THE grand-daughter of a former Mayor of Carlisle is to trying to solve a little mystery surrounding a picture of her grandfather.
Fiona Vandersluys is trying to identify two people who feature in a picture of her grandfather Cllr Thomas Souness visiting a car dealership when he was Mayor of Carlisle.
Fiona is seeking to identify the people her grandfather is speaking to in the photograph.
The photo features in a historic photo album in her possession which includes a number of photos taken when Cllr Souness was in office.
Fiona plans to donate the album to Tullie House Museum.
Thomas Souness was born on May 9 1905 in Bunkle and Preston, Scotland but spent the majority of his live on Scalegate road, Upperby in Carlisle with his wife and Lady Mayoress, Anne Burns Souness.
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For most of his adult life, Cllr Souness worked as a railway signalman and according to family, 'loved being involved in the Carlisle community'.
Thomas and Anne would go on to have a son, Francis, who during the Second World War, joined the RAF and was subsequently awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in 1955, by the late Queen Elizabeth II, for gallantry while serving in the Malayan Emergency in 1954.
Cllr Souness became Mayor of Carlisle in 1960 and devoted himself to public service over his next year in office.
According to Fiona, her grandfather was 'fond of his Austin cars, hence his obvious delight in attending this car showroom as Mayor.'
As Fiona endeavours to solve this family photo, she explained why she set off on her quest in the first place.
She said: "From my point of view, now that I’m 66, I’ve been reminiscing about all the good times I had in Carlisle visiting my grandparents frequently throughout my childhood.
"I always felt very at home there.
"We loved exploring the city and the lovely villages around it, once we had learnt to drive. The whole area has special memories for me, which I will always treasure."
Fiona also explained that her inital hunch around who features in the photo was wrong, meaning that the mystery persists.
She said: "I also attended the County High School from April 1971 until July 1974 although it became St Aidan’s School after my first term.
"My best friend from that school, Linda Brimfield (nee Hutton) is my best friend to this day.
"It struck me that the couple may have been Linda’s parents, who had a car dealership in Botchergate so I sent it to her but, alas, it isn’t so I would now love to know who they are!"
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