A WOMAN is seeking to reunite a wedding photo of a couple torn apart by the Coventry Blitz with their relatives.
Geneologist Jennifer Pitt came into possession of the photo after the death of her cousin whose father was friends with the couple.
The wedding photo depicts Reginald and Henrietta Masters who were married in Coventry in the early part of 1939, she claims.
Ms Pitt – who has been interested in family history for more than 25 years – did some research on ancestry websites.
She claims to have discovered Henrietta was killed on November 14, 1940, at the couple’s home on 40 Clovelly Road – the day the city was bombed during World War Two.
The Coventry Blitz was the most devastating concentrated attack on British soil with over 500 hundred lives lost and hundreds more left injured.
The city was burnt to rubble following the brutal 13-hour attack by the German Luftwaffe.
Mrs Pitt believes Reginald survived the war but was injured in active service or on the night of the Blitz.
She says Reginald remarried in 1945 and moved to Derbyshire.
Although she admitted she cannot be certain about how Reginald injured himself, she can be sure Henrietta died the night of the bombings as her name was included on a list of missing people in the newspaper the week after.
Ms Pitt said: “I had been given some family photos following the death of my first cousin once removed and among the pictures was a small wedding photo of a couple not known to me.
“I was pleased to find a name on the back to help me. It seemed a shame to throw it out.
“It was clear my uncle Gilbert had treasured this photo of his friends’ wedding for the last 79 years, so it seems right that I should try and reunite it with family.”
On the back of the image it reads: “Reg and Etta Masters. Friends of Gilbert before the war. Etta killed in air raid on the night the Coventry Cathedral was hit.”
Mrs Pitt claims Reg had a brother and Netta had two sisters and hopes there are still some family members in the area who will claim the photo.
She said: “I do not know, but it is possible the majority of wedding photos were destroyed during the bombings that night in 1940 – this could be the only surviving one.”
If you recognise the couple or the name please e-mail [email protected]
