Do you know this family? Couple's bid to return hundreds of mystery photographs to Sheffield family

Frank Gladwell and his wife, Margaret, bought the lot of about 10,000 photo slides at Sheffield Auction House in July because they wanted the storage boxes which are no longer sold commercially.

After sorting through the slides, Frank realised that about 700 of them were family photos from as early as the 1960s and wanted to return them to a member of the family.

Frank said: “It’s a lottery what you will get in those lots. When we opened them up they were full of family group photos.

“I suspect that the family were above average for the area. One group of slides dating from 1961/2 showed a crossing of the Atlantic on the Queen Mary to visit family in New York. Most people then wouldn’t be able to afford that.

“There will be people in Sheffield who will recognise people in the photos."

Many of the images feature a couple at their Sheffield home, and on their travels around England and across Europe and North America.

Frank added: "There were no clues whatsoever. Sometimes you have names written on the slides. There were absolutely none.

"It’s just a guess. The house looks like it’s in an out of town suburb.”

Frank paid approximately £200 for the lot, but said that the boxes he wanted could cost up to £40 each on Ebay.

Any slides that Frank and Margaret kept from the lot they saw as a bonus.

Frank said: “I think the lot was from a house clearance, someone swept it all up and then it ended up at auction.

“In this day and age stuff gets cleared out and thrown away. We could have put them in a skip but we thought there might be a bit of human interest.

“We’re not going to charge for them, we’re just going to stick them in an envelope and send them to the family who claims them.

“If they are claimed at least we would know it was sent back to where it belongs. It’s about keeping a record.”

If you recognise anyone in the pictures, get in touch with Sheffield Telegraph with any information.