Family “treasures” are seldom of much intrinsic value and are usually smaller items which bind us to the people who used to own them, by association. So Pat and I have a few articles which will always remind us of Mom and Dad. Pat has passed custodianship of some of the family “heirlooms” to her daughter Heather and one hopes her kids will continue to treasure these odds and ends.
Shown hereby are items which belonged to Dad. The SLATTED, STEEL-FRAMED CHAIR might date back to the 19th century as it came with the Lyle’s when they moved from Windhoek in Namibia. New woodwork has been applied to the chair but the steel is original and rust free. The same applies to the WOODEN BENCH which used to be a school desk from the
same era. We have no history for the OAK DESK but a scribbled date on the underside of the drawer is 1905, so we think it possibly belonged to Granny Lyle. Dad always kept his most private things in there, away from prying eyes and fingers. Most intriguing to me was the Walther 6.35 mm pistol which resided there. Dad used to carry it on his trips to pay the Padmakers and we kids were not even allowed to see or handle it. He also used to buy stamps for my collection but kept mint blocks etc in the desk.
Heather also has an OVAL OAK TABLE, A STEAMER TRUNK which Mom used when she travelled to and from Grahamstown, A GLASS FRONTED DISPLAY CABINET which folds flat for easy transport (This might be an antique worth investigating)
I kept Dad’s CHRISTENING MUG, which is a hallmarked item, made by John & William Deakin of Sheffield in 1905/06 of Sterling Silver, I have also kept a small, carving of a CAMEL, beautifully made in a dark wood which he bought in Egypt. With it is a tiny PYRAMID made of alabaster or white limestone, which it was said was used originally to cover the outside of the Great Pyramid of Giza. I also have Dad’s KHAKI ARMY BONNET – I’m not sure if it should be termed a beret or a tam o shanter. He was fond of the cap and often wore it to keep his head warm. An extraordinary item of Dad’s clothing which has survived was his SWIMMING TRUNKS. These date back to the thirties and are made of wool. Apart from a few moth holes in them, the trunks can still be used.
I have also kept a leather-bound PERSONAL BIBLE which originally belonged to Charles, Dad’s brother but which was given to Dad as a present when he joined the Army. It really is a special edition, being printed on very thin but strong paper, (I think it may be termed “onion skin paper”) with a wide variety of additions such as a Concordance, Biblical Names, Biblical era maps, etc. I also own and occasionally use Dad’s DICTIONARY (THE NEW IMPERIAL REFERENCE DISTIONARY). It is an excellent dictionary and also has additional sections such as a list of popular quotations, British history year by year, short biographies of famous people etc. There is also (previously mentioned) an ENGLISH-KAFIR (Xhosa) DICTIONARY which Dad used when he was in Golden Valley. Two high quality MEDICAL BOOKS –THE CONCISE HOME DOCTOR VOLS 1 + 2 which belonged to the folks, are still in regular use in my home. I had them rebound and although probably from the 40s, much of their content is as relevant as ever.
In my garage I still have a small METAL CARPENTER’S SQUARE and a really old WOODEN-BODIED BOX PLANE which might easily have come out of Ireland with the Lyles as it is very old indeed. I also have a WW2 British .303 BAYONET which came in a leather scabbard with brass trim. I keep the brass well polished. A couple of WOODEN BOXES which belonged to Dad are also still in use in my house. One was a long, narrow box Dad told me was made by one of his men and would hold a Thermos flask and the rest of the chap’s food, like a lunchbox. The other was a small oak box in which my very first Meccano set resided for a while. I also have two small tabletop TRINKET BOXES as well as a number of brass ashtrays, which I personally like to clean. Also still in daily use in my home, is a little gnarled WALKING STICK, made of wild olive wood, given to Dad by one of the blacks who minded the ganger’s camps out on the road. It looks fragile but is made of the hardest wood I have ever encountered. A knife simply makes no impression in the wood so how that camp guard managed to trim it, only he knows.
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