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Hi Andrew,
Thank you very much for that information, that has cleared a query.
I cannot really tell you a lot about Dad's friendship with Freddy Potts. I know that he was quite upset when he died, but I have no idea how the friendship came about unless unless ... Dad was in the Home Guard, so I wonder if Freddy was as well? I think that it would be quite likely, but would not explain why we found that photo in Dad's effects a good few years after Dad's death. Unfortunately I am the only one left of our immediate family, so there is no chance of asking any one.
His bravery was always held up as an example to my brother and myself although I fear that I was too young for it to make much impression on me. It was not until later years that the enormity of what Freddy did to earn the VC actually struck home.

I must confess that I have not explored my mother's family too thoroughly to date, but ahe was an only one although there is rumour that she might have had a brother who died at an early age. Her mother also died early on, and I am beginning to suspect that it was a childbirth death although I was never told that. Her father was a ships carpenter of some ability untill the fingers of his right hand didn't survive an encounter with a circular saw.
The only other reletives of her's that I knew were a maiden great aunt and another great aunt. I did spend some time in Sheffield during the war after it was bombed and I did meet some relatives, one of whom owned a sawmill. I beleive that she did have an uncle who was a sea captain on either passenger or cargo ships or maybe both.
Although she was born in Sheffield, she left there while still a baby and never went back there to live. So I think that the chances of the soldier being from her side of the family are extremely remote.
But thanks for the thought.

Thank you for your interest folks. This is the best I can do at the moment, I will have to try and get the original back from my sister in law and rescan it.


I have absolutely no idea who he might be. I had one uncle killed in WW1 and certainly isn't him, my dad and my other uncle were both in the navy and survived the war. (obviously my dad did or I wouldn't be here!)
The only other person who it might be is Freddy Potts VC, but I don't think Freddy was in the artillary. I will have to look him up on Google again. He was a great mate of my dad's and a very brave man.
Whoever it was must have meant something to my dad for the photo to have been kept.
If I do not get any luck on here I might try the local press, but I am not a great fan of either of two locals.

Hi Cat and Annie,
I just thought that I would let you both know that I made contact with someone, not Eileen who has yet to reply to my message, but Judith and this afternoon she sent me a 204 page document which has taken me back to 1560 on the Ashby branch of the family. Absolutely packed with information.

There is another document which traces the Dray part back to my GGG grandfather and mother.

It just goes to show that it pays to know where to ask the questions doesn't it?

So thank you both for your interest.

Hi Cat,
That is brilliant, thanks.  . Laura Ashby Dray born 1850 was a sibling of my grandfather's. She married a Henry Card in 1875.
I will go onto GenesReunited and see if I can findthe aforsaid Eileen. I am male by the way with the more usual handle of Les. I just felt like being Midnight Runner when I joined Rootschat! I guess we all do strange things from time to time.
Best wishes for a Happy Easter.
Les.