Aubrey... Aubrey... Abr... ahem...

There was a discussion in the country i live in, wether my job should be considered as "hard work" because of the night shifts. Of course, if voted, it would have meant more costs and more rights for us... so it got silenced.

Well known among us hard workers ;.) (a night shif lasts 12,5 hours) is the "4 o'clock phenomenon".

4 o'clock... the wierdest ideas, the weakest concentration, the ravenous hunger, the body requires Morpheus arms, the eyes dry... but also the inexplicable laughters.

But let's come back to the first point: wierdest ideas.

I let the "Aubrey and Marion Gay Sassoon" story make a round in my head again... to see if there wouldn't be something i might have forgotten... until i talk about it to a colleague and mis-speak the name... and ask myself THE question that would allow me to contact the Sassoon family.

What on earth is Aubrey for a first name? Never heard of it.

As i wanted to say Aubrey, i grumbled something closer to "Abraham".

Google is a powerful thing when used correctly.

And so i got to virtually meet Mr. Aubrey's father: Moise Abraham Sassoon.
If you followed my Blog until now... i only knew him as M. A. Sassoon... it was hence a puzzle piece that took shape.

In the "Cyclopedia of India", you will read:

"Mr. MOISE ABRAHAM SASSOON, Merchant, of 54, Ezra Street, Calcutta. Mr. Sassoon established the firm of which he is sole proprietor in the year 1890. The dealings of the firm are concerned with Gunnies, Indigo, Opium, and General Merchandise. There are both Import and Export Departments connected with the business, but the chief operations are in exports. In the year 1897 he went into partnership with Messrs. Meyer Brothers of Singapore, and carried on business in their joint interest in the Straits Settlements until, in August 1905, the partnership was dissolved, and Mr. Sassoon then entered into the same partnership relation with Messrs R. Sassoon & Co., of Singapore. Mr. Moise Abraham Sassoon was born in the year 1867 at Beyrouth in Syria and was educated in his native country. He came to India in the year 1890, and opened business as above noted in the same year."

Note. If Mr. Sassoon was born in 1867. He was 45 years old when he married Rachel Sassoon in 1912... she was 22. That explains why he died far earlier than his wife and couldn't attend the wedding of Aubrey with Marion Gay Duffy. (i have no clue if you follow what i say.)

In the "Jewish heritage of Calcutta":

"Some time ago, the well-known Calcutta philanthropist, Moise Abraham Sassoon, who was passing through Beyrout, generously offered to defray the whole of the expenses of the building of a synagogue, and the work is now being actively...

The name of the school was changed for the fourth and the last time after his death in London in 1925 as Elias Meyer ... Secretary), Moise Abraham Sassoon ( Treasurer), Alfred Nissim Sassoon, Ezekiel Abraham Gubbay, David Aaron David and Joseph Sassoon. were appointed trustees."

Or here in "The Jews of Lebanon, between coexistence and conflict":

And after a few more hours of research, i finally arrived on this page of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Thanks to them, i got in contact with Mr. M.A. Sassoon's granddaughter.
Unfortunately with the success we know.
Not even a picture of Aubrey remains did she tell me.

There is a funny upside to the already upside of finding all these informations...

I looked already some months ago for M.A's wife Rachel (Aubrey's mother)... and only found informations on a Rachel Sassoon at the turn of the century... which was impossible... she must have lived by her maiden name by then.

The Victoria and Albert museum's page gave me the answer... she was born SASSOON and she married SASSOON. In fact, they were cousins.

Once again, the "4 o'clock" phenomenon solved a mystery.

And now to something completely different!!!