Mystery Photographs

This photograph was found in a box of family artefacts; it has at some time been framed which would seem to indicate that the children were family members or at least well known to my grandparents. There is no clue as to who the children are but it would appear from the clothing that the 1920s period is a likely contender. There is a possibility that the children are part of the Simmonds family but I can't make the ages of the three (if they are siblings) fit in with any branch of the family tree.

I am also intrigued by the location, is it in or near Bridgend? Possible contenders are;

Parc Brook which wends it way from Cefn Glas down to Newbridge Fields passing under a few stone bridges en-route to the River Ogmore.

Morfa Brook, now mostly culvetted under Bridgend Town Centre.

Or do you have any other suggestion?

A late 1950s photograph from a wonderful set of 120-size negatives from the camera of Keith Coles who was a long-standing member of Bridgend & District Camera Club. Keith passed away some years ago and it was thought his collection of photographs and negatives had been subsequently lost for future generations, but I am delighted to have tracked them down and found some little gems amongst them, like this photograph from 1958/9.

There is so much detail in this photo that is evocative of a past era: boys in short trousers, short back and sides haircuts, well-worn jackets with patches on the elbows, shoes with worn-down heels, clothing with holes and tears, all indicative of a community that was not well-off financially. There was nothing unusual in any of this, that's just how it was during that period of hardship in the late 1950s.

The two young boys aged about 7 or 8 in this photograph do look as if they have been partially posed by the photographer, the lad on the bridge is certainly aware of the photographer; he is probably a bit envious of his young friend paddling in the stream in his wellingtons. The boy was probably wearing his only pair of shoes and he would likely have had a severe scolding had he gone home with wet feet. The other boy paddling in the stream is probably able to do so because his everyday shoes are his black wellington boots!

Anyway, apart from enjoying the 1950s sentiment of this image, I have added this photo hoping someone will recognise the location. I assume it is in the Bridgend area but I'm not able to identify the bridge or the stream. It could possibly be in the Garw or lower Garw area where the photographer lived and worked.