Question:
I recently discovered on my grandmother's kitchen wall a postcard hung ina small frame -- ignored and taken for granted for years. I took the"picture" down, pulled out one of the three nails holding in the backcover, and gently pulled out...a postcard.

The front had a color (do you call it a `lithograph'?) of a churchsemi-hidden behind some trees. At the base were the words `BEBINGTONCHURCH'.

The back had a one-penny red stamp with a male bust. It was postmarked`ST. HELENS-3, 1:15pm, NO 5 13'. It was addressed to `Mrs. R. Tolmie, 72Ogden Street, Newark, N.J., USA'. No return address. I assume that the`NO 5 13' is the postal service abbreviation for `November 5, 1913.'

Question: where is St. Helens? Does it still exist? or has its namebeen changed? I suspect (because of the `Bebington Church' on thefront) that it is or would have been somewhere in the area of what isnow Merseyside/Cheshire? My personal maps are lousy and too small toprobably list this place - either that or its that darned coffee ring...

I'd appreciate any help.

Answer: Bebington is in the Wirral not too far from St Helens so it would not beunusual for a postcard from Bebington to be used or posted in St Helens.A lot of people used to buy postcards when on holiday and use them upduring the year often from hundreds of miles away. you can see sub post offices where they have a handstamp. St. Helens - 3 could probably befrom such a sub post office and so there are/had been (at least) threepost offices in St. Helens.