Help Identifying Woman in WWII Photograph – "Maisie", Warwick, 1941

[premulada]

Hello everyone,

I’m currently researching my grandfather’s life during WWII. He was a Czechoslovak soldier stationed in Leamington Spa in early 1941, as part of the Czechoslovak forces in exile in the UK.

Among his personal belongings, I found a studio portrait of a young woman named Maisie, which was likely sent to him in January 1941. The photo was taken in Warwick, as confirmed by the stamp on the back, which reads:

“Photo Studio, 15 High Street, Warwick”

She appears to be wearing a British military uniform, probably that of the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS). Unfortunately, I do not know her surname or further details.

I’m hoping that someone here might recognise the uniform, the studio, or perhaps even Maisie herself. Any guidance, suggestions, or historical insights would be greatly appreciated.

I have attached a scanned copy of the photo to this post (front and back).

Many thanks in advance for any help,

Premysl Cerny
(based in Czech Republic

[Andy J2022]

Hi Premysl and welcome to RootsChat.

I think you are right that Maisie is wearing an ATS uniform. The only clue which might lead you to more information about her is the badge on her shoulder. It's not the standard ATS shoulder title which looks like the image below. Can you post  an enlargement of that area which might show some more detail?

As you may be aware, over the next 2-3 years all the service records from the WW2 era will be slowly  made available at the UK National Archives, and are being digitised by Ancestry. Unfortunately most of the service records do not include a photograph, so even if you were able to search all the ATS members with the first name Maisie, you wouldn't be able to confirm which one was her.

The Warwick studio may be useful later as it is possibly either where she  came from or it was where she was stationed during part of the war. Since your grandad was in Leamington Spa which is only about 7-8km from Warwick, I think it is highly likely that they met because she was serving in the same area, maybe even at the same camp.

[premulada]

Hi Premysl and welcome to RootsChat.

I think you are right that Maisie is wearing an ATS uniform. The only clue which might lead you to more information about her is the badge on her shoulder. It's not the standard ATS shoulder title which looks like the image below. Can you post  an enlargement of that area which might show some more detail?

As you may be aware, over the next 2-3 years all the service records from the WW2 era will be slowly  made available at the UK National Archives, and are being digitised by Ancestry. Unfortunately most of the service records do not include a photograph, so even if you were able to search all the ATS members with the first name Maisie, you wouldn't be able to confirm which one was her.

The Warwick studio may be useful later as it is possibly either where she  came from or it was where she was stationed during part of the war. Since your grandad was in Leamington Spa which is only about 7-8km from Warwick, I think it is highly likely that they met because she was serving in the same area, maybe even at the same camp.

Thank you very much for your kind reply and helpful insight!
I really appreciate it.

I will have access to the original photograph by the end of the month and will post a higher-quality scan as soon as I can.

Best regards,
Přemysl Černý

[willyam]

Přemysl,

I was so captivated by your quest to identify Maisie that I was inspired to do some digging - as I explain below.

Although there can be no certainty that she was of local origin, I began by speculatively researching the 1939 Register for any Maisie, born in 1917 (+/- 5 years), who then lived in Warwick or Leamington.

This search produced several results, and I was initially drawn to one in particular who looked a promising fit for ATS Maisie. However, thanks to some canny handwriting analysis by Laurence Spring at the Surrey History Centre I was enabled to discount her.

Undeterred by this, I carried on searching and my attention was drawn to a Maisie Astill, living in Leamington - where she had married a Jan Babijczuk in December 1942. As I was uncertain where he may have hailed from, a wider search for Jan lead me to this key source at: https://listakrzystka.pl/en/babijczuk-jan/

Encouraged by this I then explored Maisie’s (online) life history which somehow prompted me to look at her entry in the 1921 census - which produced a quite astonishing outcome! Which outcome you can see for yourself from the attached copy of that census record (which is subject to Crown Copyright).

Astonishing because, not only is the handwriting of 1-year old Maisie’s forename on the census identical to that on the ATS photo, the inescapable conclusion is that the latter must have been penned by her father (who completed the census return) and not by Maisie herself. Indeed, such a conclusion is underpinned by closer examination of the 3 kisses (crosses) on the photo - which look to be lighter in colour than the name.

Jan died in Shrewsbury (in Shropshire), which is where Maisie passed away on 27 August 2011.

Willyam

[BushInn1746]

Hello everyone,
 ...

Among his personal belongings, I found a studio portrait of a young woman named Maisie, which was likely sent to him in January 1941. The photo was taken in Warwick, as confirmed by the stamp on the back, which reads:

“Photo Studio, 15 High Street, Warwick”

She appears to be wearing a British military uniform, probably that of the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS). Unfortunately, I do not know her surname or further details.

I’m hoping that someone here might recognise the uniform, the studio, or perhaps even Maisie herself. Any guidance, suggestions, or historical insights would be greatly appreciated.

The Photo Studio at, 15 High Street, Warwick, was:- 

Including Malcolm McNeille's predecessors

Added:
1880s
Martin and Tyler Photographers,
15 High Street, Warwick.

Added:
Early 1900s, 1908
J. Harriott, 15, High Street, Warwick.
Official Photographer to the Warwick Pageant.

The Warwick Pageant was a Festival of Drama in Warwick and at Warwick Castle.

3rd Add:
1924
Malcolm McNeille & Co., Portrait Photographers,
6 South Street, Chichester, and Hounslow.
26 South Street, Chichester.

2nd Add:
1931
Malcolm McNeille, Portrait and Commercial Photographer
20 Church Street, Stratford upon Avon, 
And at 15 High Street, Warwick, Chichester, and Hounslow.

1900s to After WW 2
Malcolm McNeille, 15 High Street, Warwick, Warwickshire

4th Add: 
See further reply about Malcolm McNeille & Co.

By 1956
The address had become the:-
Offices of Warwick Newspapers, Limited, 15 High Street, Warwick.
Printed by the Courier Press, Leamington Spa and London.

The Leamington Spa Courier

Heart of England Newspapers Ltd.

Mark

[Andy J2022]

Excellent bit of sleuthing willyam. If Premysl thinks this is worth following up on, Maisie and Jan had two daughters (Bridget A and Kataryna S) both of whom married. Bridget and her husband went on to have two sons born 1974 and 1977 in the Shrewsbury area. Kataryna married a Polish man in Gloucester in 1964, whose first name was Wasyl, but they don't appear to have had any children.

Maisie and Jan were living at 6 Garnston Road, Shrewsbury until at least 2003. Jan had been born on 25 November 1916 and died on 2 September 2007. The post code for his place of death matches the Garnston Road address.

The two clips below are interesting as they seem to indicate that Kataryna was known as Suzanne, and Bridget as Angela. The second clip, which concerns the funeral of Jan's brother Joe, may be useful to Premysl as it identifies many friends of the Babijczuk family, and mentions Joe's wartime service in the Polish Air Force. Perhaps there's a link between the Polish and Czech forces.

Wasyl seems to have been previously married to Mary E Symons. Mary remarried in 1963, leaving Wasyl free to marry Kataryna (Suzanne) in 1964. Mary may have died in 1988.

Wasyl's son Peter by his first marriage was still living in the Gloucester area in 2021.

[Andy J2022]

Maisie Emmie Cleaver Babijczuk left a will. Probate was granted 17 November 2011.

[premulada]

Dear Willyam and everyone who contributed,

I am truly amazed and deeply grateful for the time, care, and brilliant research you’ve all shared here.

Willyam – your work is simply extraordinary. The combination of name analysis, family links, census handwriting comparison, and newspaper archives is absolutely convincing. This feels like a major breakthrough in the mystery of Maisie, and I’m excited to explore it further.



With sincere thanks,
Přemysl Černý

[BushInn1746]

Malcolm McNeille & Co., Portrait Photographers had premises at:-
Warwick,
Stratford upon Avon, Warwickshire,
Chichester, Sussex and 
Hounslow.

Sussex Gazette, 29th January 1998

"West Sussex County Record Office, in Chichester, is to host a display of photographs," ...

"Also on show will be photographs by the Chichester photographic firm Malcolm McNeille, including views of Coronation celebrations in Chichester in 1937, and a demonstration of 1930 domestic appliances, which are today's collectors' items."

150,000 photograph collection mentioned.

The photos must once have had indexes?

West Sussex Record Office ...

https://www.westsussex.gov.uk/leisure-recreation-and-community/history-and-heritage/west-sussex-record-office/

ADDED:

In the Notices published 22nd November 1957

Malcolm McNeille Deceased
 ... Malcolm McNeille late of " Bulrushes " 76, Manor Road, Selsey Retired Photographer who died on the 22nd day of June 1957 ...

Mark