mistook the king's red hair for that of a squirrel'. He would have been safe today because all the evil fluff-tailed tree rats down south are grey now, innit?

 

22nd August 1959

 

Dear Janet, I am very sorry, but I have just found your purse in my bag. There is 1/2 [one shilling and tuppence, about 8p in the newfangled Decimal money we got in 1971. Basically you could buy a house with that in 1959. Ed.] If you want the money perhaps Granny would lend it to you. If not I will keep it until you come to Cambridge. We are looking forward to your visit. We were near the ILLEGIBLE DAMP PATCHstone again today.

 With love from Mary X O

 

Endlessly fascinating. And now to complete the hat trick (they were all bought in Derbyshire on Monday, incidentally):

 

 

I reckon that is the real New Forest and we have not been cheated on this occasion, mercrocker.

 

11th July 1977

 

Dear All. Got here OK. Sat. nice Site good weather so far. Thank you for my cardigan I didn't know I had left it. Hope plants were OK. See you soon just going to beach. Love Vi, Alan & Tracey

 

In yer face Mr & Mrs Andrews nr. Broxbourne, Herts! Good news about the cardigan, however.

[pompei]

More please.

[AlabamaShrimp]

^^^what he said

 

Sad But I like the text more then the pictures. It's a tiny insight in to the past of probably dead people

[mercrocker]

 

 

 

I agree, much more interesting!   Got one obviously written on a plane in the 1960s and part of what must have been a chain of communication written on freebie BOAC plane cards in first class.  It contains some potentially juicy Gubbermint gossip but is so disjointed its practically meaningless on its own and I don't have the other ones!

 

The New Forest card I am thinking of is this one, with its clone above

 

 

 

 

 

 

The New Forest one reads "Mandy, Hope you enjoyed your holiday.  The weather was very good and the New Forest is looking beautiful.  See You Saturday"   No mention of Dartmoor, alas.  

 

The other card is unwritten.

 

Sorry for crap pics - I haz no scanner thingy

[mercrocker]

And finally, before bed, I can confirm that K-Gs own New Forest cards are definitely the genuine item!   I don't know every blade of grass in the Forest but they are all recognisable locations, although the ponies are stood in a different place today (usually in the bloody road...)

[Karmann Ghiaman]

Yes, the ponies that appear at both locations are obviously on Dartmoor and have lazily been used as generic 'little horses' for the New Forest. Even on Dartmoor they aren't the breed called a Dartmoor Pony, just some foals. Thatched houses seem to be used as another quaint Forest feature, possibly the same large one appearing in more than one PPC (preferably with a pony or two plonked in front of it).

 

Presumably this came from the slightly creepy hostelry that looms so large in it:

 

 

Unfortunately never sent, but I'd guess early 1950s. A geriatric car centre and double-decker bus bottom left, but plenty o' fine '70s motorised shite yet to appear here.

 

Castle on Brownsea Island Poole Harbour:

 

 

14th October 198[6?]

 

We have not visited this island, but are staying in B'mouth for a few days. Mostly wet yesterday, so am called on by an ex-neighbour of ours (at Combe Martin) who has recently moved here. Super today. Will return via Sherborne. P.D.

 

It was a 12 &  half pee pale green to post, so I suppose the exact year could be worked out from that. Basically the cost of everything just went up and up and up from Decimalisation to Thatcher, although it seems clear that our economy has always been a lot better managed than those of many less fortunate nations on the planet.

 

This was collected at 3.15PM on 20th June 1955:

 

 

DEAR ALL, GLORIOUS DAY SATURDAY. STAYED OVERNIGHT AT SHAFTESBURY. SUNDAY, ARRIVED VIA LULWORTH COVE  RAINED ALL DAY. WEATHER SHOWING IMPROVEMENT TO-DAY (MONDAY) & ARE NOW HEADING FOR DEVON. O.K. SO FAR

 CHEERIO ROY & MURIEL

 

It was sent to Mansfield with a T'upenny brown Postage Revenue stamp and a frank that warned the New Elizabethans: BLOOD DONORS ARE STILL URGENTLY NEEDED

 

More detailed map of the I of W sent in 1979:

 

 

Having a lovely time here, TRIPS every day, a very Nice Hotel, &  good crowd, so far. Going to Newport Market on Tuesday Morn, All the Best Love Auntie Dorothy xxxx

 

With a 10P Rowland Hill Centenary stamp.

[michael1703]

Dartmoor postcard shows "fingle bridge" "buckfast abbey" and the horsey pic looks right for south hams area of Devon

[mercrocker]

I got good money on flea bay for a "Blood Donor" postmark.   The scary/sad thing was the bloke who bought it KNEW it had that postmark without me even saying any more than the date and postal town it was franked with....Great thread this, I have collected for years and always find something new or unusual.  

[brickwall]

The M6 is the shiters usual haunt:

 

[brickwall]

Perhaps a "cafe" in New Mexico

 

[brickwall]

Anyone here form Basingstoke?

 

[brickwall]

Exeter Bus Terminus

 

[brickwall]

Rock n Roll capital of the world. Watch out for the crowds!

 

[brickwall]

Corley Services. I remember the orangey brown vinyl seats that used to be in this place.

 

[brickwall]

Bardsea. Went on holiday there once.

 

[mercrocker]

Are they trying to push a Fulvia into the sea?

[Karmann Ghiaman]

Those cards are all amazin', chaps. Some of them - certainly the unfinished Basingstoke - are in the great  Martin Parr's bible of boring postcards, the book Boring Postcards (Phaidon 1999, reprinted 2004).

 

We turn to another famous artist, pony expert Norman Thelwell, to solve the Dartmoor v. New Forest problem:

 

 

 

Meanwhile, back in Postcardworld:

 

 

Land of the Little People - not the Emerald Isle, but Southport. Is it still there?

 

30th April 1970

 

Dear Mum & Dad. Having a nice time. Be back on Friday night. Love John

 

Did anyone ever say 'They were the text messages of their day'? Amazin'. I don't remember that Smith's Crisp factory in Gulliver's Travels either.

 

We'll just nip down to 

 

 

Never sent, but nice shite parked on the Guernsey seafront. Is it St Peter Port? My dad was born there and they called him Peter, but he never used it (preferred the more Welsh Hugh).

 

Back in Shakespeare country:

 

 

Posted in leafy Solihull in 1980:

 

Dear Mum, We are now in our trailer tent in Pam's garden & are enjoying ourselves very much with them We went on a quick trip to Liverpool yesterday Tuesday, and saw Sue. She looks very well indeed & is going home soon. At the moment she is with Peggy, but is going home again. Look after yourself. Love Edie & Wally

 

Yeah, you said she was going home. We know that. This may be a very early instance of 'Look after yourself' which morphed into the easier, more irritating 'Take care'.

 

This could probably make it into Boring Postcards:

 

 

Lavender Corner, Heacham posted in King's Lynn, 20th May 1976

 

will write later Thurs

Came down here to Bebe's retirement party & am staying a few days, hoping it will do me good.. Apologies for not writing before but have not been too good lately. Bryan R & S are fetching me home at w/e. before going to Ibiza, wedding was v. pleasant & they had many nice presents. I trust they have written to thank you for yours. I hope you are keeping well. Nina

 

A certain obsession there with WRITING and THANKING which older folk used to have, didn't they? How happy they would be to see young people today CONSTANTLY sending little semi-literate messages and pictures of their nipples and sex organs to each other 24/7! Amazin'.

 

Most beautiful shite:

 

 

Posted there in Minehead 14th May 1974 (to Wythenshawe, Manchester again)

 

Dear Arthur & Lily

Arrived about 1 - 20 Sat. Our chalet is comfortable & warm & close to Dining Hall. Jimmy & Jean took us a run out today

 See you soon

 love

Gladys & Fred

 

(She could have added that the photographer was a fucking genius.)

[londonm]

When I lived down Bournemouth way, it was pointed out that the New Forset ponies were the descendants of spanish ponies who swam ashore from the Armada.

[Karmann Ghiaman]

Why did they bring ponies? A dwarf cavalry regiment perhaps? No wonder they lost, stupid Diegos! (They tell the same tale of some wild goats in Ireland, but I think it's explained that 'the Armada goats were for the Captain's milk'.)

 

We proceed to Cornwall on 19th June 1978:

 

 

CARLYON BAY                                                   ST AUSTELL                       PORTHPEAN BEACH

                                                                               CHURCH

 

PENTEWAN SANDS                                                                                           CARLYON BAY

we are staying here

 

Monday

After a wet start, the weather seems to be picking up and the sun is shinning very nicely (my brain is on holiday - I can't spell!) I hope you all have a very nice holiday. Many thanks for having me to tea the other week

Love Angela

 

It was sent to Mr & Mrs D. Phipps & girls in Worthing, Sussex (no need for a postcard, though it is franked REMEMBER to use the POSTCODE! ACHTUNG! POSTKOEDE, SCHWEINHUNDT!

 

The myriad phallic possibilities of the BP Tower are examined in this 1965 card which even has a BLACKPOOL STAY WITH PLEASURE franking with another picture of the Tower and a big smiley sun on it (worth a fortune to those letter frank collectors on e-bay I'm hoping):

 

 

Thanks for your card, we are here for a fortnight the weather is not too good, we will come and see you one of these next Sundays but will let you know, Dorothy & Joe

 

 

Safe in Cosby, nr. Leicester for the time being, however. Of course that was the old black Blackpool Tower, not the shinny, I mean shiny, golden one they've replaced it with.

 

This was sent to the same Mr & Mrs Beeton, still in Mansfield though moved a few streets away,  in I think 1961 (difficult to read date on frank) by the same Roy who always writes in CAPITALS and who sent the B & W Lulworth Cove seen above in 1955:

 

 

WILL RING BOWSERS AT 1 O'CLOCK SUNDAY FOR LATEST ON NELLIE. IF YOU ARE GOING TO BE OUT TELL MRS BOWSER ANY NEWS FOR PASSING ON.

 

WE HAD A LOOK AT PRIMROSE VALLEY CAMP BUT THEY DIDN'T HAVE ANY VACANT VANS SO WE BOOKED IN AT DENNIS'S CARAVAN CAMP, GRISTHORPE, FILEY, YORKS THE VAN IS SIMILAR TO THE ONE WE HAD AT SKEG. LAST YEAR, THE WEATHER IS DULL BUT PROMISES TO IMPROVE. THE POSTAL ADDRESS IS c/o DENNIS'S AS UNDERLINED REGARDS Roy.

 

Note that Roy says 'we', but does not mention Muriel in the sign-off this time. He definitely wants them to write to him and is clearly anxious about Nellie. Presumably there was a chance of the Beetons being at Mrs Bowsers - where there was a phone! - for Sunday lunch?

 

Did I tell you 'They were the text messages of their day'? It is mysteriously labelled OPEN AIR THEATRE, SCARBOROUGH... though it looks like, um, a miniature train to me. Or am I missing something?

[richardthestag]

Perhaps a "cafe" in New Mexico

 

With a dodge dynasty parked out front

[brickwall]

Not a Dynasty, I think it's an Aries.

[richardthestag]

Not a Dynasty, I think it's an Aries.

Hats off to your superior us shite knowledge.

 

I drove a dynasty la to miami in the late 80s. It was a thoroughly nasty piece of crap

[chaseracer]

 

 

...It is mysteriously labelled OPEN AIR THEATRE, SCARBOROUGH... though it looks like, um, a miniature train to me. Or am I missing something?

 

Pretty impressive amphitheatre-type thingy in the background...

 

[brickwall]

Hats off to your superior us shite knowledge.

 

I drove a dynasty la to miami in the late 80s. It was a thoroughly nasty piece of crap

 

Aye, the Dynasty is actually well loaded on the better models. They were the same platform though and pretty terrible. I got landed with an old Aries as my first car in Kuwait and it was God awful.

 

It sometimes had a Plymouth badge on it, I have been told.

[mercrocker]

Plymouth K car was a Reliant.   Came with Mitsubishi motor or smaller Chrysler 4 pot.   FWD too, IIRC.   Managed to have an accident in one once, thanks to my Father.   It didn't break though, tough little bastard.

[Karmann Ghiaman]

Was going to say 'I hope Joan Collins had a Dynasty', but the old girl's still with us (Joanie if not the US shite), so trust she's still got one.

 

And yes, I did notice the sort of amphitheatre thing (when the card was blown up on screen), but what do you watch? The train going round? The lake? Mildly better than having to sit through any more of those endless Alan Aycborne plays, Mother!

 

Two very early postcards from Scotland, a place we never hear anything about nowadays; is it still up there?

 

This was collected in Dundee at 6.45 on the evening of September 10th 1910. Only went as far as the mysterious 'Miss French' in Glasgow to a nice address: c/o Mr Tulloch, St Vincent St, opposite Unitarian Church (no remembering to use Postcode in those days, just a vague indication to point the postie in the right direction):

 

 

Spending the holiday here having a good time J.B. Duncan

 

A very early ppc image of our old friend, the Tay Bridge.

 

The next one gives her the more specific address of 32 B. St Vincent St, but only in 'City' since it was posted in Glasgow

 

 

But they didn't write anything except the address! It was the text message of its day (did I ever say that before?) and this was like sending a pic without any txt, know what I mean?

 

My darling Frenchie, I know how these tartan cards always turn you on. Are you getting aroused & hot gazing upon the Menzies sett? How I long to be back in St Vincent St behind the Unitarian church ripping that bodice off and unlacing your frilly corset to release those luscious Edwardian melons that you keep so primly bound all day...

 

Not really.

 

77 years later, however:

 

 

Thursday

Had a very comfortable journey &, so far the weather is good. Yesterday we drove along the coast to Peterhead - very picturesque - & we saw lots of unusual birds. We are "doing" Aberdeen today, then Deeside, Glamis & Speyside on subsequent days.

 Hope Tuesday (& Monday) passed smoothly. Best wishes Jean

 

It's a funny thought that the late Queen Mother (remember her?) was probably living quite nearby when the 1910 and 1987 cards were posted. Didn't she used to hang out at Glamis back in the days of MacBeth and Bonnie Prince Charlie?

 

Down to another edge of the Celtic fringe:

 

 

Sadly never sent, but this is Agincourt Square, Monmouth. Superb shite abounds, what a perfect day to take the picture. Is that Henry V on the statue? (more likely a WW1 soldier looking at a wreath and thinking What the hell was that all about?) Might be worth google earthing?

 

This was sent as late as 1999:

 

 

Afternoon browsing, Hereford Street, Presteigne, Powys

 

Wed

Not quite as good as Seville! We have come here for two days and it is raining hard. Thank you very much for the fruity things you gave us which were delicious Happy New Year David & Una

 

Hope the Farmers Inn is still open and the Antiques & Bookshop still there too. Another one for google earth...

 

Welsh classic:

 

 

They got as far as addressing this to Mr & Mrs A.O. Wilson in Glenfield, Leicester, but could only remember that they were at a number 56, not the street name! So it was never sent, more's the pity. Great National coach and Land Rover, but no amphitheatre by that particular lakeside railway (Llyn Mair and Tan-Y-Bwlch).

 

Coming up: Foreigners 

[mercrocker]

Yes, great chod on the Monmouth card, this is the kind of stuff I like to collect.  Need to look out for that one as I see there is a Farina lurking although I am often disappointed with Ebay purchases after viewing the card in blow-up only to find that the Austin Cambridge might as well be a Fiesta....Interesting PO interference with the antiques shop view, too - it looks like there is a gigantic street number hanging off that sign!

[AlabamaShrimp]

I want to send a shit load of cards now with cryptic and strange messages. 50 years later people will be posting them on the Internet trying to work out why uncle Fred climbed a flag pole, what exactly is chod? And other random stuff