Old Suffolk Photo – Who are they?

[Ruskie]

Fabulous photo.

Great work identifying the medals and the tin which I was interested to see. I thought it might be like the WW1 Queen Mary Christmas tin given to all those serving abroad - contents included cake, cigarettes, etc, (as well as a picture of Queen Mary). Google tells me the Boer War was a tin by Cadbury and contained bars of chocolate.

Rds. If I were you I would be keeping that photo. If it was in your grandmother’s possession it is extremely those lovely people are extremely likley to be family members. Maybe start by trying to find any who died in the Boer War. 

[Rds]

Hi John915,

Thank you so much for the detailed information on the medals, this will be a massive help!
I only recognised a few myself, and was struggling with the rest.. as some of them I had never seen until today!! Thank you !!!

[Rds]

Ruskie, Thank you! I was always keeping the Photo, it is my Nans!! But if I could find closer relatives, that may have never seen the photo I would love them to have a copy, physical and digital!!

It is a photo to be proud off, and I am! Even if I do not yet know who they are!!

I do have a very very distant relative that was KIA in the Boer War, he also had 4 bothers that all served in WW1, only one came home.

I have a picture of their parents (attached) and I would think it is different people, and definitely many many years later.

So this could be the sole survivor of the brothers with a sister, or wife.

But again they are very distant relative, something like 3rd or 4th cousin 3 or 4 times removed...
But my grandmother did love to write and keep in touch with lots family so anything is possible.

I just wish I had of listened more when I was younger...

Anyways, will continue to explore this branch on the tree more and see where it leads!

Thanks again all

[Ruskie]

What you said in the first post about “if these are your relatives, you are welcome to the photo” gave the impression that you were looking to give the photo away. Glad to hear that is not the case.

In your last post you say you were always keeping the photo and “this is my Nana” …. Are you saying that the woman in the photo is your Nana? 

Sorry I am a bit confused. Might just be me. 

[John915]

Good evening,

I have been looking again at the last medal the gentleman is wearing. I said it was the GSM 1918. However I was wrong, it has the wrong type of hanger, the metal piece between ribbon and medal.

The only other medal I can find that fits is the Cape of Good Hope service medal. However that was only given to colonial troops for three campaigns in South Africa between 1880 to 1897. Basutoland 1880/81 Tembuland and Griqualand 1880/81 and Betchuanaland 1896/97.

The last would be the obvious one given the other medals. Chronologically it should be in the top row before the QSA. However medals awarded by other countries are worn after the UK medals. It was this position that threw me off course. Also it is the wrong way around, it should have the Queens head showing because it is a British medal although for colonial troops only. This begs the question, why does he have it. It may be that he was attatched to a colonial unit in the late 1890s.

That would mean he is not one of the families you named as none of them appear on the CoGH medal roll. Unless he got it unofficially but wears it on his suit anyway.

If you know the name of the distant relative you could see if his records have survived or his medal index card. If the name is different to the others you gave I can check the medal roll again.

I will do a little more research anyway.

John915

[Ruskie]

I agree that knowing the names of any who served in these conflicts would be useful - even knowing family names and some dates dates of birth may help.

[ribbo39]

Rds,

There is a tree on Ancestry for a William Cobbold b.1847 Bradfield St.George, Suffolk & who married a Sarah Elizabeth Gill in Bury St.Edmunds in 1882??.(should be 1871)

If I'm following their entries correctly, they had a son named Frederick Cobbold b.1880  but later killed during WW1 in Flanders, France 1915. (leaving a wife & 2 children)

This may help inputting names to the people in the 1st photo.

As an aside; in the 1881 census for Bradfield St.George, there is William Cobbold, his wife Sarah and 6 children including Frederick aged 3 months but also an Emma Gill a dau aged 14 yrs.

Could the above be of interest?

Alan

[Rds]

What you said in the first post about “if these are your relatives, you are welcome to the photo” gave the impression that you were looking to give the photo away. Glad to hear that is not the case.

In your last post you say you were always keeping the photo and “this is my Nana” …. Are you saying that the woman in the photo is your Nana? 

Sorry I am a bit confused. Might just be me. 

Hi Ruskie, sorry for the confusion. Yes it was a bit ambiguous... apologies just meant they are welcome to a copy of the photo! Physical copy, digital both... but gotta find them first!

Also I said "it is my Nans" ie the photo was my Nan's, it was her possession, who I am to give it away!
It is not her in any of the photos.

The first, was the "unknown" people.
The second is parents of a very very distant relative that was killed in action in the Boer War.
So, as the unknown couple have items relating to the Boer War, I thought the two maybe connected.

But (to me), they look so different (the second couple) I don't think it could be the same people.... or at least many many years later...

I am thinking the unknown people could be a brothers with a sister, wife, or other female relative of the man KIA in the Boar War, rather then his parents as they look so different.
But if siblings I would've thought they would've been too young to have some of the medals this gentlemen has... but I need to go through and date all of the medals.

Hope this helps clear thing up.

[Rds]

I agree that knowing the names of any who served in these conflicts would be useful - even knowing family names and some dates dates of birth may help.

Details for the man KIA in the Boer War are

Charles Cobbold
B:22 Nov 1871 Hessett, Suffolk, England
D:6 Feb 1900 Modder River, South Africa

Details for the men in WW1 (Charles brothers) are

William Cobbold
B:January 1876 Bradfield St George, Suffolk, England
D:8 May 1915 France & Flanders

Frederic "Freddy" Cobbold
B:January 1881 Bradfield St George, Suffolk, England
D:24 Apr 1915 & Flanders, France

Arthur Cobbold
B:3 Mar 1889 Bradfield St George, Suffolk, England
D:19 August 1916 Balkans

The only surviving brother;
Alfred Cobbold
B:7 Apr 1878 Bradfield St George, Suffolk, England
D:6 Feb 1937 Ellesmere, Shropshire, England

So maybe this first photo is Alfred Cobbold... and a female relative.

Details of parents of all these men (the people in the second photo) are;

William Cobbold
B:abt 1847 Bradfield St George, Suffolk, England
D:Jun 1922 Bury St edmunds, Suffolk, England

Sarah Elizabeth Cobbold (nee Gill)
B:July 1844 Rougham, Suffolk, England
D:Sep 1924 Bury St edmunds, Suffolk, England

If the name is different to the others you gave I can check the medal roll again.

Thanks again John915, the surname would be one you already checked. All details above.
Thank you so much for checking