Louisa Handley, proprietor of a theatrical boarding house, first in Queen Street, than in  Bond Street, Wolverhampton.

Grandfather Handley had been a soldier for over 20 years in the South Staffordshire Regiment and twelve of those years were spent in India during the time of the Mutiny. 

This old and age-spotted photo shows Edward Thomas Handley, in the centre with the medals. I do not know who the other four men are - but they may be his brothers.

He retired on a fairly small pension and to help feed his family he took a job as stage-door keeper at the Grand Theatre. As an extension of this work his wife had theatrical people to board while the various shows were playing in Wolverhampton.

Lily Lilford, who played in the Telephone Girl in 1899, wrote in a large and flourishing handwriting how much she had enjoyed her stay - as well as passing on the address to others she would be coming back herself. Over the page are Jessie and Eva from the ‘Beauty and the Beast Company’. They stayed for two whole weeks for the Christmas pantomime. I wonder if they were the main parts or just two lassies in the chorus? Members of the ‘Turner Opera Company’ were followed closely by the ‘Christian Company’, all enjoying the food and comfortable beds. A Chinese Honeymoon was next and then two of the cast of The Belle of New York stayed a little while. In the middle of 1900 some members of a group showing an early cinematograph, called Hearts are Trumps, stayed. This was surely one of the first of the soap operas?

Then came the "Merry Madcaps’ and ‘the White Heather Company’. John J Hooker wrote "Everything comfortable, everything Al". He played in the ‘Auld Lang Syne Company’, as did Wilfred and Percy, one of whom wrote "Paradise Personified" and the other "Quite the nicest digs I have ever had, I could die here! In fact I have."

Someone from a rival company added "I bet Mrs Handley has died of long suffering putting up with you lot." Three sisters, Mary, Eva and Violet, write "Don’t forget the swings." J. Williams, with a bold flourish, tells everyone he is not only the conductor of the show but he is the composer as well.

I cannot read all the ingredients, only camphor, but, as my Mother suffered from bronchitis all her life, I do not think the cure was all it was supposed to be.

For three weeks in 1902 members of the British Imperial Band stayed at the house. When it came time to leave they listed all the other bands they had played for: Life Guards, Scots Guards, Royal Marines and even the Carl Rosa Opera Company. I hope they did all their practising at the theatre.

As the books fill up there is the occasional reference to my Mother helping out. Her father died in 1906 so the boarders became the sole source of income for the family as Edward Handley’s army pension ceased when he died. The family moved to 6 Bond Street and still the boarders came. 

An added bonus was seeing all the shows at the different theatres, mostly from the wings.

Mother said she was quite grown up before she ever saw a performance from the front of the house.

One thing that stands out in these visitors books is the handwriting - such big bold scripts. It was nothing for a writer to fill up half a page with only a few words. Some have beautiful, even writing; others are almost unreadable. Many different-coloured inks were in use - a lovely lavender ink was used by members of an Italian Opera company but were their thank you notes, written in Italian, ever understood?

The last entries in the books are from a different kind of boarder: New Zealand soldiers who had lost legs or arms on the battle fields of France. After long spells in hospital they were sent up to the Midlands to learn new trades before returning home to New Zealand. These men enlivened the life of my Grandmother and her daughters, always playing jokes and good for a laugh.

One favourite joke was to re-tie the apron strings of Grandma’s white apron to the back of her chair so she had difficulty getting up. Even as an older man my Dad would have a chuckle about the look on her face when she couldn’t get up.

Vera worked 12 hours a day in James Gibbon’s munitions factory, making hand grenades. Although the hours were long there must have been some time for romance because in October 1918, one week before the end of the war my Mother, Vera Handley, married Charles Heaphy of New Zealand and sailed with him on a troopship to New Zealand.

Charles Heaphy was a New Zealander who had come to Europe as a soldier during the First World War. He was wounded and was sent to hospital in England.

When he recovered he was sent to Wolverhampton as part of a scheme for retraining Commonwealth soldiers before they returned home.  Charles and many other NZ soldiers were trained at Guy Motors.

Romance blossomed between Vera and Charles.

Wedding photo of Charles and Vera Heaphy, 16th October 1918, St. John's, Wolverhampton.

They say he has had experience in machine tools and in working with combustion engines; that he has "taken a keen interest in any work he has been given to do" and that they "feel sure he will prove quite a useful man".