Old pic of my Grandmother from the Roaring 20s

I think this was the first picture I saw of my grandmother given to me by a friend of the family in 2006 and whose Aunty is standing to the left of my grandmother in this picture.

It was taken sometime after 1923 in Braco (when my grandfather and grandmother got married) but before 1933 when she disappeared with my mum (Aged 3) to various lodgings over Stirlingshire where she performed with a travelling amateur dramatic group. She is third from right here and was called Mary Cowper at this time but the. changed her name to Angela Meers when she left various names in between but death certificate had Angela Marie Gilbert on her death in July 1998 age 96.

My grandpa took many months before tracking them down (while holding down a job) doing his detective work and helped by various landladies telling him where they had been and where going next. I’m not sure how he managed it as he didn’t have a car so would have been by bus (or train as he worked on the railways ). I can imagine him being determined to get mum away from Mary as she was living a nomadic lifestyle and still meeting Victor , the travelling Rowantrees sweets salesman from Glasgow who was married and she was having an affair with whenever he was in Braco area and leaving my mum in the house on her own (he later found out).

Given the stories from her further two children, am eternally grateful to my grandfather to tracking her down and successfully winning custody of my mum.