Charles & Christina Letters Through Time The Story of A Queensferry Naval Family by Lisa Sibbald Book Review 28th May 2022
AVAILABLE TO ORDER NOW £17.50 + £2.00 UK POSTS
Charles & Christina : Letters Through Time is the new book from Edinburgh author Lisa Sibbald and is due to be published by the author direct sometime around mid-end July 2022.
This book tells the story through the surviving letters of Charles Jacobs and Christina Sandercombe from roughly 1912 to 1929 and through these unique letters we, the readers, are given a unique personal perspective of these times and life for Christina in Queensferry and also for Charles whilst serving as a member of The Royal Navy.
These letters allow us all the opportunity to step back in time and experience not only the daily lives of Charles and Christina from over 100 years ago, but also the chance to share first hand accounts of some of the most important events of the early 20th century. Here a young Charles, born into a naval family, and Christina a young girl living in Queensferry exchange letters in the early days of their meeting while Charles is in far off China during the turbulent early years of the Cultural Revolution in China, and the first world war at a very personal level giving us rarely published first-hand witness accounts of everyday life during these century-defining years. Not only are we fortunate enough to still have these original handwritten letters as source material for the author to transcribe, but we also have many original and precious family photographs from these times that are illustrated in this unique book.
Charles & Christina : Letters Through Time is a book on many levels; a young couple and children separated by a war the likes of which no one living had ever seen or experienced, the daily struggle to survive both for those left at home and for those on active service at sea. We also follow through these letters the lives of Charles and Christina’s children and immediate family and close personal friends through wartime and into peace-time. As these “Letters Through Time” move forward, Charles leaves the Royal Navy and this career change is to bring many new challenges for Charles, Christina and their family.
The fact that these original letters and photographs have survived for 100 years is in itself remarkable and much of this is down to Anne Thomerson (nee Jacobs) daughter of Christina and Charles, who during her lifetime not only saved but preserved these precious letters that her mother had written to Charles over the years.
Charles and Christina are no longer with us, but their letters and photographs have been passed down through the generations. However, with the co-operation of their granddaughters (and other family members) who gave the author full access to this family treasure trove, the story, the lives of Charles and Christina are brought back to life in their own words. In this book it is easy to imagine Charles at sea visiting far off lands and trying to stay alive in the harsh environment of active service during World War One whilst also getting real, first hand written insight into Christina’s life at home as we once more walk the often now long gone urban landscape of the streets of Queensferry, Dalmeny and Port Edgar with her.
Charles and Christina Letters Through time will be published as an A5, 160 page (approx.) fully illustrated softback book.
You can follow the progress of this book and also order copies direct from the author at the new Charles and Christina Letters Through Time Facebook group at
https://www.facebook.com/groups/charlesandchristinalettersthroughtime
Review by Tom King (c) 2022
www.artsreviewsedinburgh.com
This book tells the story through the surviving letters of Charles Jacobs and Christina Sandercombe from roughly 1912 to 1929 and through these unique letters we, the readers, are given a unique personal perspective of these times and life for Christina in Queensferry and also for Charles whilst serving as a member of The Royal Navy.
These letters allow us all the opportunity to step back in time and experience not only the daily lives of Charles and Christina from over 100 years ago, but also the chance to share first hand accounts of some of the most important events of the early 20th century. Here a young Charles, born into a naval family, and Christina a young girl living in Queensferry exchange letters in the early days of their meeting while Charles is in far off China during the turbulent early years of the Cultural Revolution in China, and the first world war at a very personal level giving us rarely published first-hand witness accounts of everyday life during these century-defining years. Not only are we fortunate enough to still have these original handwritten letters as source material for the author to transcribe, but we also have many original and precious family photographs from these times that are illustrated in this unique book.
Charles & Christina : Letters Through Time is a book on many levels; a young couple and children separated by a war the likes of which no one living had ever seen or experienced, the daily struggle to survive both for those left at home and for those on active service at sea. We also follow through these letters the lives of Charles and Christina’s children and immediate family and close personal friends through wartime and into peace-time. As these “Letters Through Time” move forward, Charles leaves the Royal Navy and this career change is to bring many new challenges for Charles, Christina and their family.
The fact that these original letters and photographs have survived for 100 years is in itself remarkable and much of this is down to Anne Thomerson (nee Jacobs) daughter of Christina and Charles, who during her lifetime not only saved but preserved these precious letters that her mother had written to Charles over the years.
Charles and Christina are no longer with us, but their letters and photographs have been passed down through the generations. However, with the co-operation of their granddaughters (and other family members) who gave the author full access to this family treasure trove, the story, the lives of Charles and Christina are brought back to life in their own words. In this book it is easy to imagine Charles at sea visiting far off lands and trying to stay alive in the harsh environment of active service during World War One whilst also getting real, first hand written insight into Christina’s life at home as we once more walk the often now long gone urban landscape of the streets of Queensferry, Dalmeny and Port Edgar with her.
Charles and Christina Letters Through time will be published as an A5, 160 page (approx.) fully illustrated softback book.
You can follow the progress of this book and also order copies direct from the author at the new Charles and Christina Letters Through Time Facebook group at
https://www.facebook.com/groups/charlesandchristinalettersthroughtime
Review by Tom King (c) 2022
www.artsreviewsedinburgh.com