Grace Roebuck was the daughter of George Thomas Roebuck II and Annie Louisa, and was Cynthia's elder sister. She was born on 18th May 1901 at 8 Badsley Terrace, Rotherham, South Yorkshire. She was named after the 19th century heroine Grace Darling, whose abridged story follows:
"On 6 September 1838, a violent storm sent down the SS Forfarshire at the Big Harcar rocks, ¾ of a mile from the Darlings’ Longstone Lighthouse. Out of approximately 60 crew and passengers on board, nine escaped using the vessel’s lifeboat, of the rest, nine survived by clinging to rocks. The survivors’ plight was realised by Grace and her father William at dawn on 7 September 1838. In the absence of any of Mr. Darling’s sons, Grace accompanied him in their boat, a coble, in a bid to save these stranded survivors. As her father leapt onto the rocks to assess the priority of the survivors, Grace rowed the coble back and forth, keeping it clear of the treacherous rocks. The nine survivors, four crewmen and five passengers, remained on Longstone Lighthouse for three days until returning to the mainland when the storm subsided". There is now a museum in Bamburgh, which has a website on which more details can be found.
Left: One of the earliest photos we have of Grace, dated 1915. In those days it was all right for children to show their ankles, but not older women. She is wearing the classic black stockings and shoes of the time.
Right: part of a family group in approximately 1916.
Left: Grace as a bridesmaid at her eldest brother George's wedding in 1924.
Right: This photo was taken at The Crescent, Chorley, in the mid-1920s. Grace is on the left, with baby sister Cynthia in the middle, and future sister-in-law Evelyn on the right.
Left: History in the making: In the mid-1920s, Grace (right) again with baby sister Cynthia, listening to a crystal set, which was a very early type of radio. The crystal set is on the cupboard. Note Cynthia's shoes - she wore clogs, and often swopped them with friends when out of the house. The photographer, probably one of their brothers, would have had to take this picture on a long exposure, as flash had probably not been invented then. Hence their glum expressions from keeping still!
Right: Another picture of Grace in her early 20s, quite probably taken at a similar time to the one above. On both pictures, note the surroundings: Cynthia had often mentioned the chaise longue in the sitting room, on which Grace is seated on the right, and probably both of them on the other end of it above. Oddly the chaise longue has its back to the fireplace, which is draped or swagged. On the floor is more likely linoleum than carpet. Cynthia did say that the pictures hung from the dado rail rather than the wall itself, and that they put sprigs of holly around the pictures at Christmas as decoration.
More photos to appear on subsequent pages.