Great reply Kevin and how did you guess that Tricky? Actually I was going to string Tricky out a bit longer, and that was one of my intended clues, I thought twice as I didn't want to clog up the post and obstruct the OP in their Endeavour to find out the facts. I came clean spent a restless night having nightmares about Tricky turning up to deliver my prize. Closed the gates, battened down the hatches and let the dogs off their lead - is it safe to come out now? Elementary my dear Watson - house - Abbey - how many can there be? To be Frank, Whittle(d) it down to the last 500 and went from there.
my architect expert also said " 103rd Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment Royal Artillery, were stationed at Whitby later in WWII. They were a Territorial units, hence ATS women. BBC aural history has an ATS veteran's memories of Whitby: BBC - WW2 People's War - A.T.S postings " so was she a code breaker or signalling staff at the AA battery? .. and how did you trace the building? OK, you've posted a partial answer, probably out of fear of TD turning up with his lippy ready - but have you no reMORSE? Foyled again!!
Sorry Kevin, I can't claim anything other than luck using the search facility with Google (others are available) images. The question for the OP is why the photo of the house? Answer - looks like she was on holiday! In 1939 it was a Holiday home and still is YHA. Yorkshire WHITBY Abbey House - Old Postcard by Ross of Whitby | eBay REAL PHOTOGRAPHIC POSTCARD OF ABBEY HOUSE, WHITBY, NORTH YORKSHIRE BY JT ROSS#20 | eBay REAL PHOTOGRAPHIC POSTCARD OF ABBEY HOUSE, WHITBY, NORTH YORKSHIRE BY JT ROSS | eBay
I don't know, you drag yourself away from t'internet for a few hours, have a very enjoyable dinner and evening with one of your daughters, have far too much to drink, wake up with a heavy head - and then realise you lot have been chattering away behind my back while I was comatose, and discover that Tony has decrypted the Enigma with his Ultra clever sleuthing powers! Well done, sir, and thank you! I've not found anything to suggest the house was used for any clandestine purpose during the war, so it looks as if the picture was maybe no more than a holiday 'snap'. A bit of a let-down in some respects, but am so pleased the question has been answered - many thanks indeed for all of your efforts. And a grateful handshake to Tony!
Homes under the Hammer of course - you bought it for £85,000 with a budget of £15 10s 6d to do it up There are other programmes of a similar nature on other TV channels - just in case TD
sounds like you two are more than just "friends"..... ? Perhaps you met here? The Prospect of Whitby is a historic public house on the banks of the Thames at Wapping in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lays claim to being the site of the oldest riverside tavern, dating from around 1520. In former times it was a meeting place for sailors, smugglers, cut-throats and footpads. In the comic book The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Mina Harker pauses in front of the public house and says it brings back memories. She is referring to the beaching of the Demeter at Whitby in the novel Dracula. . and to stop Admin complaining about thread drift, here's a WW2 reference to pacify..... There is also a scene from the 1956 film D-Day the Sixth of June starring Robert Taylor and Richard Todd where Taylor's character is seen with Dana Wynter's character having drinks together during the Second World War in London.
Rumours, just rumours. But you are right Kevin with the Prospect of Whitby Admin getting involved let's get back on track: Notices | All Notices | The Gazette
Final question, which perhaps we should have asked earlier - what's on the reverse? Any photographer credit, publisher or other info?
Am afraid I don't have the photograph in question, Kevin, but will certainly ask the question of the relative that does.
If it says Blackpool I will laugh my socks off - reminds me I must put them in the wash, with only 2 pairs one needs to stick to the rota - times is ard guv TD
If there is anything on it, you may well need a one-time pad to decipher it! (And if it does say 'Whitby' I'm going to have ((plain)) words with the relative concerned!!)
Have just heard from the relative who has the picture - "I have other pix re Whitby. She went there with a group of tennis people They have WAT written on them. I don’t know if any of the other people on them are Bletchley friends." WAT - Whitby Abbey Tennis? Team? Who knows!