Published: Monday, 27th October, 2008 12:00pm

Retro: Dad's Army?

by David Cliffe

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THIS photograph, showing a group of soldiers in front of a rather ornate building, is a bit of a puzzler.

On the mount are printed the words: "Ward's Studios, 43 London Street, Reading," so it looks as though the picture was taken locally.

George Ward opened the studios in 1899. In later years, the firm was run by his daughter, Lorraine Ward, and in 1928, it was taken over by Henry Clayton Letchford.

Mr Letchford must have continued to run it as Ward's Studios for a good many years, since this photograph pretty certainly dates from the time of the Second World War, judging by the uniforms.

Looking at the men's faces, you can see that many of them must be in late middle age, so they are probably members of the Home Guard. Do any readers know which company this is and where they were photographed?

The building behind is decidedly curious. Those fancy barge-boards hark back to the middle ages and put me in mind of Ockwells Manor House near Bray.

The oriel window and leaded lights, with bull's-eye panes, are meant to look old, but if you peer at the original photograph, they look too neat and even to be really old.

The use of tiles to form the window and door openings remind me of the Arts and Crafts movement of the end of the nineteenth century. Here and there, the odd brick has been replaced by four tiles.

And what are we to make of the four rosettes in the brickwork, and the letter V over the door. Was this building the fifth one in a series?

If you can help solve the riddle, please get in touch with Adam Hewitt on 0118 963 3152.