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Family History Documents and Artefacts => Unwanted Certificates & Artefacts => Topic started by: farmeroman on Tuesday 12 July 11 14:37 BST (UK)
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I've come across an interesting document while sorting through my late mothers effects.
It a handwritten (by my grandfather) Air or Fire Wardens logbook for Spencer Road, Chester Road, Pembroke Road and St. Albans Road in Seven Kings (near Ilford) for 1939-41 (approx) and is effectively a mini census for the area. It contains lists of all houses and residents (including temporary), age (few), next of kin (often serving in the forces with regt. and number) and where the residents took shelter (e.g. back room in line with window near outside lavatory). There are also a few WD documents relating to equipment issue and costs (steel helmets 8/6 each), the nature of poison gas and treatment of/protection from gas attacks.
I will probably soon offer the document to the Essex Records Office in Chelmsford (would they be interested?), but in the meantime if anyone on this forum would like me to perform a lookup on a name or address I would be more than happy to do so.
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Hello
My gt grandfather lived at 12 Chester Road until he died in 1951 aged 93, I would be interested in any information about that address you might have, it sounds an interesting document.
Many thanks
Lynne
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Sorry, forgot to say his name Thomas Dearman
Lynne
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Although offering them to the Essex Records in Chelmsford is a good idea why not offer them firstly to the local studies and Archive Dept at Ilford Library who I feel can make better use of them in their family history/local studies area, if they do not want them then try the ERO at Chelmsford.
OR.
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Hello
My gt grandfather lived at 12 Chester Road until he died in 1951 aged 93, I would be interested in any information about that address you might have, it sounds an interesting document.
Many thanks
Lynne
Lynne,
Occupants of 12 Chester Road: Mr. & Mrs. Wheal, Mr. Dearman. Next of kin: M Wheal, 132 Chester Road. No ages or initials I'm afraid.
Maybe Mr Dearman was a lodger?
My father and his parents and sisters lived at no 8 (the Farmers). My aunt married George Payne from No 10.
Small world!
Regards,
Steve.
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Hi Steve
Thanks for replying - Thomas's daughter Amelia was married to Samuel Wheal, the house definately belonged to Thomas, small world they lived so close to your relatives, how long were they there do you know? They must have known each other!
Lynne
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Lynne,
Another Deaman family at no 88 Chester Road:
Mrs. S Dearman, Miss Janet (child 27m), Master Stephen (child 2m). Next of kin was G.M.S. Alf Frank Oceanman, 21st Army Group, R.H.G. P1/2 Oxon. Their shelter was "back under window".
Steve.
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Hi Steve
Thanks for replying - Thomas's daughter Amelia was married to Samuel Wheal, the house definately belonged to Thomas, small world they lived so close to your relatives, how long were they there do you know? They must have known each other!
Lynne
My family were there from the 1900s. My other grandparents, the Kents, lived at no 81 Chester Road.
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Hi Steve
My grandfather Redvers Dearman (son of Thomas Dearman) was born in Chester Road in 1901 and Thomas was there until he died in 1955, so they were neighbours all that time!!!
I think the other Dearmans at 88 Chester Road must be Alfred Frank Dearman (my gt uncle) his wife Sarah and their children Stephen and Janet.
What a coincidence this is!
Lynne
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Hi Steve
My grandfather Redvers Dearman (son of Thomas Dearman) was born in Chester Road in 1901 and Thomas was there until he died in 1955, so they were neighbours all that time!!!
I think the other Dearmans at 88 Chester Road must be Alfred Frank Dearman (my gt uncle) his wife Sarah and their children Stephen and Janet.
What a coincidence this is!
Lynne
Oh yes, it must say Alf Frank Dearman, not Oceanman.
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Lynne,
PM me with your email address if you'd like copies of the relevant pages.
Steve.
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Hi, Only just seen this post - I a new member. My interest is as follows:
My grandparents Denis and Rosanna Savage lived at 14 St Albans Road with their children: Monica, Jack, Mary, Veronica, Dorothy and Angela. The house was demolished on 6th March 1945 just before the wars end - by a V2 bomb which exploded on the street outside, leaving not one wall standing - killing two of my father's sisters. Angela was only just 4yrs old and Veronica 16yrs. My father, Jack, was on active service with the navy in Port Said at the time. My grandparents, Monica, Mary (badly injured)and Dorothy (buried but otherwise unhurt) survived. They also had another young friend staying who had lost both her parents in an earlier bombing raid and she miraculously walked free unhurt The bomb damage can be seen today in that the rebuilt houses differ to the older style houses in the rest of the road. I have always wondered who lived either side of my grandparents because there must have been more fatalities. I have never been able to find out anything concerning the bombing...which i find incredible given that it caused so much damage and fatalities. To know the names of people who lived in the houses from say number 6 through to number 24 would be fascinating.
I do hope I haven't left it too late for you to get in touch with me concerning the neighbours.
Martin
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To know the names of people who lived in the houses from say number 6 through to number 24 would be fascinating.
Martin,
I'm really sorry, but for some reason the entries from 2-24 and 1-25 St. Albans are blank for some reason. Maybe they were part of another warden's patch?
Steve.
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Thank you for such a quick reply! The mystery deepens...but as you say, it may well be covered by another warden. St Alban's is a long road and maybe even the meads lane end was covered by another warden. I've noticed that I mistakenly said my grandparents lived at no 14...I had meant no 16. In the 1960s I lived with my parents next door to the grandparents at no14. I was surprised that they wanted to return to the scene of such tragedy, but after temporary housing in chadwell heath, they returned to the newly built house on the same plot. In fact my Aunt Mary who survived terrible injuries is still alive, living in a home in N Yorkshire, and will be 86 this October. She only left St Alban's rd 12 years ago.
Anyway, once again, my thanks for your response.
Martin
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I've just realised that the houses from no.8 up to and including no. 32 were rebuilt. Do you have the names for the occupants from 26 -32?
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I've just realised that the houses from no.8 up to and including no. 32 were rebuilt. Do you have the names for the occupants from 26 -32?
Martin,
And I've just realised that I meant 2-42 are blank, not 2-24; sorry about that. The odds are present from 27 though, so:
27: Palmer, Mr, Mrs and Miss G. Next of kin W. Kent of 32 St. Johns Road
29: Pucker, Mrs F.E. and Master (1yr). Next of kin Mr & Mrs Gregory, 36 Empire Avenue, Edmonton,N18
31: Mrs C Davis, Miss E. Elliott, Miss M.J. Hawkins. Next of kin Mrs Rawbone, 126 Coventry Road, Ilford.
33: Purkiss, Mr R.H., Mrs M.A., Mr C.G., Miss E.M. Next of kin Mrs C. Hayes, 37 Henley Road, Ilford.
Please let me know if you'd like any more.
Steve.
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Thank you once again, but I was specifically looking for names of people in the 'bombed out' section of houses.
None-the-less, thank you very much for all your comments/contribution. Much appreciated.
Martin
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Martin,
I lived at No.22 St Albans road from 1950 onwards and I knew your Aunt Mary. She was very shy because of the scarring on her face and I guess she must have had terrible psychological damage as well. I was told that she was blown from the front room to the back and she caught the full force of the window glass which did all the damage to her.
The blast centre was just across the road from our house and the road subsided several inches there every year. There used to be an old apple tree in our back garden that was damaged by the blast and taken down in 1953. My grandfather used to live in Maldon road off Meads lane and he remembered the day after the blast, they had constructed a gangplank for people to get over because the hole was so large.
They started rebuilding in about 1948 and he bought the new No 22 with my parents in 1950. Mr and Mrs Bishop lived next to us at 24 and originally Mr and Mrs Faulkner at 20, I have forgotten the name of no.18 but they had a daughter Jillian.
I have attached a photo of my neighbour Owen Bishop outside his house, the V2 came down just behind him 15 years earlier. My name is David Pendrill by the way and I've been trying to find out about that V2 for years! I understand that originally they tried to tell people they were gas explosions to avoid panic. This V2 strike has not been registered on the map of them that has recently been set-up.
all the best
Dave P
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Dave,
I think you will find that it was Jill Gardner. Her parents moved to Bournemouth when Mr Gardner retired. I actually have the concrete lawn roller which was theirs...as an garden ornament in my garden here in Richmond, N. Yorks. It had made its way over the fence before they left...and when I sold No 18 for Mary, I took it as a keepsake!
I had often remarked that I wondered if the reason why I could never find the St Alban's Rd rocket on any documents was because it had instead been a Gas explosion. I think the authorities would have wanted to keep it quiet and let people believe it was a rocket.
When Owen's photo was taken in 1960, I was only just one year old!
Across the road from No 18 was No1, which when I lived at No 14 in the 1960s was a Doctors house, possibly a surgery as well. Before I sold No 18 for Mary, a guy (living at I think No 3,which had been turned into maisonette flats - he had lived there for many years) told me he had photos his father had taken at the time of the bombing and promised to show me them....but sadly I never got to see them. He was still living there around 10 years ago.
I was aware of another family possibly at No 26 or 28 - The Browns - I used to call there as they had a key so I could let myself in to No 16 if my Aunt was not in at the time I called.
I have a photo of the original No 16 before the bombing. I will post it later.
I also used to have piano lessons at Mrs Dalton's House - No4 St Albans. That house was untouched by the bombing, so I saw what the original houses looked like. My other musical memories of St Albans is the fact that I recall there was someone who used to get a group together playing guitars/drums in one of the houses heading in your direction. I used to think it was great. Do you know anything about it? I'm sure it irritated the older neighbours nearby!
Mary may have come across as shy....but she became a Nurse after the bombing, then trained as a Midwife and later as an area Health Visitor despite her own injuries. Most hospitals initially rejected her attempts to join to train as a nurse as they were concerned she would not have the strength in her badly damaged arm to perform her role.
Southend Hospital took her just when it seemed she would never be accepted. As late as the 1970's Mary was regularly having to have minor operations to remove splinters of wood and glass which worked their way to the surface of her skin...on her back, legs,face, head and arms. There was no safety glass in the 1940's.
She visited patients in their homes in Dagenham and Becontree and she fought tooth and nail outside of her work hours to get people help with shoes and other basics. She was something of a workaholic because she could not let go of her patients needs and problems. Eventually, she suffered a breakdown and was hospitalised for a while and then retired early.
I can remember walking with her in Seven Kings and Ilford a couple of times and her suddenly being accosted by an ex-patient who recognised her from her nursing years and felt the urge to thank her for all the extras she used to do for them.
Even in retirement she nursed her mother who had dementia right up until she died and through her involvement in the church spent hours visiting and sitting with housebound parishioners. A lot of people might have given up and looked after themselves first...but then after the war a lot of people had the view that no matter what their own problems were, there was always someone much worse.
She is currently in a Nursing Home in North Yorkshire. She has had dementia for the past decade and she is terribly arthritic, unable to stand or walk for the past six years, reliant on help for everything. Despite the dementia she is cheerful. It is ironic, but the dementia has relieved her of a lot of the thoughts that fed her depression.
Co-incidentally, my youngest son has just started up in business with a friend who lost both his legs in an explosion in Iraq - where he worked in bomb disposal....and down the road in Catterick, they are completing the last phase of a rehabilitation centre for wounded personnel. I can remember growing up in Seven Kings and seeing from time-to-time, ex-servicemen with various disabilities going about their business. All these years later I am seeing a new generation in a similar situation.
You don't indicate if you still live in the Seven Kings area. If you wish to get in touch with more privacy feel free to contact me: (*)
Either way, thanks for your contact.
Martin
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Hello, Just seen these posts. I have been searching for years as there are no records in the Blitz then and now and other books I have. I visited my Aunt in Morden road and was told that a V"2 had fallen in St. Albans Road, opposite the junction of Cambridge Road. We went and looked and the terrace had all but gone as I remember aged 9 and from the country.
No details of course. Many years later as my Aunt was dying we visited and I tooka trip down memory lane to see the site. The terrace had been rebuilt and materials were scarce. The join was/is there clear for all to see.
thanks everyone for the confirmation. I cannot add detail unfortunately but my mind is at rest.
John
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The deaths mentioned above were clearly recorded as deaths resulting from enemy action:
http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead.aspx?cpage=1
Imber
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I am posting this message on behalf of new member SBEdwards who sent the message to me.
Regards
Sarah
Re letter from e savage re bombing of St Albans road 6th March 1945 my family lived at 26 grandparents lived 27 we were bomb on my 1st birthday the only other living person my sister who would been 9 at the time surname was usher grandparents had 2 boys Jim and Harry girls Kathleen olive ruby maud Bertha betty brenda we were rehoused Barnardos tanners lane Barkingside
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I've just realised that the houses from no.8 up to and including no. 32 were rebuilt. Do you have the names for the occupants from 26 -32?
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I've just realised that the houses from no.8 up to and including no. 32 were rebuilt. Do you have the names for the occupants from 26 -32?
I've just realised that the houses from no.8 up to and including no. 32 were rebuilt. Do you have the names for the occupants from 26 -32?
I know it was a long while ago but a Martin was looking for people who lived in the bombed out section of St Albans Road, Seven Kings. I lived at 32 which was the last house to be bombed.
I was 5 months old when a V2 rocket landed in our road which caused the front of our house to disappear, my coat was left hanging over the edge of the upstairs floor. We moved back in once the house was rebuilt and I moved out when I married in 1970, my mum left in about 1991 and the old air raid shelter was still in the back garden.
These are the people from St Albans Road that I remember:
No 32 my mum Gladys Jordan (she was a dressmaker and knew most people living nearby) my dad Len, brother Alan and me Janet.
No 30 Bill and Ellen Carter and son Billy.
No 28 Mr and Mrs Brown and sons Bernard, Richard and Paul.
No 26 Can't remember.
No 24 Mr and Mrs Bishop and daughter Christiana.
On the other side of the road:
No 1 Dr and Mrs Pruss and son Antony, daughter Angela and possibly another son and daughter.
The surgery was on the corner of Cambridge Road.
No 3 Can't remember the name but there was a son possibly Andrew.
No 5 Mr and Mrs Neave and daughter Margaret.
No 7 Ruth and John McKenzie, sister Joyce, daughter Jean (we still send Christmas cards) and son Johnny.
Hope this will bring back memories to anyone who is interested.
Janet
N