By John Grundy
I’m sure I’m not alone in spending many lockdown hours sorting old slides, negatives and documents. I’ve learn a lot about my own and my family’s lives through finding information either long forgotten or never revealed. Continue reading →
Sports Day vs Edinburgh camp. Three-legged race, from left: Halina Majdecki; centre: Adam-Adolf (always known as Adi) Besic and Rainer Sakic
A set of pictures sent by Mervyn Bramley from the camp at Plattenhof in Germany, in 1965. (Read his account here).
Heinrich’s birthday party (with Priest!)
A set of images from two camps – Black Forest 1970 and Langenburg 1971.
 Victoria and Celia’s hair-washing salon 1 |
 Victoria and Celia’s hair-washing salon 2 |
 Victoria and Celia’s hair-washing salon 3 |
 CRI commer van with unknown man. Who is he? |
 David Thomas with boys and CRI vans |
 Michael Peel with boys |
 Boys and CRI vans |
 Boys with guitar |
 Boys with David Beeby and Gordon Edwards |
 Unknown church spires |
 Plattenhof with Stefan Saum and Maria |
 Plattenhof |
 Backerei |
 Volkswagen with the Marias |
 Wilfred Kahan |
 Dieter Reindl |
 Willy Rybaks |
 René Nemeth |
 Washing up with David Thomas and Michael Peel |
 Lunchtime |
 Surgery, David Ward with Peter Rybaks |
 Tent inspection by Gordon Edwards |
 Hockey match – Gordon in the background |
 Hockey match |
 The lake at Plattenhof |
 On top of Feldberg |
 FD with Martyn, Gordon and Oliver |
 Visit to Triberg |
 The staff – left to right Martyn Edelsten, Gordon Edwards, David beeby, Susan Bennett, Celia Charnings, Ian Cooper, David Ward, Victoria Waterton, David Thomas, Michael Peel. |
 CRI flagpole |
 View of Freiburg |
 View of Freiburg |
 Staff and boys on the second 1964 camp |
 Washing up |
 Meal time |
 Meal time |
 Hockey |
 Boy with pole |
 Boy on rocks somewhere |
 View of St Peter, the nearest village |
 John Rignall and boys |
 Paul Hawksworth (probably) – not sure about the others |
 Christine Green and Lindsay Smith |
 Lindsay + John, possibly on Feldberg |
The first 1965 camp – staff + boys. Left to right: back row – unknown, Philip Seddon, Martin Ward, John Colquhoun, Susan Wilmott, Gordon Edwards, Lynette Gill; middle row – David Beeby; front row – Mervyn Bramley, Victoria Waterton, Celia Charnings, Carole Hunt.
 John Colquhoun shaving |
 Hike group with Mervyn Bramley, Gordon Edwards & David beeby |
 Witold Kalinowski |
 Michael |
 Josef Skubek |
 Hike group – Mervyn Bramley & Gordon Edwards |
 Hike – the tents |
 Tent 4 at lunch |
 St. Peter |
 Egon Witczak |
 Celia Chamings |
 Rainer Sakic, Roman Plich |
 Alex, Philip Seddon, John Coquhoun |
 Peter Sakic + unkown + Carole Hunt |
 Silvio Cretti |
 Lynette Gill and Mario |
 Football Match |
 Marquee group with Gräfin Szapary |
 Marquee group with Gräfin Szapary |
 Carlsberg childrens home with children |
 Carlsberg children’s home |
 Dom Remy – birth place of Jean d’Arc. Visited en route to the camp. |
 Tea-time by canal, France |
 Gordon Edwards with Mario |
 Stefan Saum the farmer |
 Jackie |
 Mervyn Bramley, Gordon Edwards, David Beeby & boys |
 David Beeby, Celia Charnings, Mervyn Bramley, Carole Hunt, Gordon Edwards – en route to the camp |
 Victoria Waterton and Philip Seddon |
John Campion and Sue Bennett 3rd and 4th from the left, Colin Morley & Ruth Doling on far right, John Colquhoun to left of Ruth. Others unknown.
 Stefan Saum, Colin Morley and others with boys |
 Colin Morley with boys |
 Martin Ricketts |
 Sue Bennett and John Campion |
 Unknown woman and pedicure |
 Colin Morley |
 Unknown man & shampoo |
 Ruth Morley & two unknown men |
 Mass |
 Ruth Morley with children |
 Table game |
 Gordon Edwards, boys and fire |
 Meal time |
 Man at cooking fire |
 Two boys with kite |
 Man, Ruth Morley and cooking fire |
 John Colquhoun ? shaving |
 Paul Hawksworth |
 Boys in tent |
 Van with boys |
 Arriving van with children and staff |
In 1967 Bernard Faithfull-Davies collaborated with a professional photographer, Tony Othen, who travelled round most of the camps.
Tony has published a selection of his CHV photographs on his Flickr site, where he writes:
“Although 22 years after the end of World War 2, there were still massive housing shortages in Germany and Austria. Refugees and those displaced by the war occupied some of the poorest housing available. Families struggled to bring up their children in such conditions and a camping holiday provided a welcome break and contributed hugely to their welfare.
“In 1967 I drove the Director of CHV on his annual visit of holiday camps and refugee centres. Taking photographs of the children in their homes and in the holiday camps helped to tell the story and to raise money for further holidays.”
Children's Holiday Venture Archive 