A Life In Uniform

I’ve set up this page as a platform to share several albums of photos, postcards and documents compiled by my grandpa John William Ottway, who I knew but it seems not that well, as it was only when all these were passed onto me to be guardian of that I really got to know him.

It seems a shame for what I believe to be an interesting bit of social history to be destined to stay hidden in cupboards, so I hope you’ll enjoy as much as I have, seeing the travels of a young man in the early part of the 20th Century historically a time of great upheaval. Although he kept some diaries they are a little sketchy so I’m also hoping that you may also be able to help fill in some of the historical gaps.

I'm not sure if children wore school uniform in the early 1900's and born August 1901 he would likely have left school aged 12, as children did in those days.
I know he was still at School in 1914 as he took part in a Schools Music Festival at Crystal Palace in May 1914, one of the earliest photos we have is this one of him wearing a Pullmans uniform, possibly the beginning of his Life in Uniform and his thirst for travel...