I’m sure you know the feeling – research something and get totally side-tracked. Well that’s what happened when I was preparing this blog.
The focus was the date of this photograph. Clothing is usually a good indicator as to the period of a photograph but not a good clue in this case.
Embossed in the lower right-hand corner was ‘J Lockwood, GEELONG’. Checking the Geelong & District Photographers web page it showed that J Lockwood was active as a photographer in Geelong from c.1908 to 1931. I thought I’d found the answer quite easily until I Googled the ‘Geelong Highland Pipe Band’ and found their web site. Woops! According to the history of the Band, it used to be called the Comunn na Feinne Society Band until 1935 when it’s name was changed to ‘Geelong Highland Pipe Band’.
The local photographers’ references showed J LOCKWOOD was active until 1931 and from 1932 it was J P LOCKWOOD. Initially it seemed that perhaps J P was the son of J but not so. The results of the LOCKWOOD research were puzzling, convoluted and fascinating!
John Porritt HARDMAN was born in Geelong on 26th June 1878 and baptised at Christ Church on 24th July 1879. His parents were William Moorhouse HARDMAN, Cloth Finisher, born Lancashire, England and Charlotte HARDMAN, nee SHAW, formerly LOCKWOOD, Publican, born Sydney, New South Wales.
John Porritt HARDMAN spent all but 5 years of his life in Geelong. He supposedly married in Perth in c.1898. His two oldest children were born in Perth with interesting surnames. Sylvia Violet LOCKWOOD-HARDMAN was born in 1902 and Cecil Raymond LOCKWOOD-HARDMAN in 1904. His third child was born in 1907 and baptised in 1909 with the name of Audrey Inez LOCKWOOD-HARDMAN. The Church Registers of 1909 show his occupation as photographer and both John Porritt and his wife Inez are shown with the surname of LOCKWOOD-HARDMAN.
So was there a question mark over John Porritt’s biological father or ??? In his professional life he reduced his surname to LOCKWOOD.
I certainly wasn’t expecting that sort of side-track but it was definitely an interesting journey.
The bottom line – J LOCKWOOD could have taken the photograph of the Geelong Highland Pipe Band after 1935 when that became the official name of the band. LOCKWOOD died in 1947 so the image dates between 1935 and 1947. Can anyone identify any of the members of the band?
Oh – one more minor twist – when he died, John’s name was recorded as John Porritt Hardman Lockwood.
Ash
I’ve found so much interesting information about this family! His mother, Charlotte was married to Thomas Lockwood, and they ran the Rosemary Branch hotel (building still standing on Maud st). They had 10 children (some died in infancy). After a fire gutted the hotel, Thomas built a lean-to bar to serve patrons, however a wind change collapsed it injuring his head- he died a few days later.
Charlotte remarried, and the new couple had John. After her death in 1844, John stayed on with the Lockwood children (his half siblings) and later took their family name.