Beatrice Alexandra MUNCEY

1899 - 1982  (82 years)

• Name	Beatrice Alexandra MUNCEY
  Birth	11 Jun 1899	Bromley RD   [1]
  Gender	Female
  Reference Number	853
  _UID	346C02CD723F40FCB6E8E08318664A2247A1
  Death	25 Feb 1982	Bromley, Kent   [2, 3]
  Notes	Beatrice Alexandra Muncey was listed in The Edinburgh Gazette on August 10, 1920, having been appointed on July 22 1920 as a Woman Clerk in the Post Office after open competition. England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1995: MINTER, Beatrice Alexandra of 127 Southlands Road Bromley Kent died 25 February 1982 Administration London 9 May £16300. In August 2011, Hans Heesen emailed: "On a fleamarket in my home town, Utrecht, The Netherlands, I found a series of photos, made by a certain Mrs. Bee Minter in the 1940s. She lived at 43 Park Road, Bromley, Kent, as I learned from the letters and documents that were sold together with the pictures. I would love to learn more about this Bee Minter, since I like her work. I have the impression she was an amateur phographer, but one who knew her business. She was a member of the Royal Photograhic Society, and one of her pictures was selected for the "World's Best Photographs" of 1943. I would be much obliged if you could help me find more information about her." At the time, I couldn't work out who Bee Minter was. but in June 2020 another email arrived from Hans: "It is positively sure that the Bee Minter I was asking you about is Beatrice Alexandra Muncey. So finally the puzzle has been solved. This means that her daughter, Gillian Minter, possibly is still alive. Her parents married in 1923, so if indeed she is alive, she must be quite old. I wrote a (very) short article about Bee Minter. It is in Dutch, but I'll send it to you anyway. See below. I wish I knew how Bee Minter's photos ended up on a flea market in the Netherlands." The article referred to, in its original form, is as follows: "Bee Minter Engels amateurfotografe. Meisjesnaam Beatrice Alexandra Muncey. Bromley, Kent, 11 juni 1899 – 25 februari 1982. Associate of the Royal Photographic Society. Lid van de Bromley Camera Club. De club schrijft wedstrijden uit. Bee Minter houdt aantekening van haar bijdragen. De vroegste dateert van 1927, de laatste van 1943. Titels zijn onder meer ‘The Garden of Dreams’, ‘The Heart of the Wood’, ‘The Silver Sea’. Driemaal wint ze de jaarlijkse Kerri Cup voor foto’s gemaakt tijdens clubuitjes. Haar foto’s vallen regelmatig in de prijzen. Ze wint onder meer een set zilveren theelepeltjes met de twaalf apostelen en een Royal Doulton-vaas. Haar werk is te zien op tentoonstellin-gen, onder meer op de jaarlijkse London Salon of Photography. In de derde uitgave van World’s Best Photographs (Odham Press Ltd.) wordt haar foto ‘Faith’ opgenomen. Na 1943 loopt het spoor dood. In 2010 belandt een deel van Bee Minters werk, samen met een map met brieven, aantekeningen en familiekiekjes, op een vlooienmarkt in Nederland. De foto’s vallen op door de sprookjesachtige compositie en sfeer." The translated version is: "Bee Minter English amateur photographer. Maiden name Beatrice Alexandra Muncey. Bromley, Kent, June 11, 1899 - February 25, 1982. Associate of the Royal Photographic Society. Member of the Bromley Camera Club. The club organizes competitions. Bee Minter keeps a record of her contributions. The earliest dates from 1927, the latest from 1943. Titles include "The Garden of Dreams," "The Heart of the Wood," "The Silver Sea." She has won the annual Kerri Cup three times for photos taken during club outings. Her photos regularly win prizes. She wins a set of silver teaspoons with the twelve apostles and a Royal Doulton vase. Her work can be seen at exhibitions, including the annual London Salon of Photography. The third edition of World's Best Photographs (Odham Press Ltd.) includes her photo "Faith." After 1943 the track ends. In 2010, part of Bee Minter's work, along with a folder containing letters, notes and family snaps, ends up at a flea market in the Netherlands. The photos stand out because of the fairytale composition and atmosphere." A later email from Hans says "By chance I found the guy I bought the pictures from at the flea market, ten, eleven years ago. He told me he regularly goes to England to buy stuff. So the mystery how the pictures came to the Netherlands is solved." 30 June 2020 - note by John Minter: Hans has now sent me the nine photos and I've put them on Beatrice's page on my webisite. If anyone would like to claim the originals, I'd be delighted to hear from them.
  Person ID	I853	Ash, Kent
  Last Modified	1 Jul 2020

  
  

  Father	Henry James MUNCEY,   b. Sep 1864, Lewisham, Kent d. 14 May 1915, India (Age ~ 50 years)
  Mother	Alexandra BARRETT,   b. Jun 1864, South Mimms, Hertfordshire d. Mar 1942, Maidstone RD (Age ~ 77 years)
  Marriage	Sep 1890	Bromley RD   [4]
  Family ID	F1589	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Robert William Minter,   b. 9 Nov 1899, Bromley, Kent d. 3 Nov 1979, Seaford, Sussex (Age 79 years)
  Marriage	11 Jun 1923	Parish Church, Bromley, Kent   [5]
  	Married by banns. Robert William Minter, 23, bachelor, wireless office of 38 Martins Road, Bromley, father Robert William Minter (deceased), builder. Beatrice Alexander Muncey, 24, spinster of 51 Foxbury Road, Bromley, father Henry James Muncey (deceased), gardener. Witnesses Alexander Muncey, F Minter and Geo Steel.
  Children	1. Gillian I Minter
  Family ID	F344	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	22 Mar 2013

  
  

• Event Map

  Death - 25 Feb 1982 - Bromley, Kent  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Photos » Slide Show		Beatrice Alexandra Muncey aka Bee Minter 1899 - 1982 A composite of photos acquired in Utrecht by Hans Heesen. From the top left they are thought to show Bee and her husband, Bee's husband Robert William Minter, Bee by herself, Bee with her daughter Gillian and Bee in fancy dress, possibly at the Chelsea Arts Ball. The only photo which is dated is the last, which comes from June 1947. The other photos must be earlier given that Bee married in 1923 and daughter Gillian was born in 1926. The owner of this website, John Minter, has the original photos and would be pleased to pass them on to a family member.
  		Beatrice Alexandra Muncey aka Bee Minter 1899 - 1982 The Young Defenders - a photograph taken by Bee Minter and found in a flea market in Utrecht by Hans Heesen, among a collection of photos and letters.
  		Beatrice Alexandra Muncey aka Bee Minter Faith - a photograph by Bee Minter which was selected to appear in the The World's Best Photographs, Third Series, published in 1947 by Odhams Press Ltd.

  
  

• Sources

  [S3] BMD index, Q3 1899 Bromley 2a/469, mother's maiden name BARRETT. (Reliability: 3). [S25] BMD list. [S353] https://probatesearch.service.gov.uk, October 2015 and later. [S3] BMD index, Q3 1890 Bromley 2a/759. (Reliability: 3). [S28] Marriage certificate (copy).