Poor Headstone - Can Anything Be Done?

[Flickgirl]

Hi Everyone,

In the course of my Fromelles research (my quest to find the families of the Scottish men who died at Fromelles) I've been emailed this photograph of a family gravestone which commemorates one of my HCB boys on it.  I already know all of the information on there but it seems the council have let the bushes grow wild around the stone and this was the only angle the photograph could be taken from.  I know you can work miracles on here but I'm not sure what you can do with this - if there's any way to remove the bushes to some extent and centre the stone a bit I'd be grateful!  As I say I've been sent it so I'm not sure if the resolution will be high enough for restoring but I'd be grateful for anything you can do.  Thanks.

Regards

Michelle

[LizzieW]

Just bookmarking as I want to see what the wonderful restorers can do.

Lizzie

[Aislin]

I just have to say as a headstone photographer, it always boggles my mind why a family would plant a hedge in front of a headstone.  Just my two cents worth.

Would you be able to provide a transcription of the headstone. Flickgirl?

[Flickgirl]

Hi Aislin,

It baffles me too but I believe the family are innocent on this occasion as, sadly, I think the father James, who died in 1933, was the last of the immediate family since David seems to have been their only child.  James died in Paisley; his death was registered by his brother-in-law and he must have been taken back up to Forfar to be buried with his wife so I don't think there would be many tending the grave.  I do feel sorry for him to have lost his wife in 1914 and his only son two years later - I had been hoping to find siblings of David but drew a complete blank so am working on earlier generations.

Transcription of the headstone:

Erected by
JAMES THOM
IN LOVING MEMORY OF
HIS WIFE
ANN McINROY TASKER
WHO DIED 10th MAY 1914
AGED 56 YEARS
ALSO THEIR SON
Pte DAVID LOW THOM
H.C. BATT  ROYAL
WARWICKSHIRE REGIMENT
KILLED IN FRANCE
19th JULY 1916, AGED 21 YEARS
THE ABOVE
JAMES THOM
WHO DIED 29th MARCH 1933
AGED 75 YEARS

THOM

The only thing I'm not 100% sure of is whether Regiment is in full or abbreviated to REGT.

Regards

Michelle

[Finley 1]

well here it is at stage 1   now when I get back from work   i can change the lettering and touch up   will that  be ok

xin

[Flickgirl]

Hi Xin,

Anything you can do will be more than ok - thanks so much for trying (it looks much better already )

Regards

Michelle

[Aislin]

I'll probably keep poking at this, because there are parts that bug me.  But let me know what you think.

[Flickgirl]

Hi Aislin,

That's fantastic   What a great improvement! Thanks.

Regards

Michelle

[Aislin]

Okay.  Final tweak.  I'm still not in love with it.  But if I poke at it too much, I do more harm than good.