RootsChat.Com
England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Worcestershire => Topic started by: 1977 Granty on Tuesday 24 May 05 17:15 BST (UK)
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Please help. I am a serving Detective Constable in West Mercia Constabulary and I have a difficult and sensitive case that I am working on and I need to obtain some historic information. I have been given the authority to be creative in the use of the internet and I am appealing to anyone out there to assist me.
I am trying to establish whether a young girl was killed in an old woodyard in Bromsgrove approximately 50years ago. The girl would have been around 5 to 10 years old and her name may have been AMY. This girl may have been killed in an accident where she was driven over by a lorry. A surname of KENDALL (not sure of the spelling of the surname so any possible ) has been mentioned.
The woodyard was known as Hancox's woodyard and the HANCOX family lived there. This address has been confirmed as 107 Broad Street, Bromsgrove.
I have obviously searched through the sources available to me as a police officer. The coroner cannot find any trace of it. They searched their records from 1956 Jan to 1961 Dec but to no avail.
I have a live line of enquiry going at the moment with the registrar of births & deaths.
I am not entirely convinced that it actually occurred but I have asked the registrar to search from 1950 onwards.
I respectfully request any help and assistance from any of you who may be able to assit with publicly available information. I am by no means an expert in historical research and I would value any contribution you may offer.
Admin Note: This message is confirmed as originating from the West Mercia Constabulary network
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Have you considered newspaper reports of the time, or has that already drawn a blank too?
Pauline
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1837.com has all the GRO death indexes, they are pay per view & work out at about 10p per view per index page & you can print them off. You will need to registar to search or browse. They are listed alphabetically & 50's & 60's records, will have age as well as district of the deceased on the index.
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It seems a bit of an odd way to work, but you could try this message board for a local audience
http://www.bromsgrovestandard.co.uk/messages/default.asp?offset=10
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This original message is confirmed as originating from the West Mercia Constabulary network, so as far as we can see, this is a very genuine request.
I would imagine the detective has exhausted conventional local enquiries, so any help would I'm sure be appreciated, which will help in this sensitive case.
Trystan
RootsChat Admin
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Thanks for checking that out Trystan
you can't be too careful ;D
The best guess I've got is:
Carol A Kendall died aged 4.
Maybe the A is for Amy?? Couldn't see an Amy!
tabitha
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Tabitha,
You're quite right, I'm sure this officer would very much welcome your help.
Trystan
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What about local hospital records......I think they (did) keep them for 50 years after death.
Also local Parish Records.
What about circulating your message to your local Neighbourhood Watch Office for distribution to the co-ordinators.We get daily bulletins here in Kent and you may strike lucky with someone who has a good memory of whether this happened or not.
Did the local paper cover the case at the time?Their archives may help.
The local Education Department may have a record of her, also the local Health Department who can check whether she had an NHS number and was registered with a doctor or welfare clinic at the time..........my NHS number coincides with the number on my birth certificate.
Sue
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Hi
If Tabitha has found the right Amy, then the Coroner might need to have another look at the records, this time for Carol.
cheers
Paul
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just a thought,
burial & cremation records for Bromsgrove cemeteries may help.
sharren
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Hi There,
Have you thought of asking ex sargent Joe Walter if he came accross this in his work as he is very good on local history & may know something to help you - I don't know how to get in touch with Joe butthe Evening News would have his address as he is a regular contributor to it.
I was born in Worcester City but have not lived there since I was 9 years old.
Good luck in your search
All the very best
Phil
Weston-super-Mare
ps I must confess that I didnt read all of your letter but thought of Joe as soon as I saw the start of it
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Certainly looks promising Tabitha, well done. Just one question did you fully search the index or was this a record you had?
Alice
Carol A Kendall died aged 4, Bromsgrove Mar Q 1956, vol 9d, pg 38.
Birth of Carol A kendall, Bromsgrove Sept Q 1951, vol 9d, pg 12, mother's maiden name Jones.
Maybe the A is for Amy?? Couldn't see an Amy!
tabitha
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Schools
Although not necessarily the case, it could be that such an event would be recorded in the school log book if it concerned a pupil. The schools would know whether they still have these or whether they have been deposited with the local county record office/archives/main local library with a local history section.
Teachers have remarkable memories of not only the children they taught but of their families and those living in nearby streets - particularly anything where children are concerned. Many old teachers keep in touch with the schools where they taught.
http://www.friendsreunited.co.uk/ for tracing past pupils of schools
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Street directories (list head of household only) should, again, be with the local county record office/main library as will be electoral registers which, of course, listed everybody who was eligible to vote.
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http://www.genesconnected.co.uk/ lists many people of the twentieth century.
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Casalguidi
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THANKS YOU LOT....
You have increased my workload 200%!!!!!
No seriously.
Tired Detective.
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Hi Alice,
I checked 1837online for deaths between 1950 & 1960.
As Granty couldn't be sure of the first name or the spelling of the surname I opted for KENDALL and looked for deaths in Bromsgrove district of anyone under the age of 10, obviously checking when spelling variants appeared on the same page.
A few of the pages I already had, the missing ones I looked up.......can't resist a challenge! ;D
tabitha
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A relative of mine had an Uncle Norman Hancox who owned a woodyard, address not known but in the Bromsgrove area. Norman died many years ago in Bournemouth but he had many children, many of who still live in the Bromgrove and surrounding area, including Ken who would age aged about 70 now.
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Billy,
A wild goose chase I think!
I have discovered the female and I think the woodyard was a red herring.
Enquiries still on-going so I may be in touch in the future If that is OK with you?
Thanks for your help though.
Martin
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Post now Locked
We are very pleased to announce as a result of information give by RootsChatters, that this case requires no further historical input.
Thank you to everybody (including those behind the scenes) that has contributed to this and helped the police with their enquiries, and getting them a step closer to solving this case.
We are locking this topic so this dedicated and overworked detective can have time to solve other great cases. We admire the detective's initiative! :)
The RootsChat Team :)
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Just to let you know that Martin thanks you all for help, your assistance has been invaluable !
I am now in possession of the death certificate for Carol Anne KENDALL who died on 16th March 1956 in Bromsgrove as a result of being run over by a lorry.
:)