Friday, February 22, 2008

Ethel and Jack - some years later



These are clearly taken a few years on from the previous batches of photos. Ethel is noticeably older, Jack has been in the army long enough to earn his sergeant's stripes and a couple of rows of medal ribbons and they have a new dog. Ethel mentions some of the pictures are taken in a vacant lot in rear of Beverly Wilshire Hotel. The hotel is 9500 Wilshire Blvd. I think the vacant lot
must be in the angle between North Beverly Drive and Wilshire Blvd, which is now occupied by No 9465, a modern office tower which is home to various theatrical agents. (I had fun playing with Street View on Google Maps to find that out. Alas Street View does not include Clark Drive, where Ethel and her family lived.) Another picture is taken on the corner of Charleville Blvd and El Camino Drive. She mentions telephoning Walsingham Lodge. That was in Manor Park, Chislehurst. I have a document dated June 1943 where this is given as Ada and Bert's address. [Entry updated. I have now added a few specific posts about Walsingham Lodge.] The mention of similarities between Jack, Fred and her father leads me to think that Fred must be her brother. Father and son were both James McCann and the son's middle initial was F. so maybe Frederick was his middle name and they called him Fred in the family to distinguish one from t'other. And how come Ethel was taking such an interest in where they wear out their trousers? (Actually this is not something peculiar to the McCann menfolk. That is where trousers tend to "go".)






No comments: