Every once and a while I come across a hand written note book, diary, autograph book  or recipe/cook book and today I would like to look at one such item.

The autograph book contains a number of drawings which are done by several different people along with messages for a young miss by name of Mary Davies. The dates on these items all come from around 1917 to 1919 but it is the very first item in this book which will possibly be of most interest.

The best drawing is the image of the #ThistledownFairies. Copied in 1917 from the Alfred Ernest Walter George Aris original which was published in “Blackie’s Children’s Annual”

We move to a variation of a wartime ad for frugality. Ithink it is quite cheeky thinking that dad might even remotely be ok with the idea. Once again a nicely executed drawing with a twist.

Finally, we come to the first item in the booklet. A salutation in rhyme each line beginning with the letters of her name.

This salutation/dedication is the best poetry in the booklet. To my reading it is well thought out and reads very well but it is the author’s initials which are to me the thing which raises an interesting idea. This being on the first page and undated might mean that it was written earlier than 1917. If so, I might venture a guess (or hope) of it being prior to 1915. If this were the case, the initials for the author become very intriguing for they might be those of #RupertChawnerBrooke (1887-1915) a British wartime poet. But so far I have not been able to tie Mary to Rupert in any solid/factual way. So, maybe I will just remain in hopefulness.