Category Archives: John

Shad reveals one of John’s secret side-lines

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This entry marks the 150th article posted on Shad the Cat’s blog since John and I started it way back in 2012.  To honour the occasion, I decided to give you a little insight into one of John’s pastimes.  It’s a fascination with phone boxes.  Large or small, red or tiger print, he loves phone boxes.  When I’ve asked him why, he tells me that they are a cherished feature of his childhood and a reminder of a lost time, when he had to go out to make a phone call from the phone box just as you went out to post a letter.  People must have moved much more in those days because John says there was no remote control for the television and eating cakes involved baking them first.  If I had opposable thumbs I reckon I’d enjoy baking.  I’ve watched John tackle enough flat blueberry muffins and one ton loaf cake to know what not to do!  Although since he treated himself to the electronic bread maker, the standard of cakes in the household has taken a definite turn for the better.

The first telephone kiosks were introduced after the First World War when the telephone network was nationalised and owned by the General Post Office (a government department until 1969).  However, other services such as the Police and the Automobile Association had also been developing a network of sentry boxes to enable patrolmen to communicate with each other.  Since those humble beginnings, phone boxes have undergone a series of transformations, no doubt influenced by the privatisation of the telecommunications side of the Post Office business in the early 1980’s.  As the design of personal radio equipment improved and telephone equipment became modernised, new British Telecom branded kiosks sprang up marking the decline of the red telephone box.

This historical icon has now been made obsolete by the rise in mobile communications and many red telephone boxes have disappeared from our streets.  There are a few that remain standing, some unused and dilapidated, others declared listed buildings, or metamorphosed into cash machines, wildlife centres and even a miniature café in Brighton.  It seems that the old-fashioned red telephone box is quintessentially British and holds a place in the affections of the nation which is why I have no doubt that John will continue to take me with him on his quest to photograph as many of them as possible.  Next time you pass a telephone box, give a little smile to one of the lost symbols of our national heritage.

The Strand, London
Leica Stand Photography Show

Shad takes a trip to London

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This weekend, the Saga Louts met 5 of their music idols in the zany form of AC/DC at Wembley Stadium.  To remind you, the Saga Louts consist of 4 mature men with a talent for music and a passion for rock (not the geological kind)!  I wrote about the Saga Louts some time ago when John and I went to see them in concert.  By that I mean jammin’ it at one of their gigs in the pub!  So John and the Saga Louts invited me to London to hit the curry house and watch one of their favourite heavy metal bands performing on stage.  While we waited for the guys to meet us at Kings Cross train station, I amused myself by wondering where platform 9 ¾ might be until the sound of bears bellowing caught my attention.  The happy hollering noises came from John and his brother and pals greeting each other warmly and exclaiming their joy at the upcoming show.  I hopped back in my basket and we made our way to the hotel for a rest and refreshments.  Next stop, Wembley Stadium!

We arrived early and the place was enormous, filled with rows and rows of bandstand seating, a huge stage at one end and a floor for standing in the middle which John referred to jokingly as the ‘mosh pit’.  As time went on, more people arrived and after John explained what ‘moshing’ was, I decided this wasn’t my cup of tea, too crowded and noisy.  So John put me in a taxi back to the hotel where a nice bowl of fish flakes was waiting for me.  He arrived back in the room at 1am looking happy and sweaty!  Apparently AC/DC slammed out a relentless celebration of rock and roll while the masses heaved in delight.  Fireworks, explosions and confetti accompanied the grand slam of distorted electric guitar and thunderous drums.  Despite their age (most of the band members are in their sixties), they strutted up and down the stage, gurning and grinning with their straggly hair stuck to their wet faces, often making a wild noise that seemed to leave the crowd mesmerised.  Apparently they came to rock!

I awoke in the morning bright and breezy, unlike John and the rest of the crew who were very tired so after a hearty breakfast to fuel the fires, we headed across to Hyde Park for a leisurely walk.  Hyde Park is one of the largest parks in London, situated next to Kensington Gardens close to the main entrance to Buckingham Palace and the Horse Guards Parade in Whitehall.  Aside from a few joggers and dog walkers, we had the park to ourselves possibly due to the dark clouds and refreshing spots of rain that were starting to fall on us.  One hot cup of coffee (and a warm saucer of cat milk for me) later, more hugs and manly taps on the shoulder indicated it was time to go our separate ways.  I suspect John’s ears are still ringing from the concert but he would tell you that it was totally worth it.

Shad takes a peek at the Jefferies past

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From a pin-point image on a pewter plate with a mix of toxic chemicals, to the invention of Polaroids and into the digital age, the photographic process has undergone a series of radical transformations and improvements.  In the early 1800’s, photography was a hobby accessible only to professionals or the very rich, but now it is open to the mass market with modern electronic media allowing both professionals and amateurs the chance to produce high quality images that can be stored and shared at the touch of a button.  Many of the photos John and I looked at over the weekend were taken on 35mm film cameras with a small single lens and no focussing adjustment.  But their beauty and simplicity helps to keep history alive as I discovered when John told me some tales of the people posing in the portraits.

John& His Mum
John’s Dad and Grandad
John
John’s Mum and Dad
John’s Nan
Eddie John’s Dad

Thomas J Jefferies (John’s great uncle) served in the Royal Navy and spent time aboard a training ship called the HMS Impregnable (launched in 1810).  It was a 98 gun 3-decker ship with a wooden hull and I imagine life for the crew was hard.  Food was generally boiled by the cook in a large copper pot and weevils were regularly found in the bread.  The food must have been of a questionable quality given that the only way of preserving meat was to keep it in salt and most other foodstuffs were supplied dried.  Having said that, Thomas J Jefferies probably faced many dangers from life at sea as well as disease and the perils of war, so mealtimes were probably considered one of the highlights of the day.

Presentation Bible
HMS Impregnable

Photography must be in the blood as John’s great great grandfather William J Cornwill (1861 to 1943) was also a photographer.  He must have witnessed some exciting changes in photography because he would have been around when a man called George Eastman started a company called Kodak in the 1880’s.  Eastman created a flexible roll film that didn’t require the constant changing of solid plates and created a self-contained box camera that held 100 exposures of film.  The user would take pictures and send the whole camera to the factory for the film to be developed, giving rise to the first camera cheap enough for the average person to afford.  Strong opinions also run in the family apparently as William J Cornwill was an exponent of reinstating Middlesex as a county and he even appeared in the local Surrey Comet to state his views.  For those of you that would appreciate a quick history update at this point, the City of London in the 12th century was able to exert political control over Middlesex and began to expand its boundaries resulting in problems with the administration of local government.  Eventually Middlesex became absorbed into Greater London with small sections in other neighbouring counties.

William J Cornwill was married to Fanny Withers, an entertainer on stage, and had several children, as was the trend in those days.  Two of his sons, William F Cornwill and Douglas W Cornwill, served in the First World War and one son named Horace Courtland Jason Cornwill was reported missing in action on 7th October 1916.  He survived as a prisoner of war in Germany working in the coal mines before being ex-patriated on 15th February 1919.  All this information might have been lost if it weren’t for the fragile black and white pictures that John has kept safe all these years and the names and dates written on the back of many of them.  Traditional film-based photochemical methods of photography are now a part of its past and new technology does have many practical advantages.  But whatever methods you use to store your photos, whether it’s in an album or in a cloud, you should write about them or label them so your history is never forgotten and your memories can be kept alive.

These are taken from the many photo’s passed down to John from members of his family!

04.02.1935 – Return from Gibraltar for repairs.
04.02.1935 As a result of a collision between HMS HOOD and the HMS Renown
A veiw of HMS Courageous over the tail of an aircraft
Impression of Attacking Aircraft

Shad enjoys some of John’s work

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Every photographer has an arty side and John is no exception.  He left the house early the other morning for a solitary stroll along the sea-front to contemplate life.  It was 3°c outside which is far too cold for my little paws so I stayed at home keeping the sofa warm whilst John wrapped himself up to meet the brisk early day light.  He came back with a smile on his face and a selection of photos full of muted tones and geometric shapes.  Oh yes, it was all very ‘organic’ and a big change from the real lifes and landscapes that we often like to shoot.  Thank goodness I had a brain-boosting breakfast of mackerel fillets in tomato sauce!  Although I noted with interest that John did not have breakfast when he came home and I have a strong suspicion he went for a fry-up without brining me any tit-bits.

 

We spent a lovely morning rummaging through the arty pictures, discussing the effect of the sea on light and how the contrasting shades are enhanced by printing in black and white.  I really like the asymmetric silhouettes of the pier and how the pictures characterise the architecture of the sea-front.  The shot of the sea groyne is done in such a way that it changes the scale of the object and look at the lonely barnacle sitting patiently on its side waiting for the sea to bring its supper.  While the barnacle waits for his dinner, the birds are busy feeding in the sand amongst the pebbles.  I’m not sure if they’re eating worms, crabs or seaweed, but they seem to be enjoying themselves.

Bognor Beach – Piece of the Mulberry Harbour