“He has been out of work long time”

The years after the Great War were difficult for Deaf people, as the absence of so many men in the armed forces provided opportunities for employment for them as it had for women, then lost as those soldiers were demobbed.  Schools were fairly good at training people so that they would have an opportunity to get a trade and either work for themselves or find employment.  Bootmaking was high on the list of such trades for boys.

This picture of a certain W.P. Fone of & Siddon’s Rd, Hartington Rd, Tottenham (which of the two he is I cannot say) was clearly intended as an advertisement.   On the reverse in pencil it says,

He has been out of work long time
He is going to try make boots repair at home in garden. They are very good nice repair.

It is possible that the photo is by Hallett.  We cannot be sure of the date but I am confident it is 1918 or later.  I have not identified his first name (William? Walter?) and as we cannot be sure of his age and when he lost his hearing that makes him harder to find in the census returns.  If you can identify him or find his name in a list of pupils at a Deaf School, please leave a comment.

Click onto the image for a larger size.