Searching for Olive Bailey

Henry Irving

So club Chaplin Matt Baker came into the museum today, not to carry out an exorcism because a M***W*** fan had been in last week but to pass on an autograph book that he had been given by Jeff Heskins, a previous club Chaplin and Vicar of St Luke's in Charlton Village.

The autographs contain a number from the 1947 Cup Winning side and other players such as Eric Lancelotte who, coincidentally, was the first person for whom Matt carried out an ashes spreading at the Valley Memorial Garden 

Henry Irving

But possibly more interesting as social history are some other autographs such as this one from Jackie Coogan, a child star in Hollywood in the 20s (The Kid with Charlie Chaplin) he went on to play Uncle Festus in The original Adams Family.

Which maybe explains the song...or probably not.

Henry Irving

But most of the pages are not star signatures but drawings, jokes and poems from friends and family 

Henry Irving

The book was a 1946 Xmas present to Olive Bailey but who was she?

She may have lived in Charlton or Greenwich, attended St Lukes and worked for the South Eastern Gas Board going on clues in the book and how it came to us but we don't know.

Would love to find out more about her.

bobmunro

I have a family book, with entries from family friends of my Uncle Cyril (dad's brother) who sadly died at a young age in the 1930s, long before I was born. It reminds me so much of that book.

Nothing more to add really - it just struck a very loud chord.

Henry Irving

They are wonderful artifacts 

swords_alive

I thought you were looking for an Olive Bailey to decipher the autographs?!?! Aka ww2 decoder..

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/olive-bailey-b-c-woman-who-helped-crack-nazi-codes-in-wwii-1.2900631

MrOneLung

Wheelers Bay Ventnor

Henry Irving

Weirdly, the nephew of one of our volunteers saw this thread.

He told his uncle Colin who WhatsApped me to say that his mum's maiden name was Bailey and she had a younger sister, born 1933, called Olive.

The family home was at 1 Kenya Rd, a stones throw from the Valley and their dad, our volunteer's grandad, worked for Southern Eastern Gas Board.

Col is checking names etc with his wider family to confirm but it all seems to tie together.

So it looks like the autograph book may be about to be reunited with Olive's family 77 years after it was gifted to the then 13 year old. 

IdleHans

Henry Irving said:

Weirdly, the nephew of one of our volunteers saw this thread.

He told his uncle Colin who WhatsApped me to say that his mum's maiden name was Bailey and she had a younger sister, born 1933, called Olive.

The family home was at 1 Kenya Rd, a stones throw from the Valley and their dad, our volunteer's grandad, worked for Southern Eastern Gas Board.

Col is checking names etc with his wider family to confirm but it all seems to tie together.

So it looks like the autograph book may be about to be reunited with Olive's family 57 years after it was gifted to the then 13 year old. 

I think your maths is off, Henry - 77 years, so even more remarkable.

It's a good story, well done!

MuttleyCAFC

Henry Irving said:

So club Chaplin Matt Baker came into the museum today, not to carry out an exorcism because a M***W*** fan had been in last week but to pass on an autograph book that he had been given by Jeff Heskins, a previous club Chaplin and Vicar of St Luke's in Charlton Village.

The autographs contain a number from the 1947 Cup Winning side and other players such as Eric Lancelotte who, coincidentally, was the first person for whom Matt carried out an ashes spreading at the Valley Memorial Garden 

Jeff Heskins christened my son at the Valley in 2001. Nice bloke.

usetobunkin

Was Olive on the buses?