There were few portraits there, but Ron Green with his eye for faces recognised two - Colonel Buckle's second wife, and Harry Banks. One of Harry Banks daughters confirmed that it was indeed her father, and with the Chambers clue, we found a similar glass plate negative of Harry Banks - one of a group of eight donated to the Museum by Betty Chambers in 1982.
Of the 100 photographs in this photo album, just 6 were already in the Museum collection (Accession No. P1005) but the donor of that collection, from 1993, is unknown.

Derek Gay came and look at the collection, and he was fairly sure that most, with the photographic details on the back, were from Granville Chambers, who was known to be a keen photographer and did his own developing. Derek had bought his house from the Chambers family, complete with dark room - and Derek found Granville's signature which confirmed the hand writing on the photographs belonged to Granville.

The conclusion after a lot of interesting discussion was that the vast majority of the photographs were taken by Granville Chambers and the album once belonged to the Chambers family.

The source of the album: Roe and Moore, art and antiquarian book sellers in Blackheath in London, had acquired a large lot of books at auction. The album was included - it was not something in their 'world' and looking inside, they concluded the main theme was Mersea. They thought it should have a good home and very kindly sent it to Mersea Museum.

Granville Leonard Chambers
Granville first appears in our records in 1939. The 1939 Electoral Roll, compiled autumn 1938, shows him at Galiots, Coast Road. The 1939 Register, a little later, shows him at 'Sunrays' Coast Road. He is recorded as a Colliery Deputy Overman Retired, born 31 December 1898.

Granville Chambers - Royal Observer Corps
Photograph from Derek Gay

Granville very much wanted to serve in the forces but was unable to. He joined the Royal Observer Corps on the Island and it is thought he served with them through the war. Granville sold Galiots to Colonel Buckle and bought Greenstorth, a little further up Coast Road. The 1939 Register tells us that living in Colonel Buckle's former household at East Mersea Hall was Betty Capon, born 1917, and employed as Chauffeur and Private Secretary. Granville clearly made contact with Betty while he was selling Galiots to Colonel Buckle, and went on to marry her - July to September 1942 in Surrey.

1951 Granville and Betty D. Chambers were living at Greenstorth, Coast Road, and a number of photographs in this area were in the photo album. Granville died around 1980 and Betty November 1981.

Betty - 1942