These photographs, which exist in a traditional leather album, came into our ownership about a decade ago. The pictures were a gift from the Stoke-on-Trent based local historian, Fred Hughes, who had come across them at a car boot sale. Unfortunately close inspection of the photos and/or the folder gives no clue as to who compiled the album or took the photos, or what year/years the photographs span.
What we have is a selection of photographs from a tour or tours of Czechoslovakia, mostly featuring images from a commemorative event at Lidice, but also some from Prague, Kladno and other places. Several of the photos feature Dr Barnett Stross, but do you recognise other characters? The artist Ruskin Spear, who took Dr Stross’s portrait, makes an appearance, as does Julius Jacobs (I believe) and the so called “gravedigger of democracy” in Czechoslovakia Zdeněk Fierlinger .
The pictures certainly capture the busyness of the commemorative events and the high attendances in those days, they could imply the event to be marking a special anniversary. The originals were donated to the Lidice community several years ago.
