Arthur W Gotts in Japanese hands
From some correspondence in 1990, I found the description of a Gotts:
'Arthur W, born probably about 1915. A butcher who served with this person in the 288th Field company, Royal Engineers, in the 'ill fated' 18th East Anglian division. He was a short, stocky, man with dark curly hair. He survived captivity in Japanese hands. '
This is Sapper Arthur William 4194 #038 who you can read about here: Arthur William
From another letter, I found that a lady had had a George Gotts knocking on her door about 1980 looking for his brother Alfred, with whom he had lost contact after being a POW in Japanese hands.
There is an Alfred who was a POW, but he was in Crete and then held in Germany. His details are here: Alfred 3267 But this Alfred does not have a brother George, whilst Arthur does, so I think he was looking for Arthur.
A very formal wedding
Vera Preston (tree #071) has this photo of a posh wedding, associated with the Henry Shearman-Davenport family in Essex/Hackney. The Costume Museum in Bath have dated it as 1907-9, taken by Fred Spalding, whose studios were near Shire Hall in Chelmsford. Vera's grandma Gotts and her aunt are in the photo. Her aunt made all the bridesmaids' dresses in her workrooms near Baker St in London. Any help would be gratefully received.
Monkeys in Gt Yarmouth
Val Coupland remembers going to see an old lady she called Auntie near the docks in Yarmouth, who lived to be 103. "Her husband died long before but I do not know when. I know he went to sea as at some point he brought her a monkey home from one of his trips overseas. I remember its smell more than anything, she used to have it dressed in clothes."