My grandfather was Harold Alfred Boyle (1881-1927). He had 5 children, including my father. All 5 children destroyed all photos of their father and refused to talk about him. Whenever I asked my dad, he would say "you don't want to know about him, a terrible man".
Of course, he wasn't a "terrible man" to me, and I would love to find a photo of him. I have been trying for years, thus far with no success.
He joined the armed forces twice - a brief 3-month stint in the Royal Navy in 1900, then he served in the Royal Field Artillery, 1915-1919. But, as far as I can discover, neither the Navy in 1900, nor the Army in 1915 photographed recruits - or, if they did, those photos have been destroyed.
He also served time in prison in 1921. Some 10 years ago I looked into police mug-shots or prisoner photos, but at the time I was told that, even if such photos existed, under the 100-yr-rule, access would be denied. the 100-yr deadline has now passed, of course.
I've wondered about school photos (in Bradford in the 1890's), and I've contacted every single living relative of his sisters and brothers/sisters in law, with no luck.
Any suggestions or advice would be most welcome!
