misswatts

3.5 EMILY BLANCHE WATTS (1878-1960?), born on 31 July 1878 at Bonmahon and aged 22 in 1901. She was always known as Blanche. On 7 August 1902, a stormy day with heavy seas, Blanch and a number of friends decided to go swimming. The beach at Bonmahon is treacherous in any bad weather as a rip tide cuts deep channels in the sand and in stormy weather must be avoided. Despite being advised otherwise the party went swimming. Many got into difficulty and both coastguard and local men then tried to save them. A local man, Cornelius (Con) Sarsfield, saved Blanche. A coastguard, one Frederick Shaw, saved some others and then he was drowned, but the girl he was trying to save got back to shore with help from other helpers. Another girl died. Shaw was buried in a grave in Bonmahon churchyard just beside the final resting place of Blanch herself. Blanch married her first cousin and sister-in-law's brother, Thomas Francis Buckley, on 29 April 1907. (There is a photograph in the Poole collection at the National Library of Ireland.) Tom had been born at Hackney in the last quarter of 1882. In 1901 he was working as a jeweller's assistant in the family business, Buckley & Lovell in Ludgate Hill, London. At the time of his marriage, he had a printer's and stationer's shop at 112 Wealdstone High Street. He was also sub-postmaster. The couple settled in Wealdstone, and were there in 1911, but when Blanch's brother, Dick, died in 1919, they returned to Bonmahon to help Maisie with the business. freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~davie/misc/Wat... www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai001224382/

DannyM8 Brilliant, thank you! Lovely to have confirmation on the dating of our photo, and always love more information about the people in our photos. Very sad about Frederick Shaw... I've added speculative notes on the photo for Blanche's mother and brother, may be wildly wrong.

Curious point about Cornelius Sarsfield who saved Blanche as above, in 1901 census he is listed as 22 whereas in 1911 he is only 30? 1901 1911 Also The Men involved in the rescue were awarded RHS Bronze medals ROYAL HUMANE SOCIETY BRONZE MEDALS CITATIONS TAKEN FROM THE ANNUAL REPORT 1902 Compiled by Peter Helmore RHS Helmore Shaw, Frederick. Coastguard. Case 32244 Holmes, Robert. Coastguard. Sarsfield, Con. Labourer. On the 7th August 1902, three ladies were bathing in the sea at Bonmahon, Co.Waterford, when they were swept out 50 yards from shore into 10 feet of water. Shaw swam out and rescued one of them, and on going out a second time was carried away and drowned. Holmes then went in and brought the second lady in, but she was dead when landed. Sarsfield succeeded in saving the third lady.

www.bbc.co.uk/wear/content/image_galleries/durham_baths_g... Norman Sarsfield was well known in County Durham for his amateur swimming. www.insweep.com/News/view/2531 There is probably a family link to the Sarsfields of Waterford. genforum.genealogy.com/sarsfield/messages/248.html

Great image and capture.

I wonder who was Miss Watts ? She sure was photogenic. Love the dog tugging on the towel.

Nev I think she might be Jean Watts "the 12 year-old wonder swimmer" from Bondi where her father Harold Watts controlled the surf sheds. trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/103547089 trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/103549060 The photo reminds me of one of the old adverts for soap - can't remember which brand !

Thank you very much for your research Beachcomber! We have now updated the catalogue record to indicate this is indeed Miss Jean Watts. nla.gov.au/nla.pic-vn4981298

National Library of Australia A pleasure to add a little information to this wonderful image. I have not had much more success with finding what happened to Miss Jean Watts. Her swimming career seems to have burned out in about 1929. Her father Harold Watts, who managed the Bondi surf sheds, died in 1926, just after this photo - trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/128102390 . It wasn't SOAP I was reminded of, but the famous COPPERTONE advert (created 1953) - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coppertone_sign

Miss Jean Watts was married in late 1936 or early 1937. - trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/17293553 She became Mrs [E.] R. Johnston, and in April 1944 her husband was appointed Science Master at the Broken Hill High School. - trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/49561753. From 1947 he was Science Master and Deputy Headmaster at Narrandera High School, and beginning 1952 was appointed Headmaster of Katoomba High School. - trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/101619209