Lovely pic to have, Romilly. No, he was born about 1897 so too young to have had the shop in WW1. In any case, he was a sailor from Georgia and came to live in the UK when he jumped ship in Hull (on the advice of his captain) in 1917 because the revolution had started in Russia. He couldn't speak English then, but made a living going door-to-door selling clothing from a suitcase. Then he married my great-aunt in 1930, and I think his first shop (naval outfitters) was opened in Bridge St, St. Thomas, around that time. Don't know when he moved to Wind St but 1946 telephone directory has him there (no. 31). The shop was still running when he died in 1960. I was only 9 then, so memories are hazy, and, of course, there's no-one left to get more details!
