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: Catherine Copus (1860-?)
Birth: Catherine Copus was born in Woolwich on 14 January 1860. She was the 11th child of William and Mary.
Residences: in 1881, 21-year-old Catherine lived with her elder sister Jane and family in Middlesbrough. She was an unmarried general servant/domestic. There is no further record of her.
- 5 Rush Grove Street, Woolwich (1860-1867); 3 Rush Grove, Woolwich (1871); 40 High Denmark Street, Middlesbrough (1881)
G5: Thomas Henry Copus (1861-1937)
Birth: Thomas Henry Copus was born in Woolwich on 7 November 1861. He was the 12th child of William and Mary and commonly known by his middle name.
Relationship: Henry began a relationship with Sarah Bridget Godfrey. She had been born on 27 November 1858 in Devonport to George Godfrey and Catherine. Her father was a Corporal in the 96th Regiment and originally from St Albans while her mother was from Ireland. During December she was christened at the Garrison Church of St Michael & St George near the barracks in Devonport. The family moved around often with her father’s postings: her elder brother had been born in Ireland a year previously, while one younger brother was born in the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa in 1864 and another ‘at sea’ in 1866. By 1871 however, they lived in the Linibrey’s Buildings just to the south of Woolwich Dockyard Station. When aged 20, Sarah married George Jacks at St Thomas church in Woolwich on 9 February 1879. He was a 24-year-old general labourer. Their only child together, George, was born the following year and in 1881 they lived in a terraced house on Armstrong Place in central Woolwich, moving into the Linibrey’s Buildings by 1884. It is not known what happened to George, but Sarah and Henry had their first child together in 1885. They never married.
Children: (1) William in 1885, (2) Catherine in 1887, (3) Florence in 1889, (4) John in 1892, (5) James in 1894, (6) Walter in 1896, (7) Jessie in 1900, (8) Lilian in 1903.
Residences: in 1881, 19-year-old Henry lived with his elder sister Jane and family in Middlesbrough, and which was also next door to his sister Emily. He then spent a short period in London where he met Sarah before the couple moved back to Middlesbrough. In 1889 they lived with Henry’s sister Jessie before getting their own home on nearby Nelson Street.
The family once again moved back to London before Walter was born in November 1896, and initially lived on the same road as Henry’s brother George. By 1900 they had moved a mile north to Paradise Place, where they rented three rooms for 6s. 5d. per week, including one on the first floor and two on the second. By 1911, they lived on nearby Robert Street (later renamed Rideout Street). By 1921 they shared their home with two of Sarah’s brothers.
- Thomas: 5 Rush Grove Street, Woolwich (1861-1867); 3 Rush Grove, Woolwich (1871); 40 High Denmark Street, Middlesbrough (1881); 29 Alexandria Street, Middlesbrough (1889); 63 Nelson Street, Middlesbrough (1891-1894); 10 Dicey Street, Woolwich (1896); 2B Paradise Place, Woolwich (1900-1905); 1 Robert Street, Woolwich (1911); 16 Rideout Street, Woolwich (1913-1934)
- Sarah: 6 Linibrey’s Buildings, Woolwich (1871); 28 Armstrong Place, Woolwich (1881); 10 Linibrey’s Buildings, Woolwich (1884); 29 Alexandria Street, Middlesbrough (1889); 63 Nelson Street, Middlesbrough (1891-1894); 10 Dicey Street, Woolwich (1896); 2B Paradise Place, Woolwich (1900-1905); 1 Robert Street, Woolwich (1911); 16 Rideout Street, Woolwich (1913-1933)
Occupations: in 1881 he was a milkman. He spent the rest of his life as a labourer for various enterprises, including spells in the Royal Arsenal, an electrical engineer, and post-war with the Hendon Aircraft Factory. This was a historic site of aviation, used by pioneers such as Louis Bleriot and Claude Graham-White in the early days of flight. The latter bought the land and established the Grahame-White Aviation Company aircraft factory, which is presumably where Henry worked. The site was passed to the Royal Air Force in 1925 and became RAF Hendon and today is home to the RAF Museum.
Deaths: Sarah died on 13 October 1933 when aged 73. Henry survived her for a few years and died on 21 July 1937 when aged 76.
G4: George Henry Copus (1880-1956)
Birth: George Henry Jacks was born in Woolwich on 18 January 1880. He was the only child of George Jacks and Sarah Godfrey. Unusually he is included in my family history despite not being a direct relation. It is not known what happened to his biological father, but his mother began a relationship with Thomas Copus and George adopted his surname.
Christening: on 27 February 1884 at St Michael and All Angels Church on Borgard Road, which was almost next door to their home in Woolwich.
Marriage: to Lilian Ann Platts on 5 August 1905 at the St Michael and All Angels Church in which he had been christened. He was aged 25 and she was 24.
Spouse history: Lilian had been born in Cardiff on 23 July 1881 to James Ormond Platts and Louise Knights. By 1891 the family lived on Trinity Street in Greenwich, where her father was a laundry proprietor. They appeared to have previously lived in Reading, where her younger brother Walter had been born. There is no record of Lilian on the 1901 census.
Children: (1) George in 1906, (2) Winifred in 1908, (3) Gladys in 1911.
Occupations: in 1901, 21-year-old George was a general labourer in the Royal Arsenal alongside his younger brother William and stepfather. He had a long career there during which some of his positions included being a fitter’s labourer and assistant shrinker in the Royal Gun Factory. This involved plunging the newly made red hot gun barrels into cast-iron lined well shafts filled with oil to shrink them out of their liners.
Residences: at the time of their marriage George lived close to his parents on Lower Pellipar Road. Lilian presumably lived with her parents in their large semi-detached house in leafy Lewisham.
By 1911, the young family lived in a terraced house on Roydene Road in east Plumstead. In 1925 they moved to the growing suburb of Eltham where they had a new town house on Haimo Road. George and Lilian lived here for the rest of their lives.
- George: 28 Armstrong Place, Woolwich (1881); 10 Linibrey’s Buildings, Woolwich (1884); 29 Alexandria Street, Middlesbrough (1889); 63 Nelson Street, Middlesbrough (1891-1894); 10 Dicey Street, Woolwich (1896); 2B Paradise Place, Woolwich (1900-1901); 8 Lower Pellipar Road, Woolwich (1905); 40 Roydene Road, Woolwich (1911); 53 Roydene Road, Woolwich (1913-1924); 4 Haimo Road, Eltham (1925-1957)
- Lilian: 47 Trinity Road, Greenwich (1891); 13 Slaithwaite Road, Lewisham (1905); 40 Roydene Road, Woolwich (1911); 53 Roydene Road, Woolwich (1913-1924); 4 Haimo Road, Eltham (1925-1965)
Deaths: George died in Woolwich on 5 October 1956 when aged 76. Lilian survived him for 9 years and died on 4 June 1965 at the Brook Hospital in Greenwich. She left her estate of £718 to her daughter Lilian, who was still a spinster.
Notes: since childhood George had taken his stepfather’s name and styled himself George Henry Jacks Copus, and after their marriage Lilian adopted Jacks as a third name.
G3: George Walter Jacks Copus (1906-1994)
Birth: George Walter Jacks Copus was born in Woolwich on 9 July 1906. He was the first child of George and Lilian.
Marriage: to Annie Marie Booker during 1933 in Lewisham. They were both aged 26.
Spouse history: Annie had been born in Lewisham on 8 July 1906, the third child of Alfred Charles Booker and Emily Maria Bowhay. It was 18 months before she was christened alongside her sisters at St Mary’s Church. At this time the family lived on Ladywell Park where her father was a coachman.
Children: (1) a boy in 1936, (2) a girl in 1939.
Occupations: despite being only 14 years old when the 1921 census was taken, George worked as an office boy for the Siemens cable works factory in Charlton. This was likely the huge Faraday Works, which employed over 10,000 people and manufactured submarine and land cables, and overhead telegraph, telephone, and power transmission lines. Like her future husband, 14-year-old Annie was in employment when the 1921 census was taken, working as a typist for a Mrs Husband in Westminster.
George later followed in his father’s footsteps by joining the Royal Arsenal, where he laboured as a skilled fitter. In January 1971 he was awarded the Imperial Service Medal, recognising the achievements of manual grade civil servants with at least 25 years’ service and a good record. George had latterly worked as a craftsman for the Ministry of Defence (Army and Air Force Departments).
Residences: the newlyweds lived together in a couple of short-term lodgings in Eltham before settling in a semi-detached house on Elibank Road by 1936. This would be their home for the next three decades at least.
- George: 40 Roydene Road, Woolwich (1911); 53 Roydene Road, Woolwich (1913-1924); 4 Haimo Road, Eltham (1925-1932); 59 Middle Park Avenue, Eltham (1933); 97 Greenvale Road, Eltham (1934); 66 Elibank Road, Eltham (1936-1965)
- Annie: 23 Ladywell Park, Lewisham (1908-1921); 59 Middle Park Avenue, Eltham (1933); 97 Greenvale Road, Eltham (1934); 66 Elibank Road, Eltham (1936-1965); 62 Stonehouse Lane, Bath (1990)
Deaths: Annie died in Bath on 6 January 1990 when aged 83 and was cremated. George survived her by four years and died in Limpley Stoke, Wiltshire, on 15 May 1994 when aged 87. He had been living at the Avonpark Care Centre.
G3: Winifred Lilian Jacks Copus (1908-1984)
Birth: Winifred Lilian Jacks Copus was born in Woolwich on 9 November 1908. She was the second child of George and Lilian.
Occupation: in 1939 Winifred was a domestic servant.
Residences: Winifred lived with her parents well into adulthood.
- 40 Roydene Road, Woolwich (1911); 53 Roydene Road, Woolwich (1913-1924); 4 Haimo Road, Eltham (1925-1965)
Death: on 3 August 1984 when aged 75.
G3: Gladys Maud Jacks Copus (1911-1992)
Birth: Gladys Maud Jacks Copus was born in Woolwich on 12 October 1911. She was the third child of George and Lilian.
Marriage: to Elijah Morley during 1935 in Woolwich. She was aged 23 and he was 26.
Spouse history: Elijah had born in the village of Bulwell, about 4 miles north of Nottingham, on 22 May 1908. He was one of the six children of coal miner Edward Isaac Morley and Ada Allen. Elijah enrolled into the Coventry Road School and little changed over the next decade, except for his father becoming a mill hand for the Springfield Hosiery Finishing Co.
Children: two boys in 1937 and 1947.
Residences: in 1937 they had a relatively new house not far from Gladys’s parents on Will Crooks Gardens – although by 1939 they were back living with them. Post-war they moved into a large house on Elderslie Road in the growing suburb of Eltham. They moved a couple of miles south in 1950 to a semi-detached house on Southold Rise, before moving to a town house on Philippa Gardens in 1955, which would be their home for at least the next decade.
- Gladys: 53 Roydene Road, Woolwich (1913-1924); 4 Haimo Road, Eltham (1925-1934); 97 Will Crooks Gardens, Eltham (1937-1939); 4 Haimo Road, Eltham (1939-1945); 14 Elderslie Road, Eltham (1946-1949); 24 Southold Rise, Elmstead (1950-1955); 26 Philippa Gardens, Eltham (1956-1965)
- Elijah: 16 Turton Street, Bulwell (1911-1921); 97 Will Crooks Gardens, Woolwich (1937-1939); 4 Haimo Road, Eltham (1939-1945); 14 Elderslie Road, Eltham (1946-1949); 24 Southold Rise, Elmstead (1950-1955); 26 Philippa Gardens, Eltham (1956-1965)
Deaths: Elijah died in Greenwich during November 1985 when aged 77. Gladys died in Greenwich on 8 October 1992 when aged 80 and was cremated.
G4: William Henry Copus (1885-1915)
Birth: William Henry Copus was born in Woolwich during 1885. He was the first child of Thomas and Sarah.
Marriage: to Rose Ellen Coughlan during 1913 in Woolwich. He was aged 28 and she was 26.
Spouse history: Rose had been born on 12 April 1886 to James Coughlan, a sergeant in the Royal Field Artillery, and Ellen Franks. Her mother married Richard Power in 1889, and when the census was taken two years later they had a terraced house on Prospect Row in the north of Woolwich. By 1901, Rose and her now widowed mother had moved to Plumstead and a small house on Barth Road. Despite being only 14, Rose worked as a shirt finisher while her mother was a charwoman. Over the next decade they moved around the corner to Bannockburn Road. Also living there in 1911 was 6-year-old Edwin James Maxwell, grandson of her mother, but it is not known whose child he was.
Children: none.
Occupations: by 1901 the 16-year-old William was a labourer in a cartridge factory, and by 1911 Rose was a factory hand in one too. This was most probably at the nearby Royal Arsenal. Before the war William became a coal meterman, which was someone who weighed the amount of coal that was being loaded/unloaded.
Residences: 29 Alexandria Street, Middlesbrough (1889); 63 Nelson Street, Middlesbrough (1891-1894); 10 Dicey Street, Woolwich (1896); 2B Paradise Place, Woolwich (1900-1905); 1 Robert Street, Woolwich (1911)
Military service: William enlisted into the army almost immediately after the outbreak of war, serving with the 6th (Service) Battalion of The East Kent Regiment (The Buffs). After a period of training, they proceeded to France in May 1915 and took over a section of the line at Ploegsteert Wood, part of the Ypres Salient. The British began their largest offensive of the year on 25 September at Loos, with the 6th Battalion brought in after initial successes became bogged down. Over the next few weeks, they were involved in several actions, but in one such attack on 13 October they lost over 400 men in a few minutes, including William, barely advancing 100 yards before halting.
Death: William was a Lance Sergeant at the time of his death, and is remembered on the Loos Memorial.
Notes: at the time of her husband’s death, Rose lived with her mother on Balgowan Street in Plumstead. She went on to marry Australian soldier Abel Elias Budd on 20 June 1916 at the register office in Woolwich. He was recuperating in England after being injured in action at Gallipoli. He returned to serve on the Western Front with the 7th Battery of the Australian Field Artillery, and at the end of the campaign chose to remain in England. Sadly, Rose died on 16 April 1919. Abel returned to Australia in 1920, and himself died in 1922.
G4: Catherine Elizabeth Copus (1887-1976)
Birth: Catherine Elizabeth Copus was born in Woolwich on 31 July 1887. She was the second child of Thomas and Sarah.
Marriage: to Bert Hunt on Christmas Day 1911 at St Michael and All Angels in Woolwich. She was aged 24 and he was 25.
Spouse history: Bert had been born in Southampton on 14 December 1886, one of the eight children of Thomas Hunt and Jane. When the census had been taken in 1911, 24-year-old Bert had lived with his parents on Wood Street in west Woolwich.
Children: (1) Thomas in 1912, (2) William in 1914, (3) Walter in 1917.
Occupations: Kate became a domestic servant, and when the census was taken in 1911 she worked in the home of William Copperthwaite, a civil engineer who lived on Beaconsfield Road in Blackheath. Bert spent his career in the coal industry. In 1911 he was an engine driver at a coal wharf, although the 1921 census noted that he was out-of-work, and by 1939 was a boiler attendant and coal hopper driver.
Residences: at the time of their marriage the couple lived with Kate’s parents. By the end of the war, they had moved to a large end terrace on Sutton Court Road in Plaistow.
- Catherine: 29 Alexandria Street, Middlesbrough (1889); 63 Nelson Street, Middlesbrough (1891-1894); 10 Dicey Street, Woolwich (1896); 2B Paradise Place, Woolwich (1900-1905); 1 Robert Street, Woolwich (1911); 82 Sutton Court Road, Plaistow (1919-1939)
- Bert: 6 Wood Street, Woolwich (1911); 1 Robert Street, Woolwich (1911); 82 Sutton Court Road, Plaistow (1919-1939)
Deaths: Kate died in Newham during 1976 when aged 88. Bert had possibly died in 1959.
G3: Thomas Henry Hunt (1912-?)
Birth: Thomas Henry Hunt was born in West Ham on 6 December 1912. He was the first child of Bert and Kate.
Occupations: Thomas became a mariner in March 1931, serving as a coal trimmer. He was described as 6 feet 1 inches tall with grey hair, brown eyes, and a fresh complexion. By 1939 he was a gas fitter.
Residences: 82 Sutton Court Road, Plaistow (1919-1939)
G3: William Alfred Hunt (1914-1982)
Birth: William Alfred Hunt was born in West Ham on 23 December 1914. He was the second child of Bert and Kate.
Christening: on 7 November 1919 at Holy Trinity Church on Barking Road in Canning Town.
Occupation: in 1939 he was a fitter in a ship repair yard.
Residences: 82 Sutton Court Road, Plaistow (1919-1939); 74 The Green, Welling (1982)
Death: William died in Greenwich on 12 May 1982 when aged 67 and was cremated.
Notes: it’s possible that he served in Italy during the Second World War, being awarded a Military Medal for gallantry.
G3: Walter Ralph Hunt (1917-1989)
Birth: Walter Ralph Hunt was born in West Ham on 3 June 1917. He was the third child of Bert and Kate.
Christening: on 7 November 1919 at Holy Trinity Church on Barking Road in Canning Town.
Occupation: in 1939 he was a builder’s labourer.
Residences: 82 Sutton Court Road, Plaistow (1919-1939).
Deaths: Walter died in Newham in October 1989 when aged 72.
G4: Florence Esther Copus (1889-1973)
Birth: Florence Esther Copus was born in Middlesbrough on 27 August 1889. She was the third child of Thomas and Sarah.
Christening: on 11 September 1889 at St Paul’s Church on Newport Road.
Marriage: to William Albert Backhouse on 12 December 1914 at St Michael and All Angels in Woolwich. She was aged 25 and he was 24.
Spouse history: William had been born in the village of Brompton near Chatham on 17 June 1890, one of the four children of Frederick Albert Backhouse and Jessie Butler. He was christened at Holy Trinity in August; at which time they lived on Garden Street on the high street. His father was a coachman groom. They moved to London within the next decade, and in 1901 had a large house on Hassendean Road in Charlton. His father was now a domestic labourer.
Children: (1) William in 1914, (2) Marjorie in 1923, (3) Barbara in 1931.
Occupations: Florrie became a domestic servant, and when the census was taken in 1911, she worked in the home of Robert Snellie, a company director who lived in a large house called Lingfield on Kidbrooke Grove in Greenwich. William had begun a long career as a chauffeur by this time.
Residences: the family initially lived in Charlton where they shared a terraced house on Siebert Road. In 1925 they left London behind for the village of Swanage in Dorset. They had a house called Corrie on de Moulham Road, which faced out over the English Channel.
They moved inland to Branksome at some point before 1939 where they had in a fine Edwardian semi-detached house on Hillman Road, which would be their home for at least the next two decades. They had inherited a share of £2,135, a significant sum, from William’s father earlier in the year.
- Florence: 29 Alexandria Street, Middlesbrough (1889); 63 Nelson Street, Middlesbrough (1891-1894); 10 Dicey Street, Woolwich (1896); 2B Paradise Place, Woolwich (1900-1905); Lingfield, Kidbrooke Grove, Blackheath (1911); 16 Rideout Street, Woolwich (1913-1914); 50 Siebert Road, Charlton (1915-1922); 90 Siebert Road, Charlton (1923-1925); Corrie, de Moulham Road, Swanage (1925-1931); 21 Hillman Road, Branksome (1939-1962); 108 Fairways, Ferndown (1973)
- William: 5 Garden Street, Brompton (1890-1891); 39 Hassendean Road, Charlton (1901-1914); 50 Siebert Road, Charlton (1915-1922); 90 Siebert Road, Charlton (1923-1925); Corrie, de Moulham Road, Swanage (1925-1931); 21 Hillman Road, Branksome (1939-1962)
Deaths: William died on 6 October 1962 at Alderney Hospital. He left his estate of £4,181 10s. 3d. to Florrie. She survived him by 11 years and died in Christchurch, Hampshire, on 6 May 1973 when aged 83.
Notes: note that Florence was christened with the middle name of Esther, although some sources cite it as Hester.
G3: William Alfred Henry Backhouse (1915-1941)
Birth: William Alfred Henry Backhouse was born in Greenwich on 28 September 1915. He was the first child of William and his wife Florence.
Christening: on 19 December 1915 at St Michael and All Angels Church on Borgard Road.
Residences: in September 1939, 24-year-old William lived with Owen and Evaline Adby and their two children in the hamlet of Durweston where he was a postman driver.
- 50 Siebert Road, Charlton (1915-1922); 90 Siebert Road, Charlton (1923-1925); Corrie, de Moulham Road, Swanage (1925-1931)
Military service: He joined the Royal Navy (service number D/JX 165427) during the Second World War and served as an Ordinary Telegraphist on HMT Force.
Built in 1917 as part of the Mersey-class armed trawlers and originally named James Bucham, it was one of over 100 ships built for military service to a standard design and used for patrol, anti-submarine, and minesweeping roles. After five years with the Royal Navy, it was sold into commercial service and operated by various British, American, and Polish fishing fleets, finding itself working out of Fleetwood at the start of the war with the name Force.
In February 1940 the ship once again joined the Royal Navy and was fitted with an anti-aircraft gun and equipment for minesweeping. On 27 June 1941, while sailing off the northeast Norfolk coast, six miles from Winterton Ness, she was attacked by German aircraft. Badly damaged and on fire, it sank after 20 minutes with 11 of her 18-crew killed, including William. He was aged just 25 and is remembered on the Plymouth Naval Memorial. He left his effects of £310 12s. 4d. to his father.
Position of the wreck
G3: Marjorie Lilian Backhouse (1923-)
Birth: Marjorie Lilian Backhouse was born in Greenwich on 18 May 1923. She was the second child of William and his wife Florence.
Marriage: to Michael K. Naylor during 1961 in Poole. She was aged 37 and he was 28.
Spouse history: Michael was born between 1933 and 1935.
Children: it is not thought that they had any children.
Occupations: in 1939, 16-year-old Marjorie worked as a milliner’s improver.
Residences: between 2002-2017 they lived at 108 Fairways, a pleasant bungalow on a new housing estate in Ferndown near Bournemouth. This was the house where Marjorie’s mother had died in 1973.
- Marjorie: 90 Siebert Road, Charlton (1923-1925); Corrie, de Moulham Road, Swanage (1925-1931); 21 Hillman Road, Branksome (1939); 108 Fairways, Ferndown (2002-2005)
- Michael: 108 Fairways, Ferndown (2002-2017)
G3: Barbara Anita Backhouse (1931-2009)
Birth: Barbara Anita Backhouse was born in Wareham in Swanage, Dorset on 1 July 1931. She was the third child of William and his wife Florence.
Marriage (1): to John James Rowe on 24 May 1952 at St Clement’s Church in Branksome. She was aged 20 and he was 21.
Spouse history (1): John had been born in Parkstone on 20 January 1931 to maintenance engineer Frederick George Turner and Daisy Lilian Barnes. In 1939 he lived with his father and presumably grandmother just down from the church on St Clements Road. Like his future wife, John’s father was a chauffeur.
Children (1): a girl in 1955.
Death: John was an amateur pilot who had gained his pilot’s licence in July 1950. He was sadly killed on 5 May 1958 ‘over the English Channel’.
Marriage (2): to Dennis A. Fahey on 6 June 1959 at St Joseph & St Walburga’s Roman Catholic Church on Archway Road in Poole. She was aged 27 and he was 28.
Spouse history (2): Dennis had been born in Auckland, New Zealand on 27 September 1930 to Frederick George Fahey and Mary Arona. His father was originally from England and worked as an assistant steward, while his mother was a local. Dennis joined the Royal Air Force (service number 504577) and qualified as a pilot. He was one of several officers who arrived at Southampton in October 1955 onboard the RMS Rangitita after a long voyage from Wellington.
Children (2): a son. Date of birth unknown.
Military service: At the time of their marriage, Dennis was stationed at RAF Waterbeach in Cambridge, which was a fighter base. He joined No.93 Squadron in September 1959, flying the Hawker Hunter fighter-bomber from RAF Jever in Germany. After the squadron was disbanded at the end of 1960, Dennis joined No.2 Squadron where he served until March 1962. His son recalled that he was most proud of a record he set flying the Hunter during an air-ground exercise where he put 98% of his cannon shells into the target. In his logbook next to that sortie, he put in brackets ‘fluke?’.
Residences: John and Barbara lived with her parents following their marriage until his untimely death. Following her marriage Dennis, the family emigrated to New Zealand. They settled in Auckland and in 1969 lived in a little wooden house on Kelvyn Grove in the Manurewa district. Barbara became a naturalised citizen on 19 December 1974. By 1978 they had moved north to a large house on Paisley Street in Mellons Bay.
- Barbara: Corrie, de Moulham Road, Swanage (1931); 21 Hillman Road, Branksome (1939-1959); 2B Kelvyn Grove, Auckland (1969); 12 Kelvyn Grove, Auckland (1972); 17 Paisley Street, Auckland (1978-1981)
- John: 9 St. Clements Road, Poole (1939); 21 Hillman Road, Branksome (1958)
- Dennis: 2B Kelvyn Grove, Auckland (1969); 12 Kelvyn Grove, Auckland (1972); 17 Paisley Street, Auckland (1978-1981)
Occupations: at the time of their marriage John worked as a clerk and Barbara as a shorthand typist. After leaving the RAF and returning to New Zealand, second husband Dennis became an airline pilot. He started flying as a first officer on Air New Zealand DC-8s before converting to the DC-10 a few years later. He progressed to Captain and Check Captain, flying the aircraft through its service life until transitioning to the Boeing 747-400.
Dennis moved to Malaysian Airlines in 1990, instructing their pilots who were converting to the DC-10. He returned to New Zealand after a few years and gained his helicopter licence, before retiring from flying in the mid-1990s. That was a very sad moment for him.
Deaths: Barbara died on 14 December 2009 and was buried at Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish Cemetery in Howick, Auckland. Dennis survived her for a year and died on 4 March 2010.
G4: John Ernest Copus (1892-1963)
Birth: John Ernest Copus was born in Middlesbrough on 22 March 1892. He was the fourth child of Thomas and Sarah.
Christening: on 6 April 1892 at St Paul’s Church on Newport Road.
Military service: John enlisted into the Royal Field Artillery at Woolwich in December 1915 when aged 23, less than two months after his brother had been killed fighting in France. He was mobilised in September 1916 and posted to No.4 Depot in Woolwich before quickly moving on to the 43rd Reserve Battery at Deepcut. It was likely that this was a training unit where he was an instructor. In January 1917 he joined the forces participating in a minor campaign in Salonika, Greece. Upon his return he received further training at the School of Instruction. In April 1918 he joined the 48th Brigade, which had taken such severe casualties in the Battles of St Quentin and the Avre that they were reformed in England. They deployed to France in the first week of July and saw action at Ypres in the final advance in Flanders. John remained in France after the armistice and did not return home for demobilisation until June 1919.
Marriage: to Helen Eileen Hall during 1935 in Woolwich. He was aged 42 and she was 45.
Spouse history: Helen had been born in Curragh, Ireland on 20 November 1889. She was the widow of Albert Frederick Barclay who died in 1930 when aged 43.
Children: it is not thought that they had any children.
Residences: John lived with his parents well into adulthood. After his marriage to Helen, they lived in a large house on Little Heath in Charlton, which would be their home into the 1960s. They initially lived with Helen’s daughter Doris, and after that always had at least one lodger.
- John: 63 Nelson Street, Middlesbrough (1892-1894); 10 Dicey Street, Woolwich (1896); 2B Paradise Place, Woolwich (1900-1905); 1 Robert Street, Woolwich (1911); 16 Rideout Street, Woolwich (1913-1934); 54 Little Heath, Woolwich (1935-1963)
- Helen: 4-5 Hill Street, Woolwich (1921); 54 Little Heath, Woolwich (1935-1965)
Occupation: pre-war, John had begun to work as a grocer’s assistant. Following his return from France he laboured in the Royal Arsenal. He progressed to become the foreman in the shipping section of the Royal Navy Armament Depot.
Deaths: John died on 25 January 1963 when aged 70 and was buried on 5 February.
G4: James Alfred Copus (1894-1965)
Birth: James Alfred Copus was born in Middlesbrough on 9 July 1894. He was the fifth child of Thomas and Sarah.
Christening: on 25 July 1894 at St Paul’s Church on Newport Road.
Marriage: to Alice Hever during 1932 in Woolwich. He was aged 37 and she was 33.
Spouse history: Alice had been born in Lewisham on 4 November 1898 to Henry Charles Hever and Alice Dunn. In 1901 the family lived on Park Farm in rural Eltham where her father was a general labourer. The land was soon sold for the vast suburban house building programme in eastern London, and so by 1911 they had relocated to Woolwich. Her father is missing from the census, while her mother worked as a washer woman. Alice possibly married seaman Daniel Alfred Smith on 14 May 1921, with the couple living together on Queen Street. However, the census taken the following month records her at home with her parents under her maiden name, although she possibly lived on Siemens Road, directly behind the factory.
Children: it is not thought that they had any children.
Occupations: before the war James worked as an ammunition maker in the Royal Laboratory of the Royal Arsenal from as young as the age of 17. He was presumably in a reserved occupation during the war as there is no record of any military service. By 1921 he had left to go and work in the Siemens cable works in Charlton as a rope fitters’ mate. Alice worked here too at that time as a cable machinist. By 1939 45-year-old James worked as a pipe fitter while Alice made cotton coverings for a wire manufacturer – likely still at Siemens.
Residences: following their marriage the couple lived in a terraced house on the main Woolwich Road which ran through Charlton. In 1938 they moved around the corner to Troughton Road where they lodged with George and Louise Christmas and their children. At the end of the war, they were lodging with the Ambrose family on nearby Swallowfield Road, but in 1946 finally moved into a home of their own on Heathwood Gardens. They lived in this terraced house for at least the next 20 years.
- James: 63 Nelson Street, Middlesbrough (1894); 10 Dicey Street, Woolwich (1896); 2B Paradise Place, Woolwich (1900-1905); 1 Robert Street, Woolwich (1911); 16 Rideout Street, Woolwich (1913-1931); 304 Woolwich Road, Woolwich (1932-1937); 29 Troughton Road, Charlton (1938-1939); 52 Swallowfield Road, Charlton (1945); 60 Heathwood Gardens, Woolwich (1946-1965)
- Alice: 1 Park Farm, Eltham (1901); 36 Dicey Street, Woolwich (1911); 24 Queen Street, London (1921); 25 Siemens Road, Woolwich (1921); 304 Woolwich Road, Woolwich (1932-1937); 29 Troughton Road, Charlton (1938-1939); 52 Swallowfield Road, Charlton (1945); 60 Heathwood Gardens, Woolwich (1946-1965)
Deaths: James died in Woolwich on 6 October 1965 when aged 71 and was cremated. Alice survived him for eight years and died in Greenwich on 13 January 1973 when aged 74 and was also cremated.
Notes: from around 1911 he began to style himself as Alfred James rather than James Alfred.
G4: Walter Ralph Copus (1896-1920)
Birth: Walter Ralph Copus was born in Woolwich on 30 November 1896. He was the sixth child of Thomas and Sarah.
Christening: on 16 December 1896 at St John’s Church on Wellington Street.
Military service: Walter joined his brother John in the Royal Field Artillery. Unfortunately, his service history is not available, but the records show that he had service number 145929 and held the rank of Bombardier. He was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.
Residences: 10 Dicey Street (1896); 2B Paradise Place (1900-1905); 1 Robert Street (1911); 16 Rideout Street (1913-1920) – all in Woolwich.
Occupations: despite only being aged 14 in 1911, Walter worked as a news boy. After the war he followed his fathers and brothers to work at the Royal Arsenal. He was killed there in an accident on 4 August 1920 when aged 23, which was reported in various newspapers, with The Scotsman giving the fullest account:
At Woolwich on Saturday, at an inquest on Walter Ralph Copus, 23, an explosive worker in Woolwich Arsenal, lately living at 16 Rideout Street, Woolwich Common, it was stated that on Wednesday the deceased, who had served four years in the Army, was working on a German fuse when an accident occurred. He received many injuries and died soon afterwards. Vaughan Morley, of Walworth, said he had instructed Copus on the breaking down of fuses. Witness heard the explosion, and found him lying on the floor in a room full of smoke. The walls were “pitted”, and after examining pieces of metal lying about, came to the conclusion that Copus must have tried to take the fuse to pieces without first removing the “gaine”. William Thomas Elkin said he found Copus terribly injured, but conscious. His first words were “Don’t let mother know”. On the way to hospital the injured man said, “It’s hard to catch this lot after going through the war”. Medical evidence showed that the deceased’s right hand was practically severed. There were several wounds in the body. Both eyes were destroyed, and an X-ray photograph showed a piece of metal in the skull. The Coroner recorded a verdict of “Accidental death”. Mr Stewart Fawkes, representing the War Department and the Arsenal authorities, expressed sympathies with the relatives in the loss of a valued worker.
Deaths: his probate was not granted until some five years later and records that his estate of £121 16s. 9d. went to the solicitor for the affairs of HM Treasury.
G4: Jessie Winifred Copus (1900-1967)
Birth: Jessie Winifred Copus was born in Woolwich on 4 February 1900. She was the seventh child of Thomas and Sarah.
Christening: on 18 February 1900 at St Mary Magdalene Church on Greenlaw Street.
Marriage: to Frederick Charles Thomas Oxford on 30 April 1921 at St Michael and All Angels Church on Borgard Road in Woolwich. She was aged 21 and very heavily pregnant, while he was 23.
Spouse history: Frederick had been born in Woolwich on 30 December 1897, the eldest of the five children of Frederick Charles Oxford and Eleanor Louise Gertrude Penny. In 1901 the family lived to the east of the Common on Whitworth Road. Over the next decade they moved to Marmadon Road in nearby Plumstead, where his father was a skilled labourer in the Royal Arsenal. Frederick served as a driver in the Territorial Force of the Royal Field Artillery for six years between 1914-1920. He served in France from March 1915 and was awarded the 1914-15 Star, the Victory Medal, and the British War Medal. He again enlisted into the Territorial Army of the Royal Artillery on 19 March 1923 with service number 749600. He eventually served for 14 years until discharged in March 1937.
Children: two girls in 1921 and 1935.
Occupations: post-war, Frederick appeared to briefly serve as a mariner, with his record describing him as 5 feet 8 inches tall with blue eyes and dark hair. He then went to work as a saddler at the Royal Dockyard while Jessie was a machinist. By 1924 Frederick was a moulder at the Siemens cable factory. By 1939, 41-year-old Frederick had become a furniture salesman.
Residences: at the time of their marriage in 1921 the newlyweds lived with Jessie’s parents on Rideout Street, but soon moved a few doors up in a house share with at least two other families.
The 1930s began with the family living on Berkeley Square. This was an extremely grand four-storey town house in Mayfair, one of the most exclusive addresses in the country and the home of the elderly Major Cyril Augustus Drummond and his daughter Sybille. It is likely that the couple were in their service. They moved with them in 1931 to a similar house on Eccleston Square, next door to where Winston Churchill had lived a few years earlier.
The family then moved to Charlton in 1932 where they had a large terraced house on Heathwood Gardens. They moved back to Rideout Street in 1934 after the death of Jessie’s mother. By 1939 they had a large house on the new Falconwood estate in Welling. In 1952 they moved to nearby Falconwood Avenue, which would be home for the rest of their lives. Their daughter lived with them until at least 1965, including with both of her husbands.
- Jessie: 2B Paradise Place, Woolwich (1900-1905); 1 Robert Street, Woolwich (1911); 16 Rideout Street, Woolwich (1913-1921); 28 Griffin Road, Woolwich (1921); 28 Berkeley Square, Westminster (1930); 33 Eccleston Square, Westminster (1931); 112 Heathwood Gardens, Woolwich (1932-1933); 16 Rideout Street, Woolwich (1934); 76 The Green, Welling (1937-1946); 79 Falconwood Avenue, Welling (1952-1965)
- Frederick: 9 Whitworth Road, Woolwich (1901); 137 Marmadon Road, Woolwich (1911-1920); 16 Rideout Street, Woolwich (1921); 28 Griffin Road, Woolwich (1921); 31 Rideout Street, Woolwich (1922-1927); 28 Berkeley Square, Westminster (1930); 33 Eccleston Square, Westminster (1931); 112 Heathwood Gardens, Woolwich (1932-1933); 16 Rideout Street, Woolwich (1934); 76 The Green, Welling (1937-1946); 79 Falconwood Avenue, Welling (1952-1990)
Deaths: Jessie died in Bexley on 10 May 1967 when aged 67 and was cremated. Frederick survived her for 24 years and died in Bexley on 11 January 1990 when aged 92.
Notes: Frederick was admitted to the Dreadnought Seamen’s Hospital at Greenwich in December 1924. Although it primarily treated sick and injured seafarers of all nations, it also took in casualties from local emergencies. He was treated for hydrocele (a type of swelling in the scrotum) and discharged a month later.
G3: Eileen Dorothy Oxford (1921-?)
Birth: Eileen Dorothy Oxford was born in Woolwich on 28 May 1921. She was the first child of Frederick and Jessie, born just 28 days after their marriage.
Marriage (1): to Reginald J. Gillett during 1941 in Dartford. She was aged 19.
Children (1): a boy in 1942.
Marriage (2): to Peter G. Drayton during 1955 in Sidcup. She was aged 33.
Residences: post-war they lived with Eileen’s parents, but the marriage is assumed to have failed. She moved with her parents in 1952 to nearby Falconwood Avenue, continuing to live with them after her marriage to her second husband. This marriage was also not to last and they appeared to separate in 1963.
- Eileen: 16 Rideout Street, Woolwich (1921); 28 Berkeley Square, Westminster (1930); 33 Eccleston Square, Westminster (1931); 112 Heathwood Gardens, Woolwich (1932-1933); 16 Rideout Street, Woolwich (1934); 76 The Green, Welling (1937-1946); 79 Falconwood Avenue, Welling (1952-1965)
- Reginald: 76 The Green, Welling (1945-1946)
- Peter: 79 Falconwood Avenue, Welling (1956-1963)
Deaths: Eileen most likely died in 2009.
G4: Lilian Maud Copus (1903-1968)
Birth: Lilian Maud Copus was born in Woolwich on 6 February 1903. She was the eighth child of Thomas and Sarah.
Christening: on 4 March 1903 at St Michael and All Angels Church on Borgard Road.
Marriage: to Francis Edwin Ford on 14 September 1929 at the same St Michael and All Angels Church where she had been christened. She was aged 26 and very heavily pregnant, while he was 24.
Spouse history: Francis had been born on 15 June 1905 to Frederick Ford and Jane Sheed, a cattle hand.
Children: a boy in 1931.
Occupations: in 1921 18-year-old Lillian worked in the Siemens cable works in Charlton where she was a machinist on wire coverings. By 1939 Francis worked a foreman batch mixer.
Residences: at the time of their marriage the couple lived with Lillian’s parents on Rideout Street. The newlyweds then had a small terraced house on Tunnel Avenue in Charlton, but in 1930 they moved back to Woolwich. By 1937 they had a large semi-detached house on Cumberland Avenue on the Falconwood estate in nearby Welling, which would be their home for the rest of their lives.
- Lilian: 2B Paradise Place, Woolwich (1903-1905); 1 Robert Street, Woolwich (1911); 16 Rideout Street, Woolwich (1913-1929); 23 Nithdale Road, Woolwich (1930); 59A Wellington Street, Woolwich (1931-1933); 22 Cumberland Avenue, Welling (1937-1988)
- Francis: 8A Tunnel Avenue, Charlton (1928-1929); 16 Rideout Street, Woolwich (1929); 23 Nithdale Road, Woolwich (1930); 59A Wellington Street, Woolwich (1931-1933); 22 Cumberland Avenue, Welling (1937-1987)
Deaths: Francis died at home on 22 April 1987 when aged 81. Lilian died less than a year later on 29 February 1988 when aged 85.
