"My Dearest Clara"

Here are a couple of post cards that Harry wrote to Clara while he was serving in WWI. Look at the dates on the cards, 12 Dec., 1916 and 26 June, 1917. In the postcard on the left if you read it (click on picture to enlarge) you can see what I now know, Clara is his sweetheart, not his wife. Also in some of the other post cards they were addressed to Ms. Clara Hollywood, who's maiden name was my great-grandmother Mary Agnes (Hollywood) Galligan.

I still haven't had time to research Harry and find out what his last name was.

This is a love story unfolding before me and I am so excited to learn more about Clara and Harry! Hopefully this weekend I will have more time to dig around and see what I can find.

I'll keep you posted!

Clara and Harry

A WWI Postcard from Harry to Clara



Just who are Clara and Harry? Let me tell you how I found out about them. I was at my Mom's Saturday in Rhode Island and we were going through some paperwork, albums and such. I happened upon an album and when I opened it there were the most beautiful postcards I had ever seen! I asked my Mom about them and she told me they were from some relative(s) during WWI. I had to check them out! She really didn't know that much about them, I wish my Nanny was still alive, I am sure she would have known all about them and had some wonderful stories to tell.


I started reading them, they were all mostly from Harry to Clara. See it seems that Harry was a soldier in WWI and Clara was either his wife or his sweetheart. He would write to her and let her know how he was doing and how he missed her. As I kept reading it was really more like a diary of this soldier over in France longing for his sweetheart. They were the most endearing post cards alway starting with "My Dearest Clara".


Clara Hollewood or (Hollywood) was a relative from Ireland on my Grandfather, Gerald Maurice Galligan's side of the family, I have figured out that much. I am not sure but I think Harry must have been from Ireland also, maybe Clara and Harry met in Ireland.

Some of the post cards were addressed to Clara at the Ivy Hotel, Dublin Ireland. I do know that my great-grandmother that came over from Ireland had owned and run a hotel in Ireland with her husband, my great-grandfather who was killed because of the Catholic/Protestant conflict over there. My great-grandmother fled Ireland as a young widow with her 3 young sons, my grandfather being one of them. They came to America. I am not sure in what year, I will have to dig more to find that out.

Anyway, as I try and dig more and deeper to find out the story of Clara and Harry, their love and postcards I will keep you posted!