Great Grandmother - When Did She Die?

[groom]

Well, it doesn't look as if she died in Mitcham (Croydon registration district) as there is only one Florence and that is a Florence M who was born in 1873.

She was 56 in 1939, so probably didn't leave Robert, even if she did, I doubt if she remarried. I was hoping that Robert might have left a will, but I can't see one.

[groom]

I wonder - going back to your original post you say that according to your grandmother she had died by 1945, so if right that means a window of 6 years between Sept 1939 and 1945.

There is this death in 1944 - the right age

Deaths Dec 1944   

Phillips    Florence K    61    Pontypridd    11a   431

Miles from Mitcham, but could she (and perhaps Robert) have left London during the war, any idea if their house was damaged during the bombing? I know (not from experience!!) that Mitcham was bombed quite heavily due to its proximity to Croydon Airport. 

Added: As far as I can see there is no Florence Phillips born 1883 in Wales in 1939.

[DavidJP]

Hi Jan,

Thanks for checking those, I do recall checking to see whether Robert left a will or not & was pretty sure that he hadn't, never hurts to double check though!

The only other thing that I can think of that may or may not have happened is that Florence could perhaps have ended up in an institution/asylum or whatever they were calling them at that time! I wouldn't know where or how to look into that possibility anyway!

Apart from that I really cannot think of anything else! Other than maybe checking the local newspapers to see if anything shows up but that would be a long shot and a half to say the least!

I think possibly I need to check post war electoral rolls to see who was living with Robert between 1946 & 1955 & when & indeed if Florence drops off the radar as it were!

My thanks again.

Kind regards

David

[groom]

Did you see my last post, or did we cross?

[DavidJP]

Hi Jan,

The 1944 death in Pontypridd that you've found I seem to recall coming across before & I'm sure I found that that was a woman born and bred in the same area of Wales if I remember correctly. I don't have those notes to hand at the moment though.

I may have to double check it just to be sure though!

My thanks again.

Kind regards

David

Added - I think our last posts crossed!

[DavidJP]

Hi Jan,

any idea if their house was damaged during the bombing? I know (not from experience!!) that Mitcham was bombed quite heavily due to its proximity to Croydon Airport. 

Well, I know that the house still stands, having looked at it using Google maps I think it is, viewing the street scene. I did look into the possibility of house damage & although noting a number of bombs having been dropped in the Mitcham area, there appeared to be nothing as regards Lavender Ave or roads close by as far as I recall.

Thanks again.

Kind regards

David

[groom]

It's ridiculous isn't it - Florence isn't that common a name and combined with Kate, or even K, is even less so. She has to be dead by now! I would have thought if she'd left Robert, something would have been hinted at at some point by someone in the family.

Going back to the Welsh one, that is the only time in all the records I've looked at, that the initial K is used, all the rest in censuses are plain Florence. The only Florence K Phillips I can see is in Swansea in 1891 and 1901 and was born 1887 and is single in the censuses.

[DavidJP]

Hi Jan,

It is ridiculous, your quite right. Its made even more difficult in that although my grandparents married in 1945, they divorced in 1949/50 or thereabouts. Grandfather emigrated to Bermuda of all places in 1956, the year after his father's (Robert Sydney) death. Thereby contact with the Phillips family was lost until the very early eighties, when contact with a couple of the surviving children (a great aunt & a great uncle) was briefly reestablished.

All 4 of Robert & Florence's children are now all dead. My late mother was the only child of my grandparents marriage & with my grandmother also now gone, there is nobody left to ask.

As far as I can remember when contact was briefly reestablished my great aunt did give some info re the Phillips family to my mother over the phone but that was only concerning my mothers aunt & uncles (Robert & Florence's children) nothing about Robert & Florence themselves.

My thanks again.

Kind regards

David

[jann]

Hi,

This has got me wondering about a couple of things. 

Does the government keep a record of people who are reported missing?  If so, for how long?

When an unidentified body is found what kind of record is kept of the death?

Makes me think there may be more than a few people for whom there is no death record.

Jann