A PHOTOGRAPH shrouded in mystery that was featured in the Advertiser’s Archive section has travelled more than 3000 miles to Canada.

When the late John McClumpha submitted the picture last year he had no idea who the individuals were, despite having been in possession of it for more than 20 years.

However when Arthur McQueen, who was born in Clackmannanshire and lives in Sudburry, spotted it the faces looked very familiar to him.

Now, thanks to John’s son – also John McClumpha – the photograph has been reunited with the McQueen family in Canada, which Arthur is only too grateful for.

He is certain the couple are his grandfather and grandmother and reckons it once hung in Sauchie Hall – which his ancestor helped to create.

He said: “There’s no question, no question at all. My youngest brother Ben, who lives in Canada, he’s the spitting image of my grandfather. I figured the picture was taken around 1924.

“It’s probably been hanging in the hall for many years, and of course they refurbished the hall some time ago, and the photo was probably taken down and got lost in the shuffle, so I’m glad it came back to us.

“It will be in my house here, but I’m not quite sure where I will put it. It will be passed down the McQueen family, hopefully for many generations.” As previously reported in the Advertiser, the puzzling picture appeared in an edition in April last year.

Arthur – who moved to Canada many years ago, but still receives the newspaper – got in touch to say he knew who the couple were.

At the time he explained: “As soon as I opened that paper I said, ‘that’s my grandfather’, as soon as I saw it. There’s no question in my mind that was him.

“The reason I recognised them was, first of all, I had other photographs of them from a different period. But there was certainly a very strong resemblance to the two of them. And also the fact that she was wearing a fur coat, or fur stole, which was not so usual back then.

“His silver cane used to sit in our hallway for a number of years and he lived in Sunnyside Brae.

“And the fact that it came from Sauchie and he lived all his life in Sauchie. He was a builder to trade, or plasterer.

“He did Sauchie Hall and a number of other buildings.” John, from Sauchie, responded by saying he still had the picture, left by his dad, and was only too happy to pass it on.

The families have kept in contact and shared local connections, with John handing the photo over to Arthur’s family while they were in Clackmannanshire.

He said: “Me and my brother were actually on our way down to hand the picture over and we stopped up at the cemetery [in Sauchie] because Arthur had told me where his gran and grandad were buried. It was kind of surreal because we were actually standing at their headstones at Sauchie with the picture in our hands.

“I’m glad that they have got it back and they seem like a really nice family.”