127 type negatives in Boot's Film and Prints Wallet

These 57 negatives were found in Boot's Wallet and came from Woolloongabba near Brisbane in Australia. There is the customer name written on the envelope in black ink. It is hard to read and the closest I could come up with was "Mr. Fallmade". I could not find any people with this family name neither in Australia nor overseas. From the envelope we also know the order number, 392, and the branch number, 395.

The negatives are full-frame (4x6.5 cm) size shot on type 127 film. An interesting detail is the series of notches that appears on all of them. Most likely, the notches were made in the frame window of the camera but their purpose is not clear. They might be used during enlarging to quickly identify the emulsion side of the negative. The gentleman on this image must be the photographer. He used a wooden walking stick which we also see in the corner of the frame of this portrait. The photographer wears a camera case. Judging by the size the camera was of a simple folding type, a very popular design in 1930s and 1940s. The images are not particularly sharp indicating that this was not a top-end camera. There focus is not always uniform througout the frame, a common problem in folding cameras especially of a cheaper design resulting from the lens plane not being parallel to the film plane.

The negatives were shot in the UK in late 1930s or 1940s. We don't know how they ended up in Australia. They could be shot by Australians visiting the UK or brought to Australia by British migrants.

The car that appears on several images is most likely Wolseley Nine. Around 4000 cars of this model were produced between November 1933 and April 1935. The registration number JF5286 is clearly seen on the images. The first two letters is the area code and JF was used in Leicester. This format on number plates was in use till mid 1930s which corresponds with the production years of Wolseley Nine.

Some locations on the shots are easily recognisable. One of the images features Osmington White Horse in Dorset, the figure of King George III that was cut in limestone in 1808. The arch is probably the Stair Hole near Lulworth in Dorset. The photograph of the ship appears to be taken at Lulworth Cove. There is another picture made from the same location. St Michael's Mount in Cornwall did not come out very well on the picture but is still identifiable.

Peter Walker and Geoff Taylor from East Dorset Antiquarian Society were very kind to identify several other locations. The habour is at St. Ives. The rock formations in this photograph is Combestone Tor in Dartmoor. There are other images of nearby tors. The picturesque ruins are houses built into the remains of Bury St Edmunds Abbey. The headstones disappered since this shot was taken and the graveyard was turned into a lovely lawn. Peter also noted that Boot's Branch 395 is currently in Liskeard, Cornwall.

The locations of the other shots are not yet identified. If you recognise any of them please let me know.