Signs of the Times in Old Autograph Book

A 100-tear-old autograph book belonging to the daughter of the then manager of Dunedin’s Grand Hotel, and containing several notable entries has been brought back to Dunedin.

The book’s current owner, Brian Reddington, of Christchurch, said it was given to his aunt Irene Reddington by her father (his grandfather) John Joseph Reddington in 1908, presumably as a means of gathering the autographs of the many sportsmen, musicians, actors and adventurers who passed through the hotel’s lobby in those days.

Inside are about two dozen signatures, among them those of United States conductor John Philip Sousa, conductor Percy Grainger, world champion boxer Bob Fitzsimmons, the crew of Scott’s Antarctic expedition ship Terra Nova, the 1910 Australian cricket team and Australian soprano Dame Nellie Melba.

The signature of South Pole discoverer Roald Amundsen - although there are some doubts as to whether the book was signed in Dunedin - is also present.

The August 4, 1909 entry of Sousa, who was known particularly for his military and patriotic marches, contains a few scribbled bars of his march High School Cadets above his name.

Grainger’s signature (January 4, 2009) contains scribbled bars of a tune titled Irish Dance No. 1 and Fitzsimmons’ signature is topped with a note: “A man’s a man for a’ that.”

Many of the other entries were musicians, composers and actors of the day including Australian singers Nellie Melba and Elsa Stralia, composer and pianist Mark Hambourg, actors Arthur Styan, Frederick Ranalow and Hugh J. Ward and Venezuelan musician and composer Teresa Carreno.

The signatures of Edward R.G.R. Evans, Edward W. Nelson, George Levick and George Wyatt, from the 1910 British Antarctic Expedition aboard Terra Nova were included.

Mr Reddington said he found the book among his mother’s belongings in 1995.

He had not known she had it.

The former Dunedin man decided to bring it on a visit to his family, because he thought Dunedin people might be interested to see some of the signatures, which painted a picture of life in the city 100 years ago, he said.

He did not know what he was going to do with the book, particularly as some of his wider family might not know he had it.

He would speak to the family before any decision was made, he said.