The following two photos were in my grandfather, Allan Scott's, photo album. My grandmother had written "Not sure of these. In with Middle East Snaps".
The hat of the standing soldier indicated that it was an Australian soldier. The palm trees could indicate that it was taken overseas? But no, there is a Gum tree on the left of the memorial so the photo was likely taken in Australia.
Firstly I tried a Google Image Search without any luck. To search images, go to www.images.google.com and download the image that you want to search.
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| A google image search located many monuments but not the one I was searching for. |
Then, I tried to zoom in on the writing on the monument to determine if any details were visible;
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| No luck in identifying any writing on the top portion of the monument. |
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| Can you read any words? |
I thought that I could read a few words
This Foundation Stone
.....Duke......York
Royal (Guessed Highnesses)
.......Duchess Cornwall [something] York
.......19?1
A further Google search of Foundation Stone Duchess Cornwall York soon revealed that the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York visited Australia in May 1901 to open the first Commonwealth Parliament of Australia and Edmund Barton was sworn in as the first Prime Minister of Australia.
The Duke of Cornwall and York was later known as King George V.
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| Federation Celebrations May 1901 Source: www.nla.gov.au |
This then led to a further Google Search;
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| I found it!!!! |
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| Kings Park Perth, Western Ausralia Boer War Memorial "The plaque lists all those men from the West Australian contingent who died in service in South Africa" Source: www.airminded.org |
I know that my Grandfather visited Western Australia on his return from World War II as he wrote about his home coming, which I have written about here.
Therefore, as my Grandmother did not know the details of the photos and as they were with my Grandfather's World War II photos of Egypt, I would hypothesise that my Grandfather took the photos on his return to Australia in March or April 1943.
Mystery solved thanks to Google!
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| This post was prompted by Sepia Saturday. Did you pick the connection? Click for more posts |
Good bit of detective work done there
ReplyDeleteThank you Bill. It was fun!
DeleteGreat work, and you have expressed exactly the fun and fact filled nature of Google and searching on the web. Interesting work and photos.
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing how quickly that Google has developed in less than 20 years!
DeleteThat was fun seeing how you "think out loud." How serendipitous that the SS prompt helped advance your research. I love when that happens for me.
ReplyDeleteLol. I started with a picture of a procession in the same album but was diverted! Yes SS helps me to research photos that I would not have otherwise! Love it!
DeleteAn interesting example of how Google can help with our research. Thanks for sharing this.
ReplyDeleteYes it is great isn't it! I also love that the information continues to grow so there is always something new :)
DeleteGreat detective work.
ReplyDeleteThank you Jill. Google is the best detective!
DeleteA great piece of research - just the kind of detective story I love. And it gives you a great feeling of satisfaction at the end of the day doesn't it.
ReplyDeleteIt certainly does! A family researcher can often go for hours or days without finding anything new so it is great to have a "quick hit" :)
DeleteI enjoyed reading about your detective trail. Congratulations on your perseverance and success.
ReplyDelete"perseverance" is the nice way of saying stubborn! lol.
DeleteWell done! I love 'the search' too in uncovering the stories of my family members, so it was great to follow along with you.
ReplyDeleteI think it is the problem solving that I enjoy so much :)
DeleteIsn't it a great feeling when you finally work through all the puzzle pieces and end up with something solid? Nicely done!
ReplyDeleteIt is! It really is amazing how much information that you can gain from a photo!
DeleteYou can find just about anything on Goggle no matter what it is you're looking for! Good work & sticking with it!
ReplyDeleteYes it is amazing! However, I have still had a number of searches where no information has come up!
DeleteGreat photo of the 1901 Federation celebration. Well done from me too for locating that unknown monument. Presumably the swans were in Kings Park too.
ReplyDeleteYes it is a great photo.
DeleteI can not be certain but I believe that the swans were very likely in Kings Park or nearby too....just because the photos were together.
The internet can be so amazing. Imagine trying to do that with just the local library. I do love libraries, but virtually nothing beats the net for research. Congrats on your find!
ReplyDeleteI could spend a week at the Public Records Office Victoria......they have done a great job with digitising but there are miles of information which is still to be scanned and uploaded!
DeleteGreat investigative reporting. The "aha" moment is so satisfying.
ReplyDeleteOooh Yes! And I can express my satisfaction out loud! My husband and kids have thought me nuts at time when I have located something that has eluded me!
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