Wrates Skegness Photographer Found Hanged
`Mr Camera’ found hanged
Skegness photographer, Alfred Wrate (pictured right) found dead in 1981
THE Skegness man who pioneered the camera back that made “walkie” pictures far easier and cheaper was found hanging at his home by his son on Friday afternoon,
Mr Alfred Ernest Wrate, 65, of Alma Avenue. Skegness, was found by his son Stuart hanging from a wire in his hall.
An inquest into Mr Wrate’s death was opened on Tuesday when evidence of identification was given.
Mr Wrate will be remembered by many as ”Mr Photography” after the hard work and inventiveness he put into the profession.
He joined the Royal Air Force on the outbreak of the Second World War mainly involved with photographic reconnaissance.
It was after the war that he took over his father’s business and introduced an original system of taking holiday snaps using a machine that he operated in the RAF.
Based on continuous processes to bring down the costs, Mr Wrate modified the RAF cameras to suit their new job.
He branched out and did the same thing at Mablethorpe then introduced photographs in large department stores in the cities.
Mr Alfred Wrate, who was found dead on Friday, then went into the import and export of pharmaceutical goods. becoming one of the largest dealers in this field with an annual turn-over of £1m.
His next step was to become the executive chair of Polyphoto but this stretched his finances and eventually the company became insolvent.
His trustees were brought in to deal with his business about three years, ago and his Skegness Photography Business was sold to his employees about a year later.
A member of the Avenue Club and a local Rotarian, Mr Wrate leaves a widow Daisy, two sons, Stuart and Rodney, a daughter, Rosemarie. and three grandchildren.
A funeral service held yesterday (Thursday) at the Boston Crematorium.
Source: Skegness Standard 28th August 1981
Stuart, his son, was a smashing lad and one of the gang. He never acted spoilt or never bragged about his dad’s success. We all felt for him. We were all very surprised and shocked at what happened to his father. Wrates has been around in Skegness as long as I remember. They used to have massive big box cameras and always remember they used to have a squeeky toy on top to press to make the kids look at the camera, and the photograhers wore yellow, black and red striped jackets and white trowsers, and a straw hat which they did away with in later years. Their kiosks where all over from Skegness to Chapel St Leonards. The firm still exists today, I think run by Stuart’s nephew but not as it was. The firm concentrates on doing school photographs around the area today, which it is a shame as it did add that bit of colour and carnival summer atmostsphere to the sea front.
I am saddened to read that my school chum Alfred Wrate met an untimely death, it is as a result of our being at “Wainfleet College” together in the 1920’s & early 1930’s that I spent hours at his mother’s studio and darkroom watching an apparent blank piece of card appear with an image on it.
Alfred had a sister Milicent
The Lumley Road studio had a sloping glass roof and Mrs Wrate would control the daylight on the sitter by manipulating the blinds.As I had the opportunity to work in London in 1934 I lived “in digs” until joining the RAF in November 1939
I have recently come across original photographs taken by A & AE Wrate Skegness & Maplethorpe of my Grandfather and Grandmother I guess taken in the 1900’s and will shortly be depositing copies in the local Library.