Table of Contents
This family group is one of the most extensive in my family history, and so to aid readability it is split across eight parts.
G5: Jane Copus (1846-1902)
Birth: Jane Copus was born in Dublin during 1846. She was the fourth child of William and Mary. Her father was an English soldier stationed there with the Royal Artillery. They soon moved back to England to live in Woolwich.
Marriage: to Alexander Walker on 10 June 1864 at St Mary Magdalene Church in Woolwich. He was the father-in-law of her elder sister Elizabeth and 26 years older than Jane. The couple received their licence to marry on 8 June 1864, declaring that Jane was the necessary 21 years old, despite evidence putting her actual age as 18.
Spouse history: Alexander had been born Thirsk (or possibly the nearby village of Kilvington), Yorkshire, to blacksmith William Walker. He joined the army and served with the Royal Artillery (service number 12161) as a shoeing smith, being stationed in Woolwich. He met and married Margaret Shardin, a weaver, on 14 April 1839 at St Nicholas church in Plumstead. Their first child together, George, was born later that same year. The couple moved north to Leith in Scotland, presumably due to an army posting, where William was born in January 1842. Alexander was then posted to Newfoundland in Canada in around 1844. Margaret died there, with Alexander quickly marrying Jane Allen, who was a native of St John’s, Newfoundland. Their first child, Sarah, was born in April 1850 before the family moved back to England, where in 1851 they lived on Catherine Square in Woolwich.
They soon moved again, with John born in 1852 in Devonport and Ellen in 1854 in East Stonehouse near Plymouth. At this time the family lived on Battery Hill. In October 1854 war broke out in the Crimea as an alliance of Britain, France, Turkey, and Sardinia attempted to stop Russian expansion into the Danube region (modern Romania) and towards India. Alexander’s regiment was part of the expedition, and he spent a total of 16 months in the conflict before it ended in February 1856.
Another child was fathered after his return, with Sarah being born in the army garrison town of Aldershot during 1859. Alexander left the army on 18 September 1860; at which time he was serving as a blacksmith in the 8th Brigade. He was described as 5 feet 8 inches tall with grey eyes, fair complexion, and a good character. The following year’s census captured 42-year-old Alexander and Jane (Allen) living on Rush Grove Street. He was a pensioner from the Royal Artillery receiving 11d a day.
A final child, Aaron (known as Alfred) was born in Woolwich during 1862. This is sometimes mistaken as being the child of his third wife, also called Jane. The couple lived probably lived in a flat above a shop on the main on High Street that boarded the Royal Arsenal complex. Jane presumably died during the next few years, following which Alexander met and married Jane Copus.
Children: (1) Alexander in 1865, (2) Mary in 1866, (3) Thomas in 1869, (4) and Walter in 1872.
Residences: in 1865 the newlywed couple lived in a terraced house on Mulgrave Place, which was very close to Jane’s parents on Rush Grove. They moved north to Middlesbrough in 1866, perhaps with Jane’s sister Elizabeth and husband George, who was Alexander’s son. The rest of her siblings followed over the next few years.
By 1871 they had a house on Alfred Street in the close knit and vibrant community that lived amongst the neat grid of terraced roads that ran around Hill Street area in the north of the town. Over the next decade they moved next door to Jane’s sister Emily and family on High Denmark Street. In 1881 they shared their home with Jane’s 21-year-old sister Catherine and 19-year-old brother Thomas, who had presumably moved north following the death of their mother in 1874. Also staying in the house that night were their grandchildren William and Walter, although it is not known whose children these were. Finally, there was space for a sole boarder.
The couple had moved again by 1891, living on the same street as Jane’s sister Jessie, which was also very close to where their son Alexander and his family. Living with them was their daughter Mary and her husband Edward (who was also Alexander’s nephew) and their two children. Their 16-year-old grandson William also still lived with them.
Another decade passed and the couple had a house on Garden Street back in the Hill Street area. This was the same street that his grandson William and family lived on. Despite still being relatively young, Jane’s health was not good and as Alexander had been made redundant by Bolckow’s they tried to eke out a living by taking in boarders. Also staying there on the evening of the census was their granddaughter, Florence King.
- Jane: Ann Street, Woolwich (1851); 5 Rush Grove Street, Woolwich (1856-1862); 9 Mulgrave Place, Woolwich (1865); 7 Alfred Street, Middlesbrough (1871); 40 High Denmark Street, Middlesbrough (1881); 23 Alexandria Street, Middlesbrough (1891); 20 Garden Street, Middlesbrough (1901)
- Alexander: Catherine Square, Woolwich (1851); 11 Rush Grove Street, Woolwich (1861); 136 High Street, Woolwich (1862); 9 Mulgrave Place, Woolwich (1865); 7 Alfred Street, Middlesbrough (1871); 40 High Denmark Street, Middlesbrough (1881); 23 Alexandria Street, Middlesbrough (1891); 20 Garden Street, Middlesbrough (1901)
Occupations: Alexander gave his occupation as a ‘licensed victualler’ on his marriage certificate, which was the formal term for an owner and/or manager of a public house. After moving to Middlesbrough he worked as a blacksmith for Messrs Hopkin’s for about five years before moving to the Britannia and West Marsh Works. By 1881 he worked for Bolckows, where he would remain until retirement.
Deaths: Jane died on 30 November 1902 when aged just 56. Alexander survived her for two years and died on 25 September 1904 when aged 84. They were both buried in Linthorpe Cemetery.
Notes: times were tough for the couple in their old age, as highlighted in an article published in the Daily Gazette for Middlesbrough in February 1902:
We have received a letter from a correspondent drawing attention to the hard case of an old Crimean veteran and his wife, who live at 20 Garden Street, Middlesbrough. Our correspondent wrote: “It’s nothing but the Workhouse for them. He has got two medals and clasps; and he thinks a lot of them, but he said they would have to go to the pawn to pay the rent on Monday (yesterday). His pension is only 11d a day. They had a couple of lodgers, but they left owing to the depression. It seems a shame that our old warriors should have to seek the Workhouse. I hope you will see your way clear to help an old warhorse”.
Enquiries were made yesterday into the case by a representative of the “North-Eastern Daily Gazette” and it was found to be substantially as stated. The name of the veteran is Alexander Walker, and he was 81 years of age last birthday. He was born at Thirsk, and he joined the Royal Artillery as a shoeing smith, serving through the Crimean War. After his retirement from the army on a pension of 11d a day, he came to Middlesbrough, where he has lived 36 years. For five years he was at Messrs Hopkin’s, then for a few years he worked at the Britannia and West Marsh Works, and afterwards for twenty-six years he was employed at Messrs Bolckow’s. From there he was discharged some four years ago for, as he remarked, “being too old”. Since then he and his wife have made a precarious living by keeping lodgers until the state of trade drove them from the town. Mr Walker’s wife is more or less infirm and unable to work. He has two sons, one of them in Baden-Powell’s Police, and the other at Aldershot, about to leave for the front, but both are married with families and unable to help him. His daughter is in a similar position, she is the wife of a labourer, and has six children. A third son, who was in a position to be of some assistance, died a few months ago.
It is sad that an old warrior who has served his country faithfully should be left with no alternatives but the Workhouse in his declining years. We have no doubt, now that publicity is given, that there will be many who will give the old couple a helping hand.
G4: Alexander Walker (1865-1937)
Birth: Alexander Walker was born in Woolwich on 12 March 1865. He was the first child of Alexander and Jane, and his father’s seventh overall. They soon moved to Middlesbrough.
Christening: on 16 April 1865 at St Mary Magdalene Church on Greenlaw Street.
Marriage: to Ada Ellen Harrington on 13 January 1887 at St Mary’s Roman Catholic Cathedral, despite him having been christened into the Church of England. He was aged 21 and she was 22.
Spouse history: Ada was the daughter of Thomas Harrington and had been born in Dewsbury in 1865.
Children: (1) Lillian in 1887, (2) Miriam in 1890, (3) Ada in 1891, and (4) Doris in 1902. Sadly, Miriam died soon after birth.
Residences: the newlyweds initially lived with Alexander’s parents but by 1891 lodged on Jamieson Street with David Rose, a bolt screwer. At some point before 1901 they moved north to Newcastle, where they lived in a 3-bedroomed terraced house on Wansbeck Street just outside the city centre. By 1911 they had moved to Byker, where they lived on Gordon Road until at least 1930. After the death of his wife Alexander lived with daughter Lillian until his death.
- Alexander: 9 Mulgrave Place, Woolwich (1865); 7 Alfred Street, Middlesbrough (1871); 40 High Denmark Street, Middlesbrough (1881); 22 Alexandria Street, Middlesbrough (1887); 29 Jamieson Street, Middlesbrough (1891); 23 Alexandria Street, Middlesbrough (1891); 32 Wansbeck Street, Newcastle (1901-1902); 25 Gordon Road, Newcastle (1911-1930); 12 Parson’s Avenue, Newcastle (1933-1937)
- Ada: 22 Alexandria Street, Middlesbrough (1887); 29 Jamieson Street, Middlesbrough (1891); 23 Alexandria Street, Middlesbrough (1891); 32 Wansbeck Street, Newcastle (1901-1902); 25 Gordon Road, Newcastle (1911-1930)
Occupations: in 1881 census 16-year-old Alexander laboured in one of the ironworks in Middlesbrough, where the family had moved when he was a baby. By 1891 26-year-old Alexander worked as a cab driver.
Following their moved to Newcastle Alexander had changed occupations once again and had become an oil salesman. Ada worked as a grocer on her own account from home. By 1911 he was a brewer’s drayman, which was someone who delivered the barrels of beer to the local pubs, usually with a horse and cart.
In another change of career, the 1921 census captured Alexander working as a dock labourer for the Tyne and Tees Steam Shipping Company.
Military service: in January 1902 at the age of 35, Alexander enlisted into the Imperial Yeomanry on a one-year short service contract. This was a volunteer mounted force of the British Army created specifically to serve in Boer War raging in South Africa, and which was recruiting a third batch of recruits. He was described as 5 feet 8 inches tall, weighing 168 lbs, with blue eyes, fair hair, and a fair complexion. He was given service number 41930 and joined the 35th Battalion. After three months of thorough training, they sailed for South Africa, arriving at the end of May 1902, just as the war was ending. Alexander served in the country for five months before returning home on the SS Arundel Castle (which would be involved in the Titanic rescue a few years later) to be discharged at Aldershot in December 1902.
Deaths: Ada died in Newcastle during 1931. Alexander survived her for six years and died in 1937 when aged 72.
Note: during the 1920s Alexander was curiously cited on the electoral register as Thomas Alexander Walker.
G3: Lillian Jane Walker (1887-1969)
Birth: Lillian Jane Walker was born in Middlesbrough on 4 August 1887. She was the first child of Alexander and Ada.
Christening: on 26 August 1887 at the Old Cathedral.
Marriage: to John Thomas Allen during 1909 in Newcastle. She was aged 21 and he was 26.
Spouse history: John was a few years older than Lillian and had been born in South Shields on 25 June 1882.
Children: (1) Ada in 1909, (2) John in 1911, (3) Lillian in 1913, (4) Thomas in 1914, (5) Laurence in 1920.
Residences: on the night of the 1911 census, the family were at the home of Lilian’s parents in Byker. It cannot be certain whether they were visiting or permanently lived there. They then lived just a couple of doors up from 1919 until 1925 when they moved to one of the new housing estates being built in the Walker suburb. They lived in a townhouse on Parson’s Avenue for the rest of their lives.
- Lillian: 22 Alexandria Street, Middlesbrough (1887); 29 Jamieson Street, Middlesbrough (1891); 32 Wansbeck Street, Newcastle (1901-1902); 25 Gordon Road, Newcastle (1911); 29 Gordon Road, Newcastle (1919-1925); 12 Parson’s Avenue, Newcastle (1925-1969)
- John: 25 Gordon Road (1911); 29 Gordon Road (1919-1925); 12 Parson’s Avenue (1925-1953) – all Newcastle
Occupations: in 1911 John worked as a coal trimmer at the docks. When coal was emptied from wagons into the hold of a ship, they produced a heap which would soon block up the hatchway. To prevent this, sheets of iron were laid upon the cone as it rose to force the coals to slide off in all directions. They were placed by a set of men, called trimmers, who with shovels and rakes still further distributed and levelled the coal so that it lay smooth and would not shift during the voyage causing the ship to list, i.e. trim the cargo.
Deaths: John died in the General Hospital in Newcastle on 4 August 1953 when aged 71. Lillian survived him for 16 years and died in 1969.
G2: Ada Catherine Irene Allen (1909-)
Birth: Ada Catherine Irene Allen was born in Newcastle during 1909. She was the first child of John and Lillian.
Residences: Ada lived at home until moving a few doors down in 1933 to lodge with Joseph and Dorothy Gibson.
- 25 Gordon Road (1911); 29 Gordon Road (1919-1925); 12 Parson’s Avenue (1925-1933); 8 Parson’s Avenue (1934-1935) – all in Newcastle.
Notes: due to the commonality of her name nothing more is known.
G2: John Alexander Allen (1911-2003)
Birth: John Alexander Allen was born in Newcastle on 5 June 1911. He was the second child of John and Lillian.
Military service: John possibly served in the Royal Artillery with the 2nd Training Brigade (service number 815481).
Marriage: to Rose Ellen Nevill during 1937 in West Ham. He was aged 25 and she was 22.
Spouse history: Rose had been born in West Ham on 5 January 1915, the second child of George Nevill and Rose Catharine Schafer, being christened at St Andrew’s in Plaistow later that month. The family lived on Denmark Street. Her father was dead by 1921, when the small family lived with Rose’s maternal grandmother, also on Denmark Street. Her mother worked as a factory hand for James Keiller & Son on Tay Wharf in Silvertown, which made a well-known brand of marmalade.
Children: (1) Doreen in 1937.
Residences: the newlyweds settled in Newcastle where their first child was born at the end of the year. In 1938 they lived with John’s recently widowed aunt Doris Egan in her terraced house on Proctor Street in the Walker area, although this was recorded as empty when the National Register was taken the following year. Post-war they lived in a small semi-detached house on Coquetdale Avenue.
- John: 29 Gordon Road (1919-1925); 12 Parson’s Avenue (1925-1933); 44 Proctor Street (1938); 2 Coquetdale Avenue (1945-1958) – all in Newcastle.
- Rose: 54 Denmark Street, Plaistow (1915); 48 Denmark Street, Plaistow (1921); 44 Proctor Street, Newcastle (1938); 2 Coquetdale Avenue, Newcastle (1945-1958)
Deaths: Rose died in Newcastle during 1974 when aged 59. John died in Northumberland during January 2003 when aged 91.
G2: Lilian Jane Allen (1913-?)
Birth: Lilian Jane Allen was born in Newcastle during 1913. She was the third child of John and Lillian.
Residences: 29 Gordon Road, Newcastle (1919-1925)
G2: Thomas William Harrington Allen (1914-1940)
Birth: Thomas William Harrington Allen was born in Newcastle on 15 July 1914. He was the fourth child of John and Lillian.
Marriage: to Catherine Crozier during 1938 in Newcastle. He was aged 23 and she was 22.
Spouse history: Catherine had been born on Christmas Day 1915, the second child of John Crozier and Margaret Wheeler. In 1921 the family lived on the High Street in Gateshead where Catherine’s father worked as a bar manager.
Children: (1) a daughter in 1938.
Residences: the newlyweds initially lived with his parents, but by 1939 had a house on Canterbury Street.
- Thomas: 29 Gordon Road, Newcastle upon Tyne (1919-1925); 12 Parson’s Avenue, Newcastle upon Tyne (1925-1938); 107 Canterbury Street, Newcastle upon Tyne (1939); 9 Albion Place, Bath (1940)
- Catherine: 315 High Street, Gateshead (1921); 12 Parson’s Avenue, Newcastle upon Tyne (1938); 107 Canterbury Street, Newcastle upon Tyne (1939)
Deaths: Thomas died in Bath on 2 August 1940 when aged just 26 and was buried at Locksbrook Cemetery. It’s not known why he was living there. Catherine went on to marry Thomas Hazeldine in 1952 and died in 1993 when aged 77.
G2: Laurence Pole Allen (1920-1968)
Birth: Laurence Pole Allen was born in Newcastle during 1920. He was the fifth child of John and Lillian.
Marriage: to Elizabeth Hewitt during 1945 in Newcastle. He was aged 25.
Children: three boys born between 1946 and 1949.
Residences: the newlyweds first lived with Laurence’s parents before moving to Shields Road and then on to a couple of small terraced houses in the Byker suburb.
- Laurence: 29 Gordon Road (1920-1925); 546 Shields Road (1946); 106 Scarborough Road (1957-1959); 7 Bolingbroke Street (1965-1968) – all in Newcastle.
- Elizabeth: 12 Parson’s Avenue (1946); 12 Parson’s Avenue (1947); 106 Scarborough Road (1957-1959); 7 Bolingbroke Street (1965-1970) – all in Newcastle.
Deaths: Laurence died on 11 June 1968 when aged just 48.
G3: Miriam Annie Walker (1890)
Birth: Miriam Annie Walker was born in Middlesbrough during 1890. She was the second child of Alexander and Ada.
Deaths: died aged 4 months and was buried at Linthorpe Cemetery on 20 November.
G3: Ada Ellen Walker (1891-1990)
Birth: Ada Ellen Walker was born in Middlesbrough on 17 October 1891. She was the third child of Alexander and Ada.
Christening: on 9 December 1891 at St Paul’s Church on Newport Road.
Marriage: to Nicholas Brannan during 1914 in Newcastle. She was aged 22 and he was 24.
Spouse history: Nicholas was two years older than Ada and had been born in Tynemouth on 6 April 1889, the fourth child of Nicholas Brannan and Mary McCormack. In 1891 the family lived on Swan Street in the village of Walker, which was then a separate enclave to the east of the city. His father was originally from Ireland and worked as a riveter in one of the shipyards on the bank on the Tyne. The family is missing from the next census, but by 1911 21-year-old Nicolas lived with five of his siblings on Church Street. This long street carried the tramway through Walker and contained a cinema, drill hall and church amongst other buildings.
Children: (1) Ada in 1916, (2) Nicholas in 1917, (3) Eileen in 1919, (4) Elsie in 1922. Ada unfortunately died after a few weeks.
Residences: in 1921 the small family had lived on Whitworth Street. They moved regularly over the next two decades, but never very far. They eventually settled in a semi-detached house back on Brampton Avenue in 1939, which became their long-term home.
- Ada: 23 Alexandria Street, Middlesbrough (1891); 32 Wansbeck Street, Newcastle (1901-1902); 25 Gordon Road, Newcastle (1911); 5 Whitworth Street, Newcastle (1919-1922); 30 Finsbury Avenue, Newcastle (1923-1926); 365 Welbeck Road, Newcastle (1926-1934); 43 Brampton Avenue, Newcastle (1935-1938); 1495 Walker Road, Newcastle (1939); 1 Brampton Avenue, Newcastle (1939-1973)
- Nicholas: 69 Swan Street (1891); 237 Church Street (1911); 5 Whitworth Street (1919-1922); 30 Finsbury Avenue (1923-1926); 365 Welbeck Road (1926-1934); 43 Brampton Avenue (1935-1938); 1495 Walker Road (1939); 1 Brampton Avenue (1939-1951) – all in Newcastle.
Occupation: in 1911 Ada worked as a waitress, Nicholas followed in his father’s footsteps and become a riveter with one of the local shipyards. He progressed to become a foreman by 1921, overseeing the other riveters in the Armstrong Whitworth shipyard, then one of the world’s foremost builders of warships.
Deaths: Nicholas died at home on 12 November 1951 when aged 62. Ada survived him for almost 40 years and died at St Catherine’s Home in Newcastle on 31 May 1990, when aged 98. She had lived with her daughter Elsie until her death in 1985.
G2: Ada Mary Brannan (1916)
Birth: Ada Mary Brannan was born in Newcastle during 1916. She was the first child of Nicholas and Ada.
Deaths: died within a few weeks.
G2: Nicholas Alexander Brannan (1917-1985)
Birth: Nicholas Alexander Brannan was born in the Walker suburb of Newcastle on 18 June 1917. He was the second child of Nicholas and Ada.
Marriage: to Mary Jean Elder during 1950 in Newcastle. He was aged 32.
Children: two boys and two girls between 1951 and 1961.
Occupation: in 1939 Nicholas was aged 22 and worked as a manager of a general dealer.
Residences: they lived in a semi-detached house on Westbourne Avenue from 1956. By 1967 they moved a little north to a similar house on Jasmine Close, where they lived until their deaths.
- Nicholas: 5 Whitworth Street (1919-1922); 30 Finsbury Avenue (1923-1926); 365 Welbeck Road (1926-1934); 43 Brampton Avenue (1935-1938); 1495 Walker Road (1939); 1 Brampton Avenue (1939-1950); 71 Marondale Avenue (1952); 1 Brampton Avenue (1953); 214 Westbourne Avenue (1956-1959); 7 Jasmine Close (1967-1985) – all in Newcastle.
- Mary: 71 Marondale Avenue (1952); 1 Brampton Avenue (1953); 214 Westbourne Avenue (1956-1959); 7 Jasmine Close (1967-1989) – all in Newcastle.
Deaths: Nicolas died on 21 October 1985 when aged 68, while Mary survived him for four years and died on 22 May 1989.
G2: Eileen Veronica Brannan (1919-2005)
Birth: Eileen Veronica Brannan was born in the Walker suburb of Newcastle on 6 September 1919. She was the third child of Nicholas and Ada.
Marriage: to William Henry Goode on 7 July 1942 in Newcastle. She was aged 22.
Children: two boys and two girls between 1944 and 1958.
Occupation: in 1939 Eileen was aged 20 and worked as an ironmonger’s clerk. She also volunteered as an ARP Warden, whose range of duties ranged from ensuring that the blackout was observed to sounding air raid sirens and guiding people into public air raid shelters.
Residences: the family lived with Eileen’s parents until 1952 before moving to the suburb of Kenton in the north of the city, away from the heavy industry along the bank of the Tyne. They lived in a large semi-detached house on The Riding. The couple eventually moved to North Shields, where between 2003-2006 Eileen lived in a semi-detached house close to the beach on Beach Croft Avenue.
- Eileen: 5 Whitworth Street, Newcastle (1919-1922); 30 Finsbury Avenue, Newcastle (1923-1926); 365 Welbeck Road, Newcastle (1926-1934); 43 Brampton Avenue, Newcastle (1935-1938); 1495 Walker Road, Newcastle (1939); 1 Brampton Avenue, Newcastle (1939-1952); 22 The Riding, Newcastle (1952-1958); 57 Beach Croft Avenue, North Shields (2003-2006)
Deaths: Eileen died in North Shields on 1 December 2005 when aged 86.
G2: Elsie Monica Brannan (1922-1985)
Birth: Elsie Monica Brannan was born in the Walker suburb of Newcastle on 15 September 1922. She was the fourth child of Nicholas and Ada.
Marriage: to Robert Simpson during 1956 in Newcastle. She was aged 33.
Children: it’s not thought that they had any.
Occupation: in 1939 Elsie was aged 17 and worked as an assistant in a confectionary shop.
Residences: Elsie and Robert lived with her widowed mother on Brampton Avenue until Elsie’s death.
- Elsie: 5 Whitworth Street (1922); 30 Finsbury Avenue (1923-1926); 365 Welbeck Road (1926-1934); 43 Brampton Avenue (1935-1938); 1495 Walker Road (1939); 1 Brampton Avenue (1939-1985) – all in Newcastle.
Deaths: Elsie died on 6 August 1985 when aged 62.
G3: Doris Alexandra Walker (1902-1974)
Birth: Doris Alexandra Walker was born in Newcastle on 1 November 1902. She was the fourth child of Alexander and Ada.
Marriage (1): to James Egan during 1921 in Newcastle. She was aged 18 and he was 23.
Spouse history (2): James had been born in Newcastle during 1898. In 1921 he lived with his brother Andrew on Caledonia Street in Walker and worked as a shipwright for Swan Hunter in Wallsend.
Children: (1) Ada in 1922, (2) Doris in 1923, (3) Marguerite in 1927.
Marriage (2): to William Carr during 1941 in Newcastle. She was aged 38.
Residences: the newlyweds Doris and James lived with Doris’s parents until 1925. They then moved out to the rapidly growing suburb of Walker, where in 1926 they lived in a flat in the newly constructed Rochester Dwellings, which resembled an army barracks. They then spent short spells elsewhere before settling in a very small house on Proctor Street in 1934, where they lived until James’s untimely death. Doris then moved into an unusual house on Beverley Terrace, recently been built on top of an old mineshaft.
- Doris: 32 Wansbeck Street (1902); 25 Gordon Road (1911-1925); 12 Block A, Rochester Dwellings (1926-1931); 25 Gordon Road (1932); 19 Whitworth Street (1933); 44 Proctor Street (1934-1937); 16 Beverley Terrace (1939) – all in Newcastle.
- James: 32 Caledonia Street (1921); 25 Gordon Road (1923-1925); 12 Block A, Rochester Dwellings (1926-1931); 25 Gordon Road (1932); 19 Whitworth Street (1933); 44 Proctor Street (1934-1937) – all in Newcastle.
Occupation: in 1939, Doris worked as a barmaid in a hotel.
Death: James died in 1937 when aged just 39. It seems likely that second husband William died in 1947. Doris died in 1974 when aged 71.
G2: Ada Mary Egan (1922-1923)
Birth: Ada Mary Egan was born in Newcastle during 1922. She was the first child of Ada and James.
Deaths: died within a year and was buried on 13 May 1923.
G2: Doris Alexandra Egan (1923-1994)
Birth: Doris Alexandra Egan was born in Newcastle on 1 November 1923. She was the second child of Ada and James.
Marriage: to Percy Albert Ratcliffe during 1943 in Brentford. She was aged 19 and he was 28.
Spouse history: Percy had been born in Brentford on 27 April 1914 to a Ratcliffe and Archer. He married Grace A. Watkins during 1938 but sadly she was dead within a year. The 1939 Register captured him living in the home of Sydney and Florence Littlejohn on a new housing estate in Action. He worked as a railway clerk.
Children: (1) Anne in 1945, (2) Alan in 1947, (3) Paul in 1951.
Residences: the newlyweds settled in London where between 1948 and 1956 they lived on Labrum Way, which could perhaps have been a prefabricated house or a flat in east Action. This was followed by a 4-year spell on Fletcher Road before settling in a large detached house on Birch Grove just to the east of Ealing Common.
- Doris: 12 Block A, Rochester Dwellings, Newcastle (1923-1931); 25 Gordon Road, Newcastle (1932); 19 Whitworth Street, Newcastle (1933); 44 Proctor Street, Newcastle (1934-1937); 11 Labrum Way, Acton (1948-1956); 85 Fletcher Road, Acton (1957-1961); 1 Birch Grove, Acton (1962-1965); 18 Friars Court, Queen Anne Road, Maidstone (1994)
- Percy: 7 Wilfred Gardens, Acton (1939); 11 Labrum Way, Acton (1948-1956); 85 Fletcher Road, Acton (1957-1961); 1 Birch Grove, Acton (1962-1965); 285 Boston Road, Ealing (1974)
Deaths: Percy died in Ealing on 26 March 1974 when aged 60. Doris survived him to 20 years and died in Maidstone on 7 April 1994 when aged 70.
G4: Mary Jane Walker (1866)
Mary married her cousin Edward King, and her history is detailed there.
G4: Thomas Henry Walker (1869-1901)
Birth: Thomas Henry Walker was born in Middlesbrough during 1869. He was the third child of Alexander and Jane, and his father’s ninth overall.
Military: Thomas enlisted into the 2nd Battalion of the Princess of Wales’s Own Yorkshire Regiment (commonly known as the Green Howards) on 3 March 1887 in Richmond. At the time he was 18 years and 3 months old and employed as labourer. He was described as 5 feet 7 inches tall, weighing 122 lbs, with a fresh complexion, light grey eyes, brown hair, and oval scares on his left thigh. He enlisted for an initial service of seven years, followed by five years on the reserve list, and was given service number 2149.
The battalion sailed for India on 31 December 1889 where it spent nearly three years in Bangalore before moving to Upper Burma in November 1892. The regiment was based mostly in Schwebo and Bhamo from where patrols and punitive expeditions were launched to deal with troublesome Dacoits and Kachins. Thomas sailed for home to join the reserves in November 1894 after having completed his seven years’ service. He was fully discharged in March 1899 having served the required time with the reserves.
Marriage: to Hannah Sophia Cobb on 10 August 1897 at St Hilda’s Church on Market Place. He was aged 28 and she was 23. Her older brother Robert was married to Thomas’s cousin Annie Patfield that same year.
Spouse history: often known by her middle name, Sophia had been born in Middlesbrough during 1874 and was the fifth child of Francis Wilson Cobb and Jane Smith. By 1881 the family lived on School Croft in the centre of town. Her father was originally from Bridlington and a merchant seaman, while her housewife mother was from Beresford. When the 1891 census was taken, 16-year-old Hannah lived with John and Hannah Haith in a terraced house on Garnet Street. It is likely that Hannah was her maternal aunt.
Children: (1) Florence in 1900, (2) Walter in 1901, (3) Ada in 1902.
Residences: at the time of their marriage, Thomas lived in a terraced house on Kent Street in the centre of town, while Hannah was not too far away on Dale Street. The newlyweds then lived on Monkland Street.
- Thomas: 7 Alfred Street (1871); 40 High Denmark Street (1881); 37 Kent Street (1897); 2 Monkland Street (1899-1901) – all in Middlesbrough.
- Hannah: 18 School Croft (1881); 39 Garnet Street (1891); 9 Dale Street (1897); 2 Monkland Street (1899-1902); 16 Pine Street (1903); 41 Parliament Street (1911-1921) – all in Middlesbrough.
Occupations: after leaving the army Thomas found work as a labourer, which in 1901 was in an ironworks.
Deaths: Thomas died in 1901 when aged just 32.
Notes: Hannah went on to marry Nils Peter Johnson at St Hilda’s on 20 April 1903, who was originally from Malmo in Sweden. They lived out by the Cargo Fleet industrial complex where he worked, and had several children together (Harold in 1905, Axel in 1906, Carl in 1908, and Arthur in 1912).
G3: Florence Jane Walker (1899-1930)
Birth: Florence Jane Walker was born in Middlesbrough during 1899. She was the first child of Thomas and Hannah.
Christening: on 31 December 1899 at St Hilda’s Church on Market Place.
Marriage: to Arthur Breckon during 1919 in Middlesbrough. She was aged 20 and he was 30.
Spouse history: Arthur had been born in Marske-by-the-Sea on the Yorkshire coast on 15 March 1888.
Children: (1) Hilda in 1920, (2) Harold in 1922, followed by two more in 1926 and 1927. Their third child did not live long enough to receive a name.
Residences: the newlyweds moved in with Florence’s parents, where their first child as born in 1920, to be followed by three more over the next eight years.
- Florence: 2 Monkland Street, Middlesbrough (1899-1902); 41 Parliament Street, Middlesbrough (1911-1921)
- Arthur: 41 Parliament Street, Middlesbrough (1921); 9 Lamport Street, Middlesbrough (1939)
Occupations: Arthur was a railway engine driver in the ironworks of Sir Bernhard Samuelson and Co. Ltd. at Newport to the west of Middlesbrough. The firm concentrated primarily on iron smelting and primarily supplied the next-door Dorman Long Britannia Steelworks. With the collapse of the post-war boom in the steel trade the company disappeared in 1923.
Deaths: Florence sadly died in 1930 when aged just 30 and was buried in Linthorpe Cemetery on 7 January. Arthur likely died in 1941, but his is a surprisingly common name for the area.
G2: Hilda Breckon (1920-2005)
Birth: Hilda Breckon was born in Middlesbrough on 13 February 1920. She was the first child of Arthur and Florence.
Marriage: to William Backhouse during 1943 in Bradford. She was aged 22.
Children: two boys and three girls between 1944 and 1952.
Residences: in 1939, 18-year-old Hilda lived with her aunt Ada Haigh in a semi-detached house on Lynfield Drive in the north-western suburbs of Bradford.
- Hilda: 41 Parliament Street, Middlesbrough (1921); 207 Lynfield Drive, Bradford (1939)
Occupation: in 1939 Hilda worked as an operative in one of the local textile mills.
Deaths: Hilda died in Bradford during June 2005 when aged 85.
G2: Harold William Breckon (1922-2001)
Birth: Harold William Breckon was born in Middlesbrough on 28 February 1922. He was the second child of Arthur and Florence.
Marriage: to Teresa Gertrude Pamplin during 1947 in West Bromwich. He was aged 24 and she was 22.
Spouse history: Teresa had been born on 29 April 1924 to Percy Pamplin and Maud Rock. In 1939 the family lived on Bilhay Street in West Bromwich. Aged 15, Teresa worked alongside her two older sisters as a packer in a laundry.
Children: a girl in 1948.
Residences:
- Teresa: 45 Bilhay Street, West Bromwich (1939)
Deaths: Harold died in Sandwell during October 2001 when aged 79. Teresa survived him for three years and died on 14 January 2004 also aged 79.
G2: Unnamed Breckon (1926)
Birth: in Middlesbrough during early 1926. He was the third child of Arthur and Florence.
Deaths: the baby was unnamed, suggesting that he was stillborn.
G3: Walter Francis Walker (1901-1902)
Birth: Walter Francis Walker was born in Middlesbrough during 1901. He was the second child of Thomas and Hannah.
Residences: 2 Monkland Street, Middlesbrough (1901)
Deaths: during 1902.
G3: Ada Nellie Walker (1902-1972)
Birth: Ada Nellie Walker was born in Middlesbrough on 17 January 1902. She was the third child of Thomas and Hannah.
Christening: on 16 February 1902 at St Hilda’s Church on Market Place.
Marriage: to John T. Haigh on 22 June 1920 in Stockton. She was aged 18 and he was 31.
Spouse history: John had been born on 1 August 1888 in Bradford to Hannah and an unknown father.
Military history: John joined the Royal Navy in June 1911 and after six months of training as a stoker joined the crew of the brand-new battleship HMS Orion as it joined the fleet in January 1912. He served onboard for only six weeks before being moved ashore and discharged due to neurasthenia. At the time this was a loose term used to describe any number of mental health issues that had yet to be properly understood.
John then enlisted into the Royal Garrison Artillery just two weeks after the outbreak of war with Germany. He was posted to France almost immediately to join the 116th Heavy Battery. He was admitted into a field hospital in December due to a ‘not-yet-diagnosed nervous condition’, the term used before the phrase ‘shell shock’ was coined, and possibly a gunshot wound to the hand. He returned to his unit but was invalided home in October 1915 before being shot in the leg and shoulder. He returned to France in April 1916 to join the 48th Heavy Battery, where he remained for a year before returning home due to mental health issues and being discharged in April 1918. Despite his ordeal, John re-enlisted into the Territorial Force in 1920, joining the Queen’s Own Yorkshire Dragoons where he served for a year.
Children: (1) Arnold in 1921.
Residences: in 1920 the couple boarded in the home of the elderly Isaac and Harriet Drake on Willow Street in Bradford. By 1939, Ada and Arnold lived in a semi-detached house on Lynfield Drive in Bradford.
- Ada: 2 Monkland Street, Middlesbrough (1902); 41 Parliament Street, Middlesbrough (1911); 48 Willow Street, Bradford (1920-1921); 207 Lynfield Drive, Bradford (1939)
- John: 345 Kensington Street, Bradford (1918); 48 Willow Street, Bradford (1920-1921)
Occupations: in 1921 John was a tram conductor. Ada worked for Lister & Co. Ltd. at nearby Manningham Mills which at its peak was the largest silk factory in the world and employed 11,000 people. She was a silk drawer, which involved withdrawing silk from silk waste for spinning. By 1939 she was a charwoman.
Deaths: Ada died in Bradford during 1972 when aged 69.
G2: Arnold Haigh (1921-1940)
Birth: Arnold Haigh was born in Bradford on 5 October 1921. He was the only child of John and Ada.
Occupations: in 1939 Arnold worked as a porter on the tramways.
Residences: 207 Lynfield Drive, Bradford (1939)
Deaths: it’s likely that he died in 1940, but further confirmation is required.
G4: Walter Walker (1872-?)
Birth: Walter Walker was born in Middlesbrough during 1872. He was the fourth child of Alexander and Jane, and his father’s tenth overall.
Christening: on 9 February 1873 at St Hilda’s Church on Market Place.
Military service: Walter Walker enlisted into army in 1892 when aged 18, following his brother into the Princess of Wales’s Own Yorkshire Regiment. He joined the 1st Battalion and had spells at Portsmouth (1892), Jersey (1892-1895), and in Ireland (1895-1897). He was discharged in 1897 as being medically unfit due to epilepsy caused by a horse kick to the head. He joined the largely ceremonial Royal Reserve in June 1900, created to take up home defence duties as the Boer War put pressure on the army’s manpower. The Regiments were disbanded at the end of 1901, when the Second Boer War drew to its close.
Marriage: to Mary Rennell on 16 April 1894 in St. Helier on Jersey. He was aged 22 and she was 18. This was perhaps done without the knowledge of the army, since his service record on discharge cites him as being unmarried.
Spouse history: Mary had been born in St Saviour on 18 March 1876 into the large family of butcher Robert Perring Rennell and Maria Jennings Jones. She was christened in April in St Helier. When the census was taken in 1881 the family lived on Pier Road, where her father worked as a baker and grocer. She entered service and in 1891 was a housemaid for surgeon Stanley Malet and his wife Clara in their villa on St Saviour Road.
Children: (1) Ellen in 1898, (2) Ruby in 1901.
Occupations: Walter worked as a coachman and groom. Walter’s army record is a little unclear, and it’s possible that after serving in the Royal Reserve he then joined the South African Constabulary and was perhaps killed there. After this Mary worked as an ‘ironer’ on her own account from home. It’s likely that when the census was taken in 1921 she worked at the Public Lunatic Asylum at St Saviour’s as a cook, alongside daughter Ruby.
Residences: Walter moved back to Jersey after being discharged from the army and the family lived at Farm Cottage in Grand Vaux Valley near St Saviour, which was probably run by Mary’s uncle Radford Shetter.
When the 1901 census was taken, Mary and Ellen were visiting her mother, who lived in a grand house close to the harbour. In 1911, Mary and her two children lived with her elderly aunt and uncle back at Farm Cottage.
The Channel Islands were occupied by the Germans during the Second World War. Mary was registered on 22 January 1941 at Old St John’s Road in the centre of St Helier.
- Walter: 40 High Denmark Street, Middlesbrough (1881); Farm Cottage, St. Saviour (1900); 14 Pier Road, St. Helier (1901)
- Mary: 2 Pier Road (1881); St. Saviour Road, St. Helier (1891); 25 Pier Road (1901); Farm Cottage (1911); 2 Spring Cottages, Old St John’s Road (1941) – all in St. Helier.
G3: Ellen Jane Shetter Walker (1898-?)
Birth: Ellen Jane Shetter Walker was born in Jersey on 23 October 1898. She was the first child of Walter and Mary.
Christening: on 13 November 1898 in St. Saviour.
Residences: 25 Pier Road, St. Helier (1901); Farm Cottage, St. Saviour (1911)
G3: Ruby Violet Walker (1901-1990)
Birth: Ruby Violet Walker was born in Jersey on 9 November 1901. She was the second child of Walter and Mary.
Marriage: to John Louis Le Tourneur on 24 February 1923 in St. Helier on Jersey. She was aged 21 and he was 30.
Spouse history: John, commonly known as Jack, was eight years older than her and had been born on 14 September 1892 in St Martins to French immigrants Aimable Louis Eugene Le Tourneur and Augustine Josephine Amanda Dufour. When the 1901 census was taken the family lived in Gorey from where his father was a sailor. A decade later and 18-year-old John lodged in Gorey Village in Grouville where he worked as a farm labourer.
Military service: during the First World War John served with the 7th Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles (serial number 8046), the Machine Gun Corps (serial number 166208), and the Hampshire Regiment (serial number 30000). In all the records he is cited as ‘Jack’ but I’m fairly certain it is the same person.
Children: (1) John in 1923, (2) Robert in 1927, and a boy in 1931. Sadly Robert died before his first birthday.
Occupations: in 1921, 19-year-old Ruby worked at the Public Lunatic Asylum in St Saviour’s as a kitchen maid, alongside her mother who was a cook.
Residences: the German occupiers registered the couple’s home address on 20 January 1941 as a semi-detached house on Samares Avenue in the Le Squez suburb of St Clement.
- Ruby: Farm Cottage, St. Saviour (1911); 21 Samares Avenue, St. Clement (1941)
- John: 21 Samares Avenue, St. Clement (1941)
Deaths: John died on 20 September 1972 when aged 80. Ruby survived him for 18 years and died in Glanville Nursing Home in St Helier on 4 July 1990 when aged 88.
Notes: on 2 November 1925, John was tried on the count of indecent assault but was found not guilty.
G2: John Rennell Le Tourneur (1923-1942)
Birth: Ruby Violet Walker was born in Grouville on Jersey on 30 June 1923. He was the first child of John and Ruby.
Death: it is thought that he died on 21 April 1942 when aged 18.
G2: Robert Shetlar Le Tourneur (1927-1928)
Birth: Robert Shetlar Le Tourneur was born on St. Helier on 5 February 1927. He was the second child of John and Ruby.
Death: on 12 February 1928 when aged 1.
