Arranging my thoughts with a sigh

[Terri]

Some of you may remember my joyful discovery of Great Aunt Maud Jessie in Paris. The one was got knocked up by the "master's son".

She originally went to Paris sometime after 1912 to meet a man she was going to marry ........ but for reasons unknown, did not marry. All we know of him was that he was in the "Indian Army". Whether that meant he was actually Indian, or in the British Army in India, we don't know, nor why she had to meet him in Paris. But, one of her most treasured possessions was a Princess Mary tin, given to all soldiers in 1914 and we don't where she got that from either.

So, we have found a photo belonging to her, of a man called Ernie Hough. No-one has a clue who this man is, but as soon as I saw it, I wondered ............! There was "something" about him (and yes, I know that is fanciful and probably totally daft).

Anyway, I have found Ernie Hough, (to a very small extent). He is a witness at her cousin's wedding in 1914, but I am sure as I can be, there is no family connection with her, her cousin or her cousin's betrothed.

Is it odd - or significant - to have a photo, nicely kept compared to some of her others, of a man who seems to be just a friend of a cousin? It's unlikely Maud even went to that wedding, we are fairly sure she was in France at the time.

I know I'm probably reading too much into this and there's nothing I can do anyway. I know nothing of this man and so have no possibility of tracing him.

But, dammit, I just can't let it go. I must have looked up literally hundreds of Ernest Houghs - pointlessly! Even if I found the right one, I wouldn't know.

Starting to drive myself bonkers.