Volume Eight - Pre-Victorian to the present day - more aspects - George Wehrley - Photographer . . .

Whilst compiling information and images for this Penarth Dock website project, I stumbled across references to many photographers. Their photographs were found within publications, archives, collections, postcards, newspapers and internet sources. In Glamorganshire from the 1850's until about 1930, there is an index containing 1,600 references to commercial photographers. Refining my search to Penarth addresses revealed James Astor of Dock Street, Dobbs of Bradenham Place, Dopad of Victoria Road, Duras a portrait specialist, William Gale of Maughan Street, Walter Harris of Windsor Road, Thomas Howe of Maughan Street and the Esplanade, Jenkins of Station Approach, Ivor Lewis of Windsor Studio, Adrian Lundstrom of Station Approach and Hickman Road, Morgan at Hickman Road, Nelson at Windsor Road, the Sargent Brothers, Styles at Glebe Street and Windsor Road, Wills of Penarth Road, and finally, but not least, George Wehrley & Co. of 97a Glebe Street, Penarth. My thanks to Peter Meazey for compiling the foregoing data. [392] Also, there were postcards published by W. A. Stephen of Windsor Road under the brand of 'Noah's Ark and also Murrells, Wholesale & Retail Stationers, Penarth, amongst others.

It is Mr George Frederick Wehrley (1890 - 1916) whom I shall concern this chapter with. His fine work recorded for posterity many lovely views of Penarth but also documented shipping activity at Penarth Dock during the early 20th century. During my research, I noted that his activity as a photographer declined in parallel as political tension grew between Britain and Germany ; and which ended abruptly with the outbreak of the Great War in late November 1914.

Although born in Penarth in 1890, George's parents were German and at first I considered that the family had made a timely departure to their homeland since George would undoubtedly have come under scrutiny for his detailed photographic studies of sensitive infrastructure such as the docks and its shipping activities at time of war. I held this view for some time until I investigated further and was stunned to discover that he had been killed in action on the Somme during December 1916 whilst fighting for the British. George was an avid photographer of ships and he proudly advertised his work in local and national press as follows:-

Photographic Pictures of Ships - 'To Postcard Collectors, Sailor's Relatives and Friends. Write for List to G. WEHRLEY & CO., Photographers, PENARTH, GLAM. Largest Collection in South Wales.' The North Wales Express [361] [376] 17th June 1910