Postcard 293

“Be good girls I’ll soon be home. ”

Front

Photograph of a bay surrounded by hills.The card is headed: 2039 Oriental Bay, Wellington, N.Z. Muir & Moody.

Back

Headed New Zealand Post-card with a divided back. The left side is labelled: This space for correspondence. The lower margin reads: 5147. The card has a green 1/2 d stamp and is postmarked Wellington STH 4 SP 19, 11.30AM.

Transcription

Miss Elsie Cooksley
c/o Whitehead Bros
The Square
Palmerston North

Dear Elsie

Just a PC to let you know how I am getting on well. I’m having a good time. Hope you & Mystic/Mystie are getting on alright. Be good girls I’ll soon be home. Keep Ronnie in the shop. Good bye Elsie more news next time from your loving friend M.F. x

Commentary

The postmark is smudged but appears to be dated September 1919. I was initially excited at the signature on the card – MF – could it stand for Michael Fitzsimons, her future husband. I have seen another letter written by him and this is not his handwriting. The card is sent to Elsie at the tearooms where she worked. She had another card sent to her in 1911 which makes me wonder about the date of this card. There is mention of Ronnie though, Elsie’s younger brother Hugh Ronald Cooksley who was known as Ronie or Ronnie. He was born in 1909 which leads me to the later date. As for Mystic or Mystie – it sounds more like the name of a horse but I have no idea to whom it refers.

Muir and Moodie operated from 1898 until 1916. They almost never had their postcards printed in Britain but this one was. Their earlier cards were often photos taken by brothers Walter John Burton and Alfred Henry Burton but around 1904 Muir and Moodie embarked on re-photographing New Zealand.