Edward VII's birthday

King's birthday

There is an air of mystery about this picture. We know when it was taken - 1907; we think we know where - Millbrook, on Jersey's south coast; we know the occasion - the King's Birthday; and we know roughly who is in the picture - the Royal Court, States Members, officers and men of the garrison regiment; but that's about all. We are not sure whether the occasion was Edward VII's actual birthday in November, or his official birthday, the anniversary of his Coronation, in August. We have no idea who took the picture, although the informal group and the fact that most are facing away from the camera suggest that it was an amateur snapshot rather than an official photograph. Although we are told that the location was Millbrook, it doesn't look like it. It is difficult to determine exactly where the picture was taken and which way the photographer was facing. It is also difficult to understand why the island's great and good would have assembled at Millbrook on such an important occasion.