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.
G7: George Copus
All we know for sure about George Copus and his wife Elizabeth is that they were named on the christening record of their son William, which took place in the village of Funtington in West Sussex, about 15 miles east of Portsmouth.
Many online sources put this couple as George Copes and Elizabeth Young, who were married in Stoke next Guildford in 1796. George lived in nearby Cobham and the couple had five children there over the next decade. This family eventually moved to London and it’s possible that they resided for a short period in Funtington in-between, but I need more evidence before I can be sure of that.
G6: William Copus (1810-1867) and Mary Stuart (1822-1874)
Birth: William Copus was born in Funtington on 4 November 1810 to George Copes and his wife Elizabeth. Funtington is a small village in West Sussex about 15 miles east of Portsmouth.
Marriage: to Mary Stuart in Ireland during 1842. He was aged about 31 and she was 20.
Spouse history: it is thought that William met Mary while stationed in Ireland. She had possibly been born in Malta to British solider James Stewart and his wife Jane on 29 January 1822. He was a soldier with the Royal Artillery based on the island, and it is plausible that he was then posted to Ireland.
Children: (1) Elizabeth 1839, (2) Emily in 1841, (3) William in 1843, (4) Jane in 1846, (5) Mary in 1848, (6) Esther in 1850, (7) George in 1852, (8) Jessie in 1853, (9) Edmund in 1856, (10) George in 1858, (11) Catherine in 1860, and (12) Thomas in 1861. Two of the children died in infancy.
Military service: when aged 19, William enlisted into the Royal Regiment of Artillery on 24 July 1830 at Woolwich in London. He spent the first half of his career as a gunner and driver before becoming a farrier – a specialist in hoof care, including the trimming and balancing of a horse’s hoof and fitting shoes. Although he served in Ireland for many years he never went overseas. William was discharged in 1851 after 21 years of exemplary service due to ‘chronic rheumatism and debility’. He was almost 41 years old and described as 5 feet 11 inches tall with dark brown hair and hazel eyes.
Occupations: William called on his old army training to become a blacksmith, most probably at the nearby Royal Artillery barracks.
Residences: their first three children were born in the villages of Moy and Charlemont. Connected by a bridge, they were located opposite each other on the banks of the River Blackwater in what is now Northern Ireland. Moy, famous for supplying the best cavalry and carriage horses in the British Isles, was part of County Tyrone while Charlemont was in County Armagh. Their next two children were born in Dublin between 1846 and 1848.
It was between 1848 and 1850 that the family moved back to England to live in Woolwich, which was the home of the Royal Artillery. It was quite separate to London at this time, although would soon become part of the sprawling metropolis. The family were captured on the 1851 census living on Ann Street (also known as Rush Grove), a small cul-de-sac that protruded from the western side of Rush Grove Street, which itself ran between the Royal Artillery Barracks and the Royal Marine Barracks. They moved around the corner to Rush Grove Street by 1856.
This remained their home until William’s untimely death. Mary then moved north to Middlesbrough to join her children.
- William: Ann Street, Woolwich (1851); Rush Grove, Woolwich (1852); 5 Rush Grove Street, Woolwich (1856-1867)
- Mary: Ann Street, Woolwich (1851); Rush Grove, Woolwich (1852); 5 Rush Grove Street, Woolwich (1856-1867); 3 Rush Grove, Woolwich (1871)
Deaths: William died at home on 25 March 1867 when aged 56. Mary survived him for seven years and in Middlesbrough on 19 May 1874 when aged 52.
G5: Elizabeth Copus (1839-?)
Birth: Elizabeth Copus was born in Charlemont, County Armagh on 10 July 1839. She was the first child of William and Mary.
Christening: on 1 August 1839 in Charlemont.
Marriage: to George Walker on 1 July 1861 at St Mary Magdalene Church in Woolwich. They were both aged 21. Unusually, three years later Elizabeth’s younger sister Jane would marry George’s father.
Spouse history: George had been born in Woolwich on 1 September 1839 to Alexander Walker and his wife Margaret. He was christened a few weeks later in the same St Mary Magdalene Church that he later married in. His father was a Gunner in the 7th Battalion, Royal Artillery. They lived on Catherine Square, which was a small courtyard next to Rush Grove Street. He had two siblings called William and Sarah.
At just 14, George entered the Royal Navy in 1854. His early years were spent on various ships, including the guard ship HMS Royal William and the smaller HMS Calypso, which patrolled the North American and West Indian waters. In 1855, he joined the crew of the mighty HMS Ganges, a second-rate ship of the line. This became his home for the next six years, serving in the Pacific Station around South America and Canada. During this time, George rose through the ranks, starting as a Boy Second Class and eventually becoming an Ordinary Seaman by 1858.
His final years with the Navy saw him on HMS Edgar, a flagship in the Channel Squadron, and lastly on HMS Cumberland, a guard ship. Notably, these final years coincided with the Navy’s shift from sail to steam, and George transitioned to the role of a stoker, shovelling coal to keep the engines running. George left the Navy in 1864 with a commendable record of good conduct.
Children: (1) Emily in 1862, (2) George in 1864, (3) William in 1866, (4) Walter in 1868, (5) Herbert in 1870, (6) Bertram in 1878, (7) Olive in 1881.
Occupations: in 1861, 21-year-old Elizabeth worked as a racket maker. George remained a mariner after leaving the Royal Navy. By 1871 he had joined the 8-man crew of the SS Gertrude (No. 60305), a 136-ton steamer which was normally based out of Dundee. The census of 1881 captured them harboured at Newcastle. He was still the ship’s engineer when captured on the next census a decade later. He was joined onboard by his son Herbert, a stoker.
Residences: in 1865 the young family lived on Ogilby Street, just around the corner from Elizabeth’s parents. In around 1867 they moved to the expanding industrial town of Middlesbrough, perhaps with Elizabeth’s sister Jane and husband Alexander, who was George’s father. The rest of her siblings followed over the next few years.
The census taken in 1871 captured 31-year-old Elizabeth and her five children in a terraced house on Vaughan Street. This was a close knit and vibrant community built for the workers of the expanding ironworks and the growing dockyards, both within walking distance. There were enough shops to cater for everyone’s needs and a good social life to be found in the pubs. People had little need to venture far. George was not home and most likely was at sea. It was a similar situation when the next census was taken in 1881, except that they now lived in a house over the road and had two lodgers.
There is no record of the family over the next decade, but by 1891 they had moved a little southeast to another terraced house on Grange Road West, one of the main roads that ran through the centre of Middlesbrough. 51-year-old Elizabeth lived with her son Bertram and three lodgers. Showing strong family bonds, this was next door to the husband of her late sister Esther who lived there with his children. Over the next decade they moved around the corner to a small but elegant terraced house on Jedburgh Street. In 1891 they lived with three of their adult children and two adult grandchildren.
- Elizabeth: Ann Street, Woolwich (1851); Rush Grove, Woolwich (1852); 5 Rush Grove Street, Woolwich (1856-1862); 11 Ogilby Street, Woolwich (1865); 25 Vaughan Street, Middlesbrough (1871-1878); 22 Vaughan Street, Middlesbrough (1881); 99 Grange Road West, Middlesbrough (1891); 2 Jedburgh Street, Middlesbrough (1901)
- George: Catherine Square, Woolwich (1851); 5 Rush Grove Street, Woolwich (1861-1862); 11 Ogilby Street, Woolwich (1865); 25 Vaughan Street, Middlesbrough (1871-1878); 22 Vaughan Street, Middlesbrough (1881); 99 Grange Road West, Middlesbrough (1891); 2 Jedburgh Street, Middlesbrough (1901)
Deaths: George died on 11 August 1908 at 68 Bolckow Street in the north of Middlesbrough. He was aged 69 and buried in Linthorpe Cemetery. Cause of death was epithelioma of the lip and epithelioma of submaxillary glands. Epithelioma is an abnormal growth of the layer of tissue that covers the surfaces of organs and other structures of the body. Elizabeth likely died around 1915, but further confirmation is needed.
Notes: there is a possible 1841 census record for George, but it is mostly illegible.
G4: Emily Jane Walker (1862-1947)
Birth: Emily Jane Walker was born at 5 Rush Grove Street in Woolwich on 7 May 1862. She was the first child of George and Elizabeth. This was the home of her maternal grandparents, located directly opposite the Royal Artillery Barracks.
Christening: on 8 June 1862 at the nearby St Mary Magdalene Church.
Marriage (1): to William John Heron on 7 December 1881 at All Saints Church in Middlesbrough. She was aged 19 and he was 24. One of the witnesses was Henry Calderwood, who worked with William in his brother’s tailor shop.
Spouse history: William had been born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada on 17 July 1857, the third child of William Sinclair Heron and Elizabeth. His father was Scottish while his mother was from Hexham in Northumberland. The family returned home and had moved to rapidly expanding Bishop Auckland in County Durham by the time that the 1861 census was taken. A decade later and 13-year-old William lived with his father and brother in Hexham. All three men were tailors, with the father running the shop and the boys assisting.
Marriage (2): to Horace Ralph White during 1899. She was aged 36 and he was 25.
Spouse history: Horace was nine years younger than Emily and had been born on Portsea Island in Portsmouth on 21 October 1873, the second child of Ralph White and Charlotte Seager. In 1881 the family lived in a terraced house on Hampshire Street on Portsea. His father worked in the nearby HM Dockyard as a writer. 19-year-old Horace was a matchmaker’s apprentice.
On 2 July 1895, when aged 21, Horace enlisted into the Royal Marines at Eastney Barracks. He was given serial number 8023 and described as 5 feet 6 inches tall with brown hair, blue eyes, and scars on the back of his hand. He was posted to the RM Depot Walmer, the school for training new recruits, at which he proved his ability to swim. He was transferred to the Light Infantry, Portsmouth Division on 19 July 1896, one of the three first line divisions of the Royal Marines. However, Horace evidently decided that the marines were not for him, and he only served for a matter of weeks. He was discharged in August after buying himself out. His character and ability were described as very good throughout his short service.
Children: with William: (1) Clyde in 1882, (2) Beatrice in 1884, (3) Millicent in 1888, (4) Edgar in 1890, (5) Oscar in 1892, (6) William in 1895; with Horace: (7) Charlotte in 1899, (8) Horace in 1901, (9) Dorothy in 1903, (10) Henry in 1905, and (11) Gertrude in 1910. The 1911 census records one further child who died before 1911, but who I have yet to identify.
Occupation: William had moved to Middlesbrough by 1881, where he worked as a tailor in his brother Robert’s shop on Wilson Street in the north of the town.
Emily’s second husband, Horace, entered the insurance trade after leaving the Royal Marines. He became an agent and by 1911 had progressed to become the Assurance Superintendent for the Refuge Assurance Co. Ltd., a life insurance and pensions company that was only taken over in 2000.
Residences: at the time of their marriage, William lived in a terraced house on Peacock Street, while Emily lived with her parents. They then lived in a couple of similar terraced houses in the centre of town before moving into a flat above a shop on the main Linthorpe Road.
The 1901 census captured Emily and Horace living in what must have been a cramped terraced house on King Edward Road, despite which they shared with two lodgers, both teachers who perhaps worked in the magnificent high school building at the end of the road. They moved out to the new suburb of Ayresome where they had a newly built house on Warwick Street. Over the next decade they moved into the house next door.
By 1930, Horace and Emily had moved to the seaside town of Redcar on the North Sea coast where they had a semi-detached house on Laburnum Road.
- Emily: 5 Rush Grove Street, Woolwich (1862); 11 Ogilby Street, Woolwich (1865); 25 Vaughan Street, Middlesbrough (1871); 22 Vaughan Street, Middlesbrough (1881); 31 Lumby Street, Middlesbrough (1882); 47 Marton Road, Middlesbrough (1888); 16 Westward Street, Middlesbrough (1890-1893); 121 Linthorpe Road, Middlesbrough (1895-1896); 30 King Edward Road, Middlesbrough (1901); 73 Waterloo Road, Middlesbrough (1903); 71 Warwick Street, Middlesbrough (1905-1911); 69 Warwick Street, Middlesbrough (1921); 133 Laburnum Road, Redcar (1930-1947)
- William: 4 Thompson Street, Bishop Auckland (1861); 21 Hallgate, Hexham (1871); 28 Wilson Street, Middlesbrough (1881); 13 Peakcock Street, Middlesbrough (1881); 31 Lumby Street, Middlesbrough (1882); 47 Marton Road, Middlesbrough (1888); 16 Westward Street, Middlesbrough (1890-1893); 121 Linthorpe Road, Middlesbrough (1895-1896)
- Horace: 35 Hampshire Road, Portsmouth (1881); 10 Acorn Terrace, Portsmouth (1891); 30 King Edward Road, Middlesbrough (1901); 73 Waterloo Road, Middlesbrough (1903); 71 Warwick Street, Middlesbrough (1905-1911); 69 Warwick Street, Middlesbrough (1921); 133 Laburnum Road, Redcar (1930-1947)
Deaths: William died at home of pleurisy (T.B.) on 28 February 1896 at the age of just 38. He was buried in Linthorpe Cemetery after a service at All Saints, leaving his effects of £187 6s 11d to his wife. Emily died of cerebral atheroma on 7 January 1947 at the emergency hospital at Guisborough when aged 84. She was buried in Redcar Cemetery, leaving her effects of £1,464 0s 2d to Horace and her son Henry. Horace died at home just three months later, on 16 April, when aged 73. He was also buried in Redcar Cemetery and left his effects of £3,257 13s 2d to his son Henry and daughter Dorothy.
G3: Clyde Heron (1882-1916)
Birth: Clyde Heron was born in Middlesbrough on 10 September 1882. He was the first child of William and Emily.
Christening: on 13 October 1882 at All Saints Church.
Marriage: to Alice Readman on 18 September 1909 at Middlesbrough register office. He was aged 27 and she was 19.
Spouse history: Alice was eight years younger than Clyde and had been born on 31 May 1890 to William Readman, a gas meter inspector, and Mary Elizabeth Raine. She was also christened at All Saints Church, at which time the family lived with her maternal grandmother on nearby Snowden Road. Alice’s mother died in February 1893 when aged just 22, to be followed by her father eight years later. There is no record of Alice in the 1901 census, taken the month after she was orphaned, and it is likely she was taken in by one of her extended family.
Children: (1) William in 1910, (2) Robert in 1913. Sadly, they both died in childhood.
Occupation: Clyde followed in his father’s footsteps and became a tailor.
Residences: on the night of the 1901 census, 18-year-old Clyde and his 10-year-old brother Edgar were staying with his maternal grandparents. At the time of their marriage the couple lived together in a terraced house on Henry Street, which was the home of Alice’s uncle James and his family. It was a large house with six rooms, but was no doubt still crowded with eight adults and four children.
As a widow Alice moved to a terraced house on Monkland Street (which had been occupied 30 years previously by Clyde’s cousin Mary Jane Walker), before moving to nearby Gilkes Street.
- Clyde: 31 Lumby Street, Middlesbrough (1882); 47 Marton Road, Middlesbrough (1888); 16 Westward Street, Middlesbrough (1890-1893); 121 Linthorpe Road, Middlesbrough (1895-1896); 2 Jedburgh Street, Middlesbrough (1901); 17 Henry Street, Middlesbrough (1909-1911); 38 Monkland Street, Middlesbrough (1916)
- Alice: 113 Snowden Road, Middlesbrough (1890-1891); 17 Henry Street, Middlesbrough (1909-1911); 38 Monkland Street, Middlesbrough (1916); 47 Gilkes Street, Middlesbrough (1918)
Military service: Clyde enlisted into the militia battalion of the Yorkshire Regiment in 1903 when aged 20. He served for the required six years and was discharged in 1909. Following the outbreak of war with Germany, Clyde once again volunteered. It is not known where or when he enlisted but was eventually posted to the 13th (Service) Battalion (Forest of Dean Pioneers) of the Gloucestershire Regiment. The job of a pioneer unit included digging trenches, wiring, and building encampments for other troops, as well as ordinary infantry work. The Battalion arrived in France during March 1916 and were assigned to a quiet sector to serve their apprenticeship in the trenches. Clyde was killed during a bombardment on 31 August 1916 while working on a new trench near Mailly-Maillet.
Death: Clyde was buried in the Mailly-Maillet Communal Cemetery Extension, about 9km north of Albert in Flanders.
Notes: Alice possibly married Reginald Cook in 1918 or John Prince in 1922.
G2: William Heron (1910-1918)
Birth: William Heron was born in Middlesbrough on 28 February 1910. He was the first child of Clyde and Alice.
Residences: 17 Henry Street (1911); 38 Monkland Street (1916); 47 Gilkes Street (1918) – all Middlesbrough.
Death: he died on 5 November 1918 when aged just 8 and was buried at Linthorpe Cemetery.
G2: Robert Heron (1913-1915)
Birth: Robert Heron was born in Middlesbrough during 1913. He was the second child of Clyde and Alice.
Death: he died during 1915 when aged just 2 and was buried at Linthorpe Cemetery on 29 October 1915.
G3: Beatrice Heron (1884)
Birth: Beatrice Heron was born in Middlesbrough during 1884. She was the second child of William and Emily.
Death: she died aged 10 weeks and was buried at Linthorpe Cemetery on 17 November 1884.
G3: Millicent Heron (1888-1982)
Birth: Millicent Heron was born in Middlesbrough on 14 August 1888. She was the third child of William and Emily.
Christening: on 6 September 1888 at All Saints Church.
Marriage: to Charles Robert Boyle on 16 September 1907 at St Paul’s. She was aged 19 and he was 29.
Spouse history: Charles was a decade older than Millicent and had been born in Middlesbrough during 1878 to Daniel David Boyle and Elizabeth Sophia Beckett. His parents were also immigrants to the town, originally from Cheltenham and East Russon, Norfolk respectively. Charles was christened at St Paul’s during October. The family lived on Wood Street on the opposite side of town, near the railway tracks with the many sidings and engine houses making it a noisy and dirty place to live. His father was an engine driver and perhaps worked in the large engine works situated behind their home. By 1891 his father had become a newsagent and perhaps they lived in the flat above a shop.
Children: (1) Evelyn in 1908, (2) Hilda in 1910, (3) Robert in 1915, (4) Millicent in 1916, (5) Joan in 1921.
Occupation: Charles was a carpenter’s labourer in 1901, but soon moved into the iron and steel industry where he would spend the rest of his career. In 1911 he was a general labourer on the large ovens used to blast coal to create coke, a crucial ingredient in the production of iron and steel. It is presumed that this was a reserved occupation during the First World War. He later worked as a compressor driver amongst the coke ovens of Cargo Fleet and Iron Works. Two decades later and Charles was a cleaner for a galvanising department of one of the local steelworks. Galvanisation is the process of applying a protective zinc coating to steel or iron, to prevent rusting.
Residences: at the time of their marriage the couple lived together in a newly built terraced house on Gresham Road in the Ayresome suburb. When the next census was taken in 1911, the young family of four lived across town in a four-roomed terraced house on Falmouth Street just to the north of the large Albert Park.
By 1921 the family had moved east to the village of Marske-by-the-Sea on the Yorkshire coast. They lived on Scrafton Place, a small cul-de-sac of houses that jutted off the main High Street. They still lived here almost two decades later when captured in the 1939 National Register.
- Millicent: 47 Marton Road, Middlesbrough (1888); 16 Westward Street, Middlesbrough (1890-1893); 121 Linthorpe Road, Middlesbrough (1895-1896); 30 King Edward Road, Middlesbrough (1901); 89 Gresham Road, Middlesbrough (1907); 65 Falmouth Street, Middlesbrough (1911); 3 Scrafton Place, Marske-By-the-Sea (1921-1939)
- Charles: 3 Wood Street, Middlesbrough (1878); 31 Dock Street, Middlesbrough (1881); 12/14 Cleveland Street, Middlesbrough (1891); 97 Grange Road East, Middlesbrough (1901); 89 Gresham Road, Middlesbrough (1907); 65 Falmouth Street, Middlesbrough (1911); 3 Scrafton Place, Marske-By-the-Sea (1921-1939)
Deaths: Charles died in Cleveland during 1963 when aged 84. Millicent died in Cleveland during 1982 at the age of 94.
G2: Evelyn Boyle (1908-?)
Birth: Evelyn Boyle was born in Middlesbrough during 1908. She was the first child of Charles and Millicent.
Residences: 65 Falmouth Street, Middlesbrough (1911); 3 Scrafton Place, Marske-By-the-Sea (1921).
Notes: it’s likely that she married a Sidney Cooper in 1935, but further confirmation is required.
G2: Hilda Boyle (1910-?)
Birth: Hilda Boyle was born in Middlesbrough during 1910. She was the second child of Charles and Millicent.
Residences: 65 Falmouth Street, Middlesbrough (1911); 3 Scrafton Place, Marske-By-the-Sea (1921).
Notes: it’s likely that Hilda married a Ralph Palfreman in 1932, but further confirmation is required.
G2: Robert Boyle (1915-?)
Birth: Robert Boyle was born in Middlesbrough during 1915. He was the third child of Charles and Millicent.
Residences: 3 Scrafton Place, Marske-by-the-Sea.
Notes: it’s possible that he married Lorina Salmon in 1939, and died in Scarborough in May 1993, but further confirmation is needed.
G2: Millicent Boyle (1916-1975)
Birth: Millicent Boyle was born in Middlesbrough on 1 November 1916. She was the fourth child of Charles and Millicent.
Marriage: to Frederick Howard Holland during 1945 in Rowley Regis, Staffordshire. She was aged 28 and he was 32.
Spouse history: Frederick had been born in Dudley on 2 January 1912 to Frederick and Olive Holland. The family lived in a terraced house on Powke Lane, which ran from the collieries of Darby End into Blackheath, Staffordshire. His father was an iron roller in one of the local iron and steel works.
Children: none.
Occupation: in 1939 Frederick worked as a cost clerk for a timber works while Millicent was a children’s nurse.
Residences: at the times of their deaths, the couple had lived in a large bungalow on quiet Chesterfield Road in the very south of Lichfield.
- Millicent: 3 Scrafton Place, Marske-By-the-Sea (1921-1939); 142 Chesterfield Road, Lichfield (1975)
- Frederick: 141 Powke Lane, Blackheath (1921); 169 Powke Lane, Blackheath (1939); 142 Chesterfield Road, Lichfield (1975)
Deaths: Millicent died in Lichfield on 23 July 1975 when aged just 58. Frederick only survived her by 3 months and died on 16 October when aged 63.
G2: Joan Boyle (1921-?)
Birth: Joan Boyle was born in Marske-by-the-Sea during April 1921. She was the fifth child of Charles and Millicent.
Residences: 3 Scrafton Place, Marske-By-the-Sea (1921)
G3: Edgar Heron (1890-1958)
Birth: Edgar Heron was born in Middlesbrough on 23 December 1890. He was the fourth child of William and Emily.
Christening: on 15 January 1891 at All Saints Church.
Marriage: to Daisy May Bloomfield on 12 October 1912 in the register office at Ipswich. They were both aged 21.
Spouse history: Daisy had been born on 9 April 1891 to Joseph Edward Bloomfield and Mary Ann Fanny Adkins (previously Smith), at the family home on Albion Place, a terraced house lodged between the open Holywells Park and a large gas works. Her father was a shipwright. By 1901 they had moved a few doors down and Daisy still lived there at the time of her marriage.
Children: (1) William in 1913, (2) Lily in 1920, (3) Rose in 1924.
Military service: Edgar enlisted into the Royal Navy as a boy seaman in January 1908 and trained as a stoker, undertaking the hot physical labour of transporting and shovelling coal to the furnaces. He spent his early career onboard the armoured cruisers designed to protect the extensive trade networks of the British Empire, including HMS Warrior with the Channel Fleet, HMS Bedford on China Station, and HMS Astraea at Colombo in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). He then returned home for a few years serving onboard depot ships and reserve ships as they readied for service. Edgar’s next ship was the powerful battleship HMS King Edward VII, the flagship of the 3rd Battle Squadron of the Home Fleet. Upon the outbreak of war with Germany, the squadron was assigned to the Grand Fleet and used to blockade Germany, checking merchant ships and their cargoes, as well as preventing German warships from breaking into the Atlantic.
Edgar joined the crew of the troopship HMS Mars in September 1915, and soon sailed for the Dardanelles to evacuate Allied troops. He spent most of 1916 on shore duties at Chatham, thereby missing the major sea battle of the war at Jutland. He joined the crew of the brand-new minesweeper HMS Salvia in September 1916, which was being used as a Q-ship to deceive U-boat commanders into closing with them on the surface so that they could be caught unawares and sunk. Sadly, it was Salvia itself who became the victim and sunk on 20 June 1917 when well out in the Atlantic. Thankfully most of the crew were soon rescued. Edgar then joined the crew of HMS Polyanthus in November, another Q-Ship, before 18 months of shore service at Gibraltar from May 1918.
After the Armistice, Edgar had short spells on depot ships alongside more shore assignments, before two spells onboard cruisers of the Atlantic Fleet. An interesting assignment in 1923 saw him serve aboard HMS Agamemnon, an old battleship that had been modified for use as a radio-controlled target ship and used for various trials such as being bombarded with poison gas and subjected to attack by aircraft. He spent 1924 to 1926 with HMS Marazion, a depot ship for the 4th Submarine Flotilla based at Hong Kong, followed by a few more years at training establishments at Chatham and Gibraltar. He was pensioned on 22 December 1930 after 22 years’ service.
Edgar was recalled to duty in 1939 and spent his second war with the headquarters staff of Harwich Station, the largest base for small craft such as minesweepers and motor torpedo boats. He was allowed to return to retirement in 1944.
Occupations: after leaving the Navy, Edgar kept himself busy as a storekeeper.
Residences: the family had lived with Daisy’s parents on Albion Place in Ipswich during 1920. The National Register taken in September 1939 captured 48-year-old Daisy and daughter Lily on Vaughan Street, a terraced house just south of the river.
- Edgar: 16 Westward Street, Middlesbrough (1890-1893); 121 Linthorpe Road, Middlesbrough (1895-1896); 2 Jedburgh Street, Middlesbrough (1901); 35 Albion Place, Ipswich (1912-1921); 10 Vaughan Street, Ipswich (1939-1958)
- Daisy: 20 Albion Place, Ipswich (1891); 35 Albion Place, Ipswich (1901-1921); 10 Vaughan Street, Ipswich (1939-1958); 25 Conway Close, Ipswich (1965)
Deaths: Edgar died on 10 June 1958 at the home of daughter Lily in Maidenhall, to whom he left his effects of £900. Daisy survived him for eight years and died in the same house on 9 July 1965 of pancreatic cancer when aged 73. She left her effects of £343 to her daughter.
G2: William Joseph Heron (1913-1988)
Birth: William Joseph Heron was born in Ipswich during 1913. He was the first child of Edgar and Daisy.
Marriage (1): to Ivy May Rush during 1935 in Ipswich. He was aged 21 and she was 20. They divorced post-war.
Spouse history: Ivy had been born in Ipswich on 20 March 1914 to Harry Rush and Alice Constance Spurling. In 1921 they lived in a tiny house on Regent Court. Her father was a drayman for the Colchester Brewing Co. on St Peter’s Street.
Marriage (2): to Elizabeth W.M. Probert during 1947 in Ipswich. He was aged 21 and she was 20. They divorced post-war.
Children: with Ivy, (1) John in 1936, (2) Jill in 1940
Residence: in September 1939, the young family lived on Lindbergh Road, part of a new estate built to the southeast of Ipswich to replace the slums in the town centre and provide housing for the rapidly expanding population. Theirs was a semi-detached house that backed onto a large school and which they shared with Ivy’s 50-year-old mother Alice.
- William: 35 Albion Place, Ipswich (1913-1921); 23 Lindbergh Road, Ipswich (1939); 98 City Road, Birmingham (1988)
- Ivy: 9 Regent Court, Regent Street, Ipswich (1921); 23 Lindbergh Road, Ipswich (1939)
Occupations: in 1939 William worked as a labourer at a bacon curing factory. Post-war he became a retired painter and decorator.
Deaths: William died of stomach cancer in Dudley Road Hospital, Birmingham, on 24 May 1988 when aged 74. Elizabeth possibly died in Wales in January 1994.
Notes: Ivy went married Leonard Miles during 1947 and they had a daughter together. She died in January 1992 when aged 77.
G2: Lily May Heron (1920-1973)
Birth: Lily May Heron was born in Ipswich on 19 September 1920. She was the second child of Edgar and Daisy.
Marriage: to Clarence Victor Howe on 16 December 1939 in the register office at Ipswich. She was aged 19 and he was 28.
Spouse history: Clarence had been born at home in Ipswich on 4 October 1911 to William Howe and May Rose Lambert. The family lived in a terraced house in the east of central Ipswich. His father was a foundry moulder who in 1921 worked for Ransomes, Sims and Jefferies Ltd., a major agricultural machinery maker based in the town.
Children: two girls born in 1941 and 1946.
Residences: at the time of their marriage the couple lived with Lily’s parents. They later lived in a flat on Shamrock Avenue, a post-war housing development in the Chantry suburb.
- Lily: 35 Albion Place, Ipswich (1920-1921); 10 Vaughan Street, Ipswich (1939); 67 Shamrock Avenue, Ipswich (1973)
- Clarence: 2 Albert Cottages, Rope Walk, Ipswich (1911); 11 Dove Street, Ipswich (1921); 10 Vaughan Street, Ipswich (1939); 67 Shamrock Avenue, Ipswich (1973-1978)
Occupation: Clarence became a bus driver.
Military service: Clarence joined the Royal Artillery in 1935 (service number 852875) as a gunner. He was awarded the Long Service Good Conduct Medal in October 1945, which is curious as this required eighteen years of unblemished service, meaning that Clarence must have entered the army in around 1927. He re-enlisted into the TA in September 1948.
Deaths: Lily died in Ipswich Hospital on 8 May 1973 of pulmonary edema (fluid build-up in the lungs), a common complication of heart disease. She was just 52. Clarence survived her by five years and died in Maida Vale Hospital in Westminster on 26 July 1978 at the age of 66. Cause of death was respiratory and cardiac failure.
G2: Rose Laura Heron (1924-?)
Birth: Rose Laura Heron was born in Ipswich during 1924. She was the third child of Edgar and Daisy.
Marriage: to Derek Arthur George Claydon on 3 February 1951 in Ipswich. She was aged 27 and he was 23.
Spouse history: Derek had been born in Ipswich on 15 June 1927 to Benjamin Claydon and Ellen Sarah Minter.
Children: two girls born in 1953 and 1955.
Residences: in 1978 the family lived on Robin Drive, part of a post-war housing development in the Chantry suburb of south Ipswich. Rose lived with her daughter between 2003-2010.
- Rose: 10 Vaughan Street, Ipswich (1939); 26 Powling Road, Ipswich (2003-2010)
- Derek: 77 Robin Drive, Ipswich (1978)
Military service: Derek enlisted into the RAF at Cardington in the late 1940s and was given service number 4023166.
Deaths: Derek died in Ipswich on 17 April 1978 when aged just 50 and was buried in Lawn Cemetery.
Notes: the RAF index cites his name as ‘Derrick’.
G3: Oscar Heron (1892-1978)
Birth: Oscar Heron was born in Middlesbrough on 19 September 1892. He was the fifth child of William and Emily.
Christening: on 12 October 1892 at All Saints Church.
Military service: Oscar served in the Army Ordnance Corps during the First World War, which was responsible for the maintenance and repair of armaments and munitions. He served in France from July 1915. He had service number 04611 and was awarded the British War Medal, the Victory Medal, and the 1914/15 Star. He was demobilised during June 1919.
Marriage: to Selina Worthy on 27 August 1919 in All Saints Church in Clapham. He was aged 26 and she was 20.
Spouse history: Selina, who was commonly known as Lena, had been born in Middlesbrough on 8 October 1898 to Jonathan Worthy, a crane driver, and Frances Jane Heath. She was christened a few weeks later at St Hilda’s Church in the industrial north of the town. The family lived on nearby Lincoln Street. Interestingly, her aunt Selina Heath later married Herbert Walker, a distant relation of Lena’s future husband Oscar.
Children: (1) Kathleen in 1920, (2) Ronald in 1922, (3) Stanley in 1924.
Residences: at the time of their marriage, Oscar lived in a large terraced house on Midmoor Road in suburban Clapham Park, while Lena’s home was half a mile away on King’s Avenue. They soon moved back to their native Middlesbrough where their three children were born. By 1921 they had a terraced house on Gosford Street near the railway station. Over the next two decades they moved out to a new housing estate near Albert Park where they lived on Hawthorne Avenue.
- Oscar: 16 Westward Street, Middlesbrough (1892-1893); 121 Linthorpe Road, Middlesbrough (1895-1896); 30 King Edward Road, Middlesbrough (1901); 73 Waterloo Road, Middlesbrough (1903); 71 Warwick Street, Middlesbrough (1905-1911); 43 Midmoor Road, Clapham (1919); 36 Gosford Street, Middlesbrough (1921); 7 Hawthorne Avenue, Middlesbrough (1939); 15 Branksome Avenue, Middlesbrough (1955-1978)
- Selina: 46 Lincoln Street, Middlesbrough (1898-1901); 10 Buxton Street, Middlesbrough (1911); 163 King’s Avenue, Clapham (1919); 36 Gosford Street, Middlesbrough (1921); 7 Hawthorne Avenue, Middlesbrough (1939); 15 Branksome Avenue, Middlesbrough (1955-1978)
Occupation: In 1911, 18-year-old Oscar was an apprentice in a saddlery works, a trade he continued after being demobilised from the army when he worked as a harness marker in London. After moving back to Middlesbrough, Oscar joined the thousands of men working in the steel industry – a career he would keep for the rest of his life.
He first worked for Dorman Long & Co. in nearby Port Clarence. Over the next 20 years he would labour as part of the blast furnace crews, tending the huge boilers that powered the great steam engines, including time spent as a trimmer, furnaceman and boiler cleaner.
Oscar joined the ARP during the Second World War, being part of the team at the Cargo Fleet Iron Works, which is likely where he worked.
Deaths: Oscar died at home on 10 March 1978, when aged 85. He left an estate of £10,168. Lena only survived him by a few months and died there on 23 December 1978 when aged 80. Her estate was £13,810.
Notes: the couple took a trip to Canada in 1955, departing from Liverpool onboard the Empress of France on 22 July and then returning from Montréal, Québec on the Empress of Scotland in early September. They travelled in tourist class. Curiously, Oscar’s occupation on the outward journey was given as boiler cleaner, but on the return, he was retired.
G2: Kathleen Heron (1920-?)
Birth: Kathleen Heron was born in Middlesbrough on 18 August 1920. She was the first child of Oscar and Lena.
Marriage: to Henry Clifford Ogle during 1941 in Middlesbrough. She was aged 20 and she was 24.
Spouse history: Henry had been born in Middlesbrough on 15 August 1916 to Henry Ogle and Florence Ethel Bailey. By 1921 the family of four lived on Wentworth Street. His father was a crane driver in the blast furnaces at the Ayresome Ironworks of Gjers Mills and Co. Ltd. Other than the death of his mother, little changed by the time of the 1939 Register.
Children: (1) a girl in 1946, (2) Derek in 1948.
Occupation: in 1939 Kathleen worked as a shorthand typist while Henry was a clerk in the trade union offices.
Residences: towards the end of her life, Kathleen lived in a bungalow on Wheatlands Drive in Marske-by-the-Sea.
- Kathleen: 36 Gosford Street, Middlesbrough (1921); 7 Hawthorne Avenue, Middlesbrough (1939); 28 Wheatlands Drive, Marske-By-the-Sea (2003-2013)
- Henry: 8 Wentworth Street, Middlesbrough (1921-1939); 28 Wheatlands Drive, Marske-By-the-Sea (2002-2003)
Deaths: Henry died in Redcar on 12 Jun 2003 when aged 86.
Birth: Derek Ogle was born in Middlesbrough on 10 March 1948. He was the second child of Henry and Kathleen.
Death: Derek died on 12 March 2015 when aged 67. Nothing is known of his life.
G2: Ronald Clyde Heron (1922-2011)
Birth: Ronald Clyde Heron was born in Middlesbrough during 1922. He was the second child of Oscar and Lena.
Marriage: to Betty Thompson during 1945 in Middlesbrough. He was aged 22 and she was 20.
Spouse history: Betty had been born in Middlesbrough on 30 October 1924.
Children: a girl in 1947.
Occupation: in 1939 Ronald worked as an apprentice draftsman in a steel works, perhaps the same one where his father worked. He continued this career for the rest of his life. Betty was a secretary.
Residences: in 1939 Betty lived with John and Olive Marshall in their home on Tobey Lane in Pickering. It’s possible that she had been evacuated. They emigrated to Canada after their daughter was born in 1947. By the early 1960s they lived in the port city of Hamilton on Lake Ontario. They had a large bungalow on West 4th Street, a quiet residential road in the east of the city.
- Ronald: 7 Hawthorne Avenue, Middlesbrough (1939)
- Betty: Camden House, Tobey Lane, Pickering (1939)
Deaths: Ronald died on 4 January 2011 when aged 88.
G2: Stanley Heron (1924-1944)
Birth: Stanley Heron was born in Middlesbrough during 1924. He was the third child of Oscar and Lena.
Residences: 7 Hawthorne Avenue, Middlesbrough (1939)
Military service: Stanley joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve during the war, enlisting at Weston-Super-Mere. On 19 July 1944 he took-off in an Avro Anson training aircraft of No.8 Air Gunnery School on a local training flight. Tragically, the pilot lost control while at an altitude of just 259 feet and dived into the ground 4 miles from RAF Evanton in the Scottish Highlands. Everyone on board was killed. Stanley was aged just 19.
Death: Stanley is buried in the Acklam cemetery on the south side of Middlesbrough. His headstone is inscribed: “In loving memory. Dearly loved son of Oscar and Lena Heron”.
G3: William George Alexander Heron (1895-1979)
Birth: William George Alexander Heron was born in Middlesbrough on 21 May 1895. He was the sixth child of William and Emily.
Christening: on 12 June 1895 at All Saints Church.
Marriage: to Flora Annie Nellthorpe during 1923 in Middlesbrough. He was aged 27 and she was 21.
Spouse history: Flora had been born in Stockton-on-Tees on 16 February 1901 to Charles and Annie Nellthorpe. The census captured the family living with Annie’s mother on Percy Street near a large railway goods station. Her father was a riveter in a shipyard, who presumably died before the next census was taken as her mother was then married to Martin Burrow, who was a ‘streets and mains’ contractor. This was evidently a good living, since their home was a large villa named Emmerdale on King’s Road in the centre of the new town of North Ormesby.
Children: (1) Joyce in 1924.
Occupations: William spent a large part of his life working on the railways. In 1921 he was a ticket collector at the station in Grangetown, operated by North Eastern Railway as a stop on the Tees Valley line. By 1939 he was a timekeeper at Marske railway station, operated by London and North Eastern Railway. He would have recorded the times of arrivals and departures before passing them to the authorities.
Residences: in 1921, William was one of three lodgers in the boarding house of Jane Thomas on Vickers Street in the village of Grangetown where he worked. Built to accommodate the workers of a large steel works about 3 miles east of Middlesbrough, the village had everything it needed and a real sense of community.
By the outbreak of war, the family lived in a terraced house on Chapel Street in Marske-by-the-Sea on the Yorkshire coast.
- William: 121 Linthorpe Road, Middlesbrough (1895-1896); 30 King Edward Road, Middlesbrough (1901); 73 Waterloo Road, Middlesbrough (1903); 71 Warwick Street, Middlesbrough (1905-1911); 40 VIckers Street, Grangetown (1921); 21 Chapel Street, Marske-By-the-Sea (1939)
- Flora: 5 Percy Street, Stockton-on-Tees (1901); Emmerdale, King’s Road, Middlesbrough (1911); 21 Chapel Street, Marske-By-the-Sea (1939)
Deaths: Flora died in 1968 when aged 67. William died of bladder cancer at Mount Pleasant Home, Marske-by-the-Sea, on 22 November 1979 at the age of 84. William’s final home was a small bungalow on a post-war housing estate to the south of Guisborough.
Notes: it’s possible that when the census was taken in 1911, 16-year-old William was a domestic servant at the Club Union Convalescent Home in Saltburn-by-the-Sea, about 15 miles from Middlesbrough, but further confirmation is required.
G2: Joyce Margarette Heron (1924-)
Birth: Joyce Margarette Heron was born in Middlesbrough on 21 September 1924. She was the only child of William and Flora.
Marriage: to Henry Hope during 1950.
Residences: 21 Chapel Street, Marske-By-the-Sea (1939)
G3: Charlotte Elizabeth White (1899-1950)
Birth: Charlotte Elizabeth White was born in Middlesbrough on 17 November 1899. She was the first child of Emily with second husband Horace.
Marriage: to Henry Harrison on 1 June 1936 in West Dyke Methodist Chapel on Thrush Road in Redcar. She was aged 36 and she was 38.
Spouse history: Henry had been born on 12 June 1897 to Harry Harrison, a farmer. He likely married Grace Calvert in Tadcaster during 1922 (or perhaps Laura Calvert in Skipton during 1921), having three children together before Grace died in Guisborough during 1935 when aged just 35.
Children: (1) Mary in 1938, (2) June in 1939.
Residences: the newlyweds initially lived together in the small conurbation of Cargo Fleet, just a mile outside of Middlesbrough. The village had been built in the 19th century to house the workers of the huge Cargo Fleet Iron Works which overshadowed the houses. The couple then moved out to the coastal town of Redcar, about nine miles east, where Charlotte had previously lived with her parents. They had a medium-size terraced house on Lumley Road, close to the racecourse. After the war they moved to a newer house on quiet residential Thames Road.
- Charlotte: 30 King Edward Road, Middlesbrough (1901); 73 Waterloo Road, Middlesbrough (1903); 71 Warwick Street, Middlesbrough (1905-1911); 133 Laburnum Road, Redcar (1930-1933), 20 Cargo Fleet Lane, Middlesbrough (1936); 35 Lumley Road, Redcar (1937-1947); 54 Thames Road, Redcar (1948-1950)
- Henry: 20 Cargo Fleet Lane, Middlesbrough (1936); 35 Lumley Road, Redcar (1937-1947); 54 Thames Road, Redcar (1948-1964)
Occupations: Charlotte was a housekeeper while Henry was a welder in the Cargo Fleet steelworks. During the war he was a member of the Auxiliary Fire Service there.
Deaths: Charlotte died at home on 26 May 1950 when aged 50 and was buried in Redcar Cemetery. She left her effects to a Herbert Edward Rowe, solicitor. Henry died in Teesside during 1971 when aged 74.
Notes: When the 1921 census was taken, Charlotte was most likely the visitor to elderly Annie Wray at her home on Lothian Road.
G3: Horace Ralph White (1901-1970)
Birth: Horace Ralph White was born in Middlesbrough on 15 February 1901. He was the second child of Emily with second husband Horace.
Christening: on 11 March 1901 at All Saints Church.
Marriage: to Florence Longley during 1936 in Middlesbrough. He was aged 36 and she was 20.
Spouse history: Florence was 14 years younger than him and had been born in Stockton on 23 February 1915 to newlyweds Frederick Longley and Maria Wilkinson. In 1921 the family lived on Mosmon Terrace in North Ormesby. Her father was a baker for Bentley Bakers and Confectioners on nearby Coltman Street.
Children: none.
Occupation: in 1921 Horace was a 20-year-old apprentice fitter and turner for the Globe Elevator Works in Stockton-on-Tees. He would have been learning how to install the elevators in buildings. By 1939 Horace was an auxiliary postman and also an ARP Warden.
Residences: Horace moved with his parents out to Redcar in 1930 and lived with them on Laburnum Road into his mid-30s. After marrying Florence the newlyweds moved into a house almost opposite, which was their home for the rest of their lives.
- Horace: 30 King Edward Road, Middlesbrough (1901); 73 Waterloo Road, Middlesbrough (1903); 71 Warwick Street, Middlesbrough (1905-1911); 69 Warwick Street, Middlesbrough (1921); 133 Laburnum Road, Redcar (1930-1936), 242 Laburnum Road, Redcar (1937-1970)
- Florence: 1 Mosmon Terrace, Middlesbrough (1921); 242 Laburnum Road, Redcar (1937-1995)
Deaths: Horace died aged 69 on 3 November 1970, and Florence followed on 18 June 1995 when aged 80.
G3: Dorothy White (1903-1969)
Birth: Dorothy White was born in Middlesbrough on 24 July 1903. She was the third child of Emily with second husband Horace.
Christening: on 17 August 1903 at All Saints Church.
Marriage: to John Harry Fletcher Stamp during 1926 in Middlesbrough. She was aged 22 and she was 27.
Spouse history: John had been born in Middlesbrough on 4 December 1898 to Harry Stamp and Margaret Plant, although this date (given in the 1939 Register) conflicts with his birth registration of Q1 1898. It’s possible that he lied about his age to join the army in 1915, and then continued this lie throughout his life. The 1901 census captured the family living in a terraced house on Marl Street close to the massed railways lined in the north of the town. His father was a dock labourer and his mother a housewife. He had four sisters and a brother. By 1911 the family had made the short move to Craggs Street, from where his father left for work as a ship’s checker for North Eastern Railway. It is curious that he is cited as a widower and his mother as a ‘housekeeper’ under her maiden name. There is no record of them ever having married, so perhaps they had lived as a common law couple for the past 20+ years.
Military service: John enlisted into the army in December 1915 when aged 17 but was not mobilised until May 1916 when he joined the 2/5th Battalion of the Lincolnshire Regiment. The unit had recently been sent to Ireland and were engaged in fierce fighting against nationalist forces for the remainder of the year.
They embarked for France in February 1917 and were thrust into action in April during the German retreat to the Hindenburg Line. The Battalion moved to Flanders in September and participated in the Battles of the Menin Road Ridge, Polygon Wood and Bourlon Wood.
On 12 February 1918 John went missing on a march to the trenches. He was subsequently arrested and charged with desertion, which was a crime punishable by death. A General Court Martial found him not guilty of desertion but guilty of being absent without leave. With time already served he was soon released, no doubt a relieved man.
He joined the 7th (Service) Battalion and participated in many small skirmishes and battles during the Hundred Days Offensive. John remained in France after the armistice until demobilised in September 1919.
Children: (1) John in 1927, (2) Frederick in 1930, (3) David in 1940. They perhaps had a daughter in 1932.
Occupation: in 1921 Dorothy worked as a tailor for R.C. Heron & Co. Ltd. on Corporation Road. Her mother’s first husband, William Heron, had been a tailor and this was likely the family business. John was a labourer, and in 1939 worked on chemical rollers.
Residences: when 17-year-old John enlisted into the army he lived on Erimus Terrace, which was one of three streets of terraced houses and a hotel that comprised a lonely outcrop on the road between Thornaby and Middlesbrough, opposite what was then a racecourse. By 1930 John and Dorothy had followed other members of her extended family to nearby Redcar on the Yorkshire coast, where they lived on Laburnum Road for several years before moving to a large semi-detached house on a new housing estate close to the sea. They would live on this quiet residential street for the rest of their lives.
- Dorothy: 73 Waterloo Road, Middlesbrough (1903); 71 Warwick Street, Middlesbrough (1905-1911); 69 Warwick Street, Middlesbrough (1921); 242 Laburnum Road, Redcar (1930-1936); 19 Winchester Road, Redcar (1937-1969)
- John: 3 Marl Street, Middlesbrough (1901); 1 Craggs Street, Middlesbrough (1911); 11 Erimus Terrace, Thornaby-on-Tees (1915); 242 Laburnum Road, Redcar (1930-1936); 19 Winchester Road, Redcar (1937-1948)
Deaths: John died on New Year’s Eve 1948. Dorothy survived him for 31 years and died at home on 17 August 1969 when aged 66. She was buried in Redcar Cemetery, leaving an estate of £3,391.
G2: John Harry Stamp (1927-1999)
Birth: John Harry Stamp was born in Middlesbrough on 7 July 1927. He was the first child of John and Dorothy.
War service: despite only being 17 years old when the Second World War ended, John served in the Merchant Navy and was awarded a medal for his service. His first trip was as a galley boy on the SS Fort Carillon, arriving in New York on 1 April 1944 from Middlesbrough. He was described as 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighing 130 lbs. He was back in the city in July 1944 as a mess boy on the Empire Milner, a brand-new tanker.
Residences: 242 Laburnum Road, Redcar (1930-1936); 19 Winchester Road, Redcar (1937-1962).
Death: John died in Redcar during February 1999, when aged 71.
Notes: it’s possible that he married Miriam S. Birbeck in 1955, but further confirmation is required.
G2: Frederick George Stamp (1930-1998)
Birth: Frederick George Stamp was born in Guisborough on 13 October 1930. He was the second child of John and Dorothy.
Residences: 242 Laburnum Road, Redcar (1930-1936); 19 Winchester Road, Redcar (1937-1939).
Deaths: Frederick died in Middlesbrough on 7 May 1998, when aged 67.
Notes: it’s possible that he married Margaret A. Betts in 1958, but further confirmation is required.
G3: Henry Stanley White (1905-1994)
Birth: Henry Stanley White was born in Middlesbrough on 10 April 1905. He was the fourth child of Emily with second husband Horace.
Christening: on 1 May 1905 at All Saints Church.
Marriage: to Bessie Lightfoot during 1938 in Middlesbrough. He was aged 32 and she was 30.
Spouse history: Bessie had been born in Middlesbrough on Christmas Day 1907 to John William Lightfoot and Charlotte Robinson. The 1911 census captured Bessie visiting her maternal grandmother at Rievaulx Mill near Helmsley, which she appeared to own and run. Her father was at home, which was a terraced house on Waverley Street in northwest Middlesbrough. He was a warehouseman for a grocer. By 1921 he had been promoted to head warehouseman and worked for Amos Kinton & Sons Ltd. The family of three lived on Brompton Street.
Children: two boys and a girl born between 1940 and 1944.
Occupations: in 1921, 16-year-old Henry worked alongside his father as a clerk for the Refuge Assurance life insurance and pensions company. He later became a schoolteacher and in 1939 was a handicraft instructor in an elementary school.
Residences: Henry moved with his parents to Redcar in 1930 and lived with them on Laburnum Road until he was aged 30. After marrying Bessie, the newlyweds lived in Whitby on the Yorkshire coast where they had a house named Waverley on Ash Grove (perhaps named after her childhood home). At the time of her death some years later, Bessie lived on Cradley Drive, a bungalow on a housing estate in the Hemlington suburb.
- Henry: 71 Warwick Street, Middlesbrough (1905-1911); 69 Warwick Street, Middlesbrough (1921); 133 Laburnum Road, Redcar (1930-1935, 1938), Waverley, Ash Grove, Whitby (1939)
- Bessie: 15 Waverley Street, Middlesbrough (1911); 83 Brompton Street, Middlesbrough (1921); Waverley, Ash Grove, Whitby (1939); 75 Cradley Drive, Middlesbrough (1988)
Military service: Henry served in the RAF during the Second World War, based on a picture of him wearing the uniform of a sergeant. There are several possible records, but the most likely is service number 1028571 who joined at Padgate between September 1939 and February 1940.
Deaths: Bessie died in Middlesbrough on 3 September 1988 when aged 80. Henry survived her for six years and died in Darlington during December 1994 when aged 89.
Notes: Henry was the beneficiary of his parents’ estates when they died in within months of each other in 1947.
G3: Gertrude Eleanor White (1909-?)
Birth: Gertrude Eleanor White was born in Middlesbrough during 1909. She was the fifth child of Emily with second husband Horace.
Residences: Gertrude moved with her parents to Redcar in 1930 and lived with them on Laburnum Road until she was aged 25.
- 71 Warwick Street, Middlesbrough (1911); 69 Warwick Street, Middlesbrough (1921), 133 Laburnum Road, Redcar (1930-1934)
Notes: both the 1921 census and the electoral register between 1930-34 cites Gertrude as ‘Eleanor Gertrude’ and it’s likely that she reversed her names. She probably married Raymond Rowley in 1934, but further confirmation is required.
G4: George Alexander Walker (1864-1878)
Birth: George Alexander Walker was born in Woolwich on 29 November 1864. He was the second child of George and Elizabeth.
Christening: on 15 February 1865 at St Mary Magdalene Church on Greenlaw Street.
Residences: 11 Ogilby Street, Woolwich (1865); 25 Vaughan Street, Middlesbrough (1871)
Deaths: George died in Middlesbrough at the age of 13 and was buried at Linthorpe Cemetery on 5 June 1878.
G4: William Henry Walker (1866-?)
Birth: William Henry Walker was born in Bermondsey during 1866. He was the third child of George and Elizabeth. Located to the west of Woolwich, this notorious slum (together with the area around St Saviour’s Dock known as Jacob’s Island) was one of the worst in London and immortalised by Dickens in Oliver Twist, in which the villain Bill Sikes meets a nasty end in the mud that surrounded it.
Christening: on 13 February 1870 at St Hilda’s Church on Market Place, alongside younger brother Herbert.
Marriage: to Mary Ann Reynolds (nee Norman) during 1891 in Middlesbrough. He was aged 25 and she was 22.
Spouse history: Mary had been born in 1856 in Eston, a small village just a few miles outside of Middlesbrough. She is likely the daughter of Charles and Hannah Norman, and in 1881 the family lived just a few doors down from William on Garden Street. She married James Reynolds later that year and they had three children together including James Norman Reynolds (b.1883), George Horace Reynolds (b.1885), and Charles Reynolds (b.1887).
William and Mary eloped to Leeds where in 1890 they had a daughter, Florence. The 1891 census captured the three of them living in a terraced house on Roumelia Street in the Hunslet suburb. Mary’s three children from her first marriage lived with their father in Middlesbrough. The census records William and Mary as being married, but the only record of a possible marriage is in 1897. Likewise, the census record for her first husband records him as still married. It’s likely that they were passing themselves off as married due to the social norms of the time, perhaps with James refusing his wife a divorce. It’s possible that he died in 1896, thus enabling the couple to marry.
Children: (1) Florence in 1890, (2) Ernest in 1892, (3) Harry in 1893. None of the births were registered.
Residences: the family moved back to Middlesbrough after William and Mary were married and in 1901 lived in a terraced house on Garden Street – the same street that William’s grandfather Alexander and family lived on. The family now consisted of their three children plus the three from Mary’s first marriage. By 1911 the family had moved a few doors up.
- William: 25 Vaughan Street, Middlesbrough (1871); 22 Vaughan Street, Middlesbrough (1881); 2 Roumelia Street, Leeds (1891); 85 Garden Street, Middlesbrough (1901); 89 Garden Street, Middlesbrough (1911-1921)
- Mary: 2 Roumelia Street, Leeds (1891); 85 Garden Street, Middlesbrough (1901); 89 Garden Street, Middlesbrough (1911-1921)
Occupations: in 1901 William laboured in an ironworks, with the 1911 census being more specific that he was a boilerman. The 1921 census reveals that he worked for Dorman Long at Port Clarence.
Deaths: it’s likely that Mary died in 1929 and William in 1939.
G3: Florence Walker (1890-1901)
Birth: Florence Walker was born in Leeds during 1890. She was the first child of William and Mary.
Residences: 2 Roumelia Street, Leeds (1891); 85 Garden Street, Middlesbrough (1901)
Deaths: Florence died when aged just 11, being buried at Linthorpe Cemetery in Middlesbrough on 23 April 1901.
G3: Ernest Walker (1892-?)
Birth: Ernest Walker was born in Leeds during 1892. He was the second child of William and Mary.
Occupations: by 1911, 20-year-old Ernest worked as a boots in a hotel – someone responsible for cleaning the footwear of the guests.
Residences: 85 Garden Street, Middlesbrough (1901); 89 Garden Street, Middlesbrough (1911)
G3: Harry Walker (1893-?)
Birth: Harry Walker was born in Leeds during 1893. He was the third child of William and Mary.
Occupations: by 1911, 19-year-old Harry worked as a labourer in a beer house.
Residences: 85 Garden Street, Middlesbrough (1901); 89 Garden Street, Middlesbrough (1911)
G4: Walter Walker (1868-1877)
Birth: Walter Walker was born in Middlesbrough during 1868, not long after his family had made the move north from London. He was the fourth child of George and Elizabeth.
Residences: 25 Vaughan Street, Middlesbrough (1871)
Death: Walter died aged just 9 and was buried at Linthorpe Cemetery on 6 January 1877.
G4: Herbert John Walker (1870-1941)
Birth: Herbert John Walker was born in Middlesbrough on 24 January 1870. He was the fifth child of George and Elizabeth.
Christening: on 13 February 1870 at St Hilda’s Church on Market Place, alongside elder brother William.
Marriage: to Selina Heath on 21 July 1902 at All Saints Church on Linthorpe Road. He was aged 32 and she was 22.
Spouse history: Selina was a decade younger than Herbert and had been born in Derby during 1881, one of the four children of labourer Richard Heath and Emma Owen. When the census was taken a few months later, they lived in a terraced house on Yates Street at the edge of town. They moved to Middlesbrough at some point before 1886, and the next census captured them living in a newly built terraced house on Robinson Street. This was no doubt a noisy and dirty place to live, being wedged between a rivet works and a gasometer. Her father worked as a box tipper at a foundry. There was no mention of her mother. On the night of the 1901 census, 21-year-old Lena and her father and brother were either living with or visiting her sister Jane at nearby Lincoln Street. Her young cousin Selina Worthy would later marry Oscar Heron, a distant relation of her future husband.
Children: (1) Eliza in 1903, (2) George in 1905, (3) John in 1908, (4) Samuel in 1910, (5) Lillian in 1912.
Occupation: Herbert followed in his footsteps and became a mariner, specifically a ship’s fireman or stoker, with his job being to tend the fire necessary for the running of the ship’s steam engines. It was hard physical labour, involving hours of shovelling coal into the engine’s boiler. At the time of the 1891 census, Herbert was part of the 10-man crew of the steamer SS Gertrude, serving alongside his father who was the engineer.
Herbert had given up the sea by 1911 and was employed as a rolling mill engine driver in a steelworks. The 1921 census reveals that he worked for Dorman Long, which also employed his brother Henry.
Residences: at the time of their marriage, Herbert and Lena lived together in a flat above a shop on the main Borough Road West. This was where Herbert’s sister Olive had lived with her husband a year earlier. They soon moved on to Alba Street, and by 1911 to Monkland Street in the same house that Herbert’s aunt had lived with her family a decade prior. It could perhaps had been passed to him following her death in 1908. By 1921 they had moved to Waterloo Road.
When the National Register was taken in September 1939, 69-year-old widower Hebert lived with his youngest daughter Lilian and family.
- Herbert: 25 Vaughan Street, Middlesbrough (1871); 22 Vaughan Street, Middlesbrough (1881); 2 Jedburgh Street, Middlesbrough (1901); 38 Borough Road West, Middlesbrough (1902); 4 Alba Street, Middlesbrough (1903); 31 Monkland Street, Middlesbrough (1911); 51 Waterloo Road, Liverpool (1921); 23 Farndale Road, Middlesbrough (1939)
- Selina: 45 Yates Street, Derby (1881); 27 Robinson Street, Middlesbrough (1891); 46 Lincoln Street, Middlesbrough (1901); 38 Borough Road West, Middlesbrough (1902); 4 Alba Street, Middlesbrough (1903); 31 Monkland Street, Middlesbrough (1911); 51 Waterloo Road, Middlesbrough (1921)
Deaths: Lena died in Middlesbrough aged 54 and was buried in Linthorpe Cemetery on 29 June 1935. Herbert died in Middlesbrough when aged 71 and was buried at Acklam Cemetery on 13 May 1941.
G3: Eliza Walker (1903-?)
Birth: Eliza Walker was born in Middlesbrough on 9 April 1903. She was the first child of Herbert and Selina. She was commonly known as Betty.
Christening: on 3 May 1903 at All Saints Church on Linthorpe Road.
Residences: 4 Alba Street, Middlesbrough (1903); 31 Monkland Street, Middlesbrough (1911); 51 Waterloo Road, Middlesbrough (1921)
Notes: it’s likely that she married Harold Dixon in 1925 (and then possibly John Sawdon in 1929) but further confirmation is needed.
G3: George Walker (1905-1906)
Birth: George Walker was born in Middlesbrough during 1905. He was the second child of Herbert and Selina.
Deaths: he died in 1906.
G3: John William Walker (1908-?)
Birth: John William Walker was born in Middlesbrough during 1908. He was the third child of Herbert and Selina and commonly known as Jack.
Residences: 31 Monkland Street, Middlesbrough (1911); 51 Waterloo Road, Middlesbrough (1921)
G3: Samuel Walker (1910-?)
Birth: Samuel Walker was born in Middlesbrough during 1910. He was the fourth child of Herbert and Selina.
Residences: 31 Monkland Street, Middlesbrough (1911); 51 Waterloo Road, Middlesbrough (1921)
Notes: he likely married Emma Beatie in 1934, but further confirmation is required.
G3: Lilian Walker (1912-1997)
Birth: Lilian Walker was born in Middlesbrough on 14 November 1912. She was the fifth child of Herbert and Selina.
Marriage: to Henry Nodding during 1933 in Middlesbrough. She was aged 20 and he was 22.
Spouse history: Henry had been born on 15 April 1910 as the third child of John Nodding and Edith. In 1911 the family lived in a typical terraced house on Falmouth Street. His father was a crane driver for the North Eastern Railway Co. at the docks. Little changed over the next decade, other than the house becoming more overcrowded as the family became eight.
Children: (1) girl in 1937, (2) Doreen in 1938, (3) boy in 1940, (4) Donald in 1941, (5) boy in 1944, (6) boy in 1948. Sadly Donald died aged just 1.
Occupations: on the outbreak of war, 29-year-old Henry worked as a metal turner, operating a lathe in one of the local steel works. He also volunteered as an ARP Warden, and specifically was part of the first aid parties whose role it was to give first response medical treatment to those injured in the bombing.
Residences: in 1939 the young family lived with Lily’s widower father in a semi-detached house on Farndale Road, part of a new estate in the Marton Grove suburb. The family emigrated to South Africa in 1950, sailing for Cape Town from Southampton on 30 November onboard the Carnarvon Castle. When Lily and her two youngest children visited home during 1957, she gave their address whilst in the UK as 159 Vewrid Road, Middlesbrough.
- Lilian: 51 Waterloo Road, Middlesbrough (1921); 23 Farndale Road, Middlesbrough (1939-1950)
- Henry: 39 Falmouth Street, Middlesbrough (1911-1921); 23 Farndale Road, Middlesbrough (1939-1950)
Deaths: Henry died in East Sussex during June 1989 when aged 79. Lily survived him for 8 years and died there in May 1997 when aged 84.
G2: Doreen Nodding (1938-1985)
Birth: Doreen Nodding was born in Middlesbrough on 25 May 1938. She was the second child of Henry and Lilian.
Residences: 23 Farndale Road, Middlesbrough (1939-1950)
Death: it’s likely that she died on 21 May 1985 in Witbank, Mpumalanga, South Africa, at the age of 46. She probably married in 1959, having four children.
G2: Donald Nodding (1941-1942)
Birth: Donald Nodding was born in Middlesbrough during 1941. He was the fourth child of Henry and Lilian.
Residences: 23 Farndale Road, Middlesbrough (1941-1950)
Death: he died in early in 1942.
G4: Bertram Walker (1878-1917)
Birth: Bertram Walker was born in Middlesbrough on 29 May 1878. He was the sixth child of George and Elizabeth.
Christening: on 20 June 1878 at All Saints Church on Linthorpe Road.
Marriage: to Annie Laverick during 1916. They were both aged 37 and had been together for several years. Bertram had enlisted into the army and they married before he was mobilised.
Spouse history: Annie was born in Middlesbrough on 27 October 1878, the first child of blacksmith William Laverick and his wife Emma Cole, who were originally from Hartlepool and Staffordshire respectively. She was christened a few weeks later at St John the Evangelist’s Church. During her childhood they had homes on Wood Street, Lowe Street, Ash Street.
Residences: Bertram and Annie lived together for several years before they were married, being captured together at his parent’s house on the 1911 census. In 1915 they lived in a fairly new end terraced house on Wylam Street in the Ayresome suburb.
- Bertram: 25 Vaughan Street (1878); 22 Vaughan Street (1881); 99 Grange Road West (1891); 2 Jedburgh Street (1901); 100 Grange Road East (1911); 26 Wylam Street (1915-1917) – all Middlesbrough
- Annie: 58 Wood Street (1878-1881); 2 Lowe Street (1891); 12 Ash Street (1901); 100 Grange Road East (1911); 26 Wylam Street (1915-1939) – all Middlesbrough
Occupation: Bertram became a tailor, while Annie was an upholstress, making and fitting the soft covering on chairs and seats.
Military service: despite being 36 years old on the outbreak of war, Bertram Walker volunteered for the army in December 1915. He was mobilised the following March and joined the 2/8th Battalion, Durham Light Infantry. The Battalion was assigned to Home Defence and remained in Britain throughout the war. In March 1917 however, Bertram sailed to join the 19th (Service) Battalion in France. At this time the unit was undertaking short periods of frontline duty manning the line interspersed with periods in reserve. Bertram was killed on 25 August in a minor skirmish when attempting to regain a position lost to the Germans that morning.
Death: Bertram was buried in plot E25 in the nearby Villers-Faucon Communal Cemetery. The will he had created in the field on 5 March 1917 left his estate to his wife.
Notes: Annie went on to marry Sydney Albert Park Foster in 1922, who had served with the Royal Army Service Corps during the war. They possibly had a daughter, Joan, born the following year. They continued to live on Wylam Street and were captured there in the 1939 Register. Sydney worked as a coal hoister. He died in Middlesbrough during 1966 when aged 80, while Annie survived him for nine years and died in Huddersfield during 1975.
G4: Olive Walker (1881-1906)
Birth: Olive Walker was born in Middlesbrough on 2 February 1881. She was the seventh child of George and Elizabeth.
Christening: on 22 November 1881 at All Saints Church on Linthorpe Road.
Marriage: to William Dumville on 19 June 1901 at All Saints Church. She was aged 20 and he was 24.
Spouse history: William had been born in Hunton, Yorkshire during 1877 and was at least the fifth child of James Dumville and Margaret. His father had the unusual occupation of being a mole catcher. A decade later and they lived in the village of Great Ayton, about 8 miles southeast of Middlesbrough, and despite being aged only 13, William worked as a farm servant.
Children: (1) Florence in 1902, (2) Harold in 1904.
Residences: at the time of their marriage William lived with his widowed mother in a terraced house on Church Street in Middlesbrough. Olive lived in a flat above a shop on the main Borough Road West (her brother Herbert would live here when he was married two years later). William moved in after their marriage, moving to Amber Street after the children were born.
- Olive: 22 Vaughan Street (1881); 99 Grange Road West (1891); 2 Jedburgh Street (1901); 38 Borough Road West (1901-1902); 37 Amber Street (1904) – all Middlesbrough
- William: 88 Church Street (1901); 38 Borough Road West (1902); 37 Amber Street (1904); 66 Pelham Street (1911-1921); 104 Portman Street (1934) – all Middlesbrough
Occupations: in 1901 when aged 19, Olive worked as a music teacher. William was a porter for the North Eastern Railway, which involved delivering parcels using. a horse-drawn van. Railway companies often allowed travellers to forward-plan individual requirements. At stations carefully labelled luggage could be left in advance of travel. This then could be put on a train ahead of departure or alternatively placed on the train on the day of travel by porters who ensured personal possessions arrived safely at the destination with the traveller. Passengers simply collected their luggage at journey’s end or arranged to have it delivered to where they were staying by the railway company. This was especially useful since at the turn of the century the suitcase was a new invention, with most passengers still using cumbersome trunks for their possessions. By 1914 he was an ironwork’s labourers’ clerk.
Military service: despite being aged 37 years and with a young family, William enlisted into the army in December 1914 following the outbreak of war. He was described as 5 feet 7 inches tall with a scar on his forehead. He served with the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion of the Yorkshire Regiment, remaining at home throughout the war. In June 1917 he transferred to the Labour Corps and served until demobilisation in February 1919.
Deaths: sadly, Olive died when aged just 24, being buried at Linthorpe Cemetery on 7 February 1906.
Notes: Olive is curiously omitted from the 1891 census. It did not take William long to find love again after Olive’s death, and he married Janet Winifred McOmrie at St Barnstaple church on 3 October 1907. Their first child, Elsie, was born in August 1909 and followed by William in 1912. After serving at home in the army throughout the war he found employment as a stores warehouseman in the ironworks of Bolckow, Vaughan & Co. Janet died on 3 April 1934 and was followed just 18 days later by William.
G3: Florence Elizabeth Dumville (1902-1977)
Birth: Florence Elizabeth Dumville was born in Middlesbrough on 20 May 1902. She was the first child of William and Olive.
Christening: on 11 June 1902 at All Saints Church on Linthorpe Road.
School: attended Crescent Road Girls School between 1911-1916.
Marriage: to Arnold Davis in Middlesbrough during 1927. She was aged 24 and he was 35.
Spouse history: Arnold had been born in Stafford on 5 September 1891, the first child of Henry Davis and Sarah Elizabeth Arnold. He was christened at the magnificent St Mary’s Church in October. By 1898 the family had moved to Walsall, where Arnold was a student at Palfrey Boys School until 1904. During this childhood they lived in a houses on Cambridge Street and Thorpe Road. His father worked for LNW Railway as a ‘tinman’ with signal lamps.
19-year-old Arnold began working as a hardware merchants’ clerk. He was featured in an article printed in Saddlery and Harness on 1 April 1922:
The traditions of older men on the road are being well upheld by the younger men in the trade, two of whom we portray herewith. Both are well-known representatives of Messrs. Jabez Cliff and Co. Ltd., saddlery, sports, and leather goods manufacturers, Globe Works, Forster Street, Walsall... Mr. Arnold Davis has been with the firm for a couple of years, and has been on the road since August 1920, covering the Midlands, Potteries, and North and South Wales. Although Mr. Davis is quite a young man he has a large circle of friends, and most of our readers in the above-mentioned districts will recognise his photograph.
Children: (1) Arnold in 1935. In 1933 they adopted Florence’s niece Olive, whose mother had died in childbirth the previous October.
Military service: it’s likely that during the war Arnold had served with the 3rd Battalion, Durham Light Infantry with service number 45773.
Residences: after their marriage Florence moved to live with Arnold in Walsall. In 1939 they had in a large semi-detached house on West Bromwich Road on a relatively new estate in the south of the town.
- Florence: 38 Borough Road West, Middlesbrough (1902); 37 Amber Street, Middlesbrough (1904); 66 Pelham Street, Middlesbrough (1911-1919); 179 West Bromwich Road, Walsall (1939)
- Arnold: 26 Cambridge Street, Walsall (1898); 34 Cambridge Street, Walsall (1901); 51 Thorpe Road, Walsall (1911); 179 West Bromwich Road, Walsall (1939)
Deaths: Arnold likely died in Walsall during 1960 when aged 68. Florence died in Sandwell during October 1977 when aged 75.
G2: Arnold William Davis (1935-2011)
Birth: Arnold William Davis was born in Walsall on 9 February 1935. He was the first child of Arnold and Florence.
Marriage: to Mary Williams in Walsall during 1959. He was aged 23.
Children: three daughters and a son.
Residences: 179 West Bromwich Road, Walsall (1939)
Deaths: Arnold died in Walsall on 27 December 2010 when aged 75.
G3: Harold Dumville (1904-1966)
Birth: Harold Dumville was born in Middlesbrough on 18 March 1904. He was the second child of William and Olive.
Christening: on 10 April 1904 at All Saints Church on Linthorpe Road.
Marriage: to Annie Crutchley in Middlesbrough during 1932. He was aged 27 and he was 24.
Spouse history: Annie was born in Middlesbrough during 1907, the second child of John Crutchley and Martha Pugh. In 1911 the family lived in a terraced house on Beech Street. Her father was a general labourer who specialised in bridge building.
Children: (1) Alice in 1932. She was adopted by Harold’s elder sister Florence the following year and renamed Olive.
Occupation: Harold had a long career working in the steel industry which began as young as 16. In 1921 he worked at Dorman Long in Port Clarence. In 1939 he was an iron dresser – cleaning cast metal and moulds. He was also a member of the ARP Decontamination Squad, who were trained to deal with and clean up incidents involving chemical and gas weapons.
Residences: in 1939 Harold lived on Peacock Street, which he shared with two others. At the time of his death he lived in a large semi-detached house at 62 Thornfield Road in Linthorpe.
- Harold: 37 Amber Street (1904); 66 Pelham Street (1911-1921); 29 Peacock Street (1939); 62 Thornfield Road (1966) – all Middlesbrough
- Annie: 16 Beech Street (1911); 9 Beech Street (1921) – all Middlesbrough
Deaths: Annie died shortly after childbirth, most probably due to complications. She was buried in Redcar Cemetery on 3 December. Harold never remarried and died on 28 January 1966 aged 61. He left his estate of £4,981 to his daughter.
