RootsChat.Com
General => Armed Forces => Topic started by: Trapper on Sunday 25 June 17 20:02 BST (UK)
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I am trying to find out about Edward Leach, he was my hubby's Grandad and we know so little about him.
We were told he was a Barnardos boy and became LT. Commander in the Royal Navy, and married a Rose Pridham, and died somewhere between 1958- 1960 we think, Rose Pridham came from Devon/Cornwall and they lived in Dorset when he died, and that's all I know........can anyone help
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Was your husband's father b 1920 Tavistock with a sister 2 years later in Devonport?
Pauline
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No, he was his Mother's Father
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so the 1922 birth in Devonport is/was your mother-in-law?
We're trying to fix an era for births/marriages/resources.
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Sorry, I have made a mistake, his wife's first name was Beatrice and as far as I know they were married in the early 1900's
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so is the Edward Leach who wed Rose Pridham the offspring of another Edward Leach & Beatrice?
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I have no idea I'm afraid, as we were told he is a Barnado'
s boy.
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I cannot find any info on him or his Navy record
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Edward Leach (bn 1882-ish @Bristol) marries Beatrice Rosina (Pridham b 1883-ish Cornwall ) in 1906 Tavistock.
There is a birth for : 1908 Devonport.
LEACH Edward Robert G Devonport 5b 310
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Please state which of the Edward Leach (specify birthyear) you are trying to track.
Pauline
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I am trying to find any info on the Edward Leach that married Beatrice Pridham, I believe they had a big family 5 or 6 children
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Use freebmd / GRO searches I can see 4 candidate kids b 1908-1913 Devonport and 3 further candidate kids b 1918-1922 Tavistock
That is based on surname and MMN of Pridham.
Pauline
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Looks like this MAY be the guy. I don't know what the code(s) are on postings and rank.
I've not used this resource myself.
http://digital.nls.uk/british-military-lists/archive/91925570?&mode=transcription
and 1920
http://digital.nls.uk/british-military-lists/archive/94343062 (bottom of the page)
the 1939 still has him (retired by this stage)
http://digital.nls.uk/british-military-lists/archive/92657670
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The most likely death given what yiou think you know about him would seem to be
Sep 1/4 1963 LEACH EDWARD aged 81 POOLE 7C 616
and
Deaths Mar 1/4 1969 LEACH BEATRICE aged 87 BATH 7C 274
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That looks like him, as they lived in Poole. Thank you Pauline
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You said earlier he was born in Bristol, does it give any parents as we were told he was a Barnardo boy
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You really need the 1906 marriage certificate. I don't have access.
The candidate Edward that I can see in census is the child of George Leach & Ellen (nee Baynon?) .
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ok thank you.
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The Edward Leach in the Navy Lists cited by PaulineJ is a Gunner (the Gr in the entry) who was a Warrant Officer later, in Nov 1913, commissioned as Lieutenant (we get that from the additional details on page 677).
There is a National Archives RN Officer's record for an Edward Leach, a Warrant Officer appointed Lieutenant on 3 Jan 1914 http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D7571372 who could well be the same chap. His date of birth is given as 13 July 1885. Might be worth investing £3.50 on that record?? The fact that the birth date does not add up with the death should be initially overlooked.
maxD
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Thank you, I don't really understand ranks, the family always said he eventually became a Lt. Commander
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Pridham(s) in 1901:
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XSHW-SDZ
in 1891:
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:W62D-62M
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I'd feel a bit happier if I could get an idea of when he was born (leave aside the death entry for a moment) or have I missed it?
maxD
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Get the marriage certificate.
That should give a father, and an age at marriage.
Anything before the 1906 marriage is pure conjecture at the moment
is there anything regarding next-of-kin on that £3.50 download to confirm he's the right guy?
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In the spirit of Rootschat cooperation, I have downloaded the RN record.
It does not unfortunately give any family details BUT there are some helpful clues. First it gives his date of birth as 13 July 1882, the National Archives have transcribed this wrongly in the catalogue. Secondly it gives his "home port" as Devonport which would chime with births in the Devonport district. It gives what looks like a home address in St Dominick Cornwall (near to Devonport) in 1919 when he finished his Great war service.
There is an address at 12 Furneaux Avenue Plymouth in 1939 just before his second war service. The property is given as vacant on the 39 Register but Beatrice R Leach born 23 Apr 1883 is on the register at another Plymouth address. There is one other name but that record is closed.
He served from 1939 until 1946, serving in Scotland and later Devonport again. This is the man in the Navy lists already cited.
Regarding his rank. There are two possibilities. Either, as is quite normal, his substantive rank, the one that is quoted in official records was Lieutenant and he had been promoted in a temporary or acting capacity to the next rank up (Lieutenant Commander) although there is nothing about that on his record. Or, as again happens often, the family is mistaken in recalling his rank as Lt Comd.
There is only one Navy List which is the official Navy publication of all officers serving and retired in the period of publication and there is only one Edward Leach in the relevant time frames. The same man also appears in the RN medal list for the Great War.
In 1911, Edward Leach, in the Royal Navy, age 29, with wife Beatrice Rosina and children Edward Robert George and Beatrice May and sister in law Alma Pridham are living in Devonport.
I am in no doubt that this is the man we are looking for.
maxD
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More. A Warrant Officer was a sailor who had been promoted up through the ranks. Many, as in this case, were later commissioned.
That leads us to Edward's record as a seaman before commissioning in 1913. That is to be found on Ancestry and tells us he was born in Westbury Wiltshire 13 July 1882. (There is also a Westbury Bristol which may be the navy getting the county wrong as he says he was born in Bristol.)
He joined in 1897 as a boy seaman from school and served, rising up the ratings ladder, until selected for Warrant Officer in 1913. Then his officer's record takes over.
All in all a first class career.
maxD
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Wow MaxD, thank you so much for all that information, we know so little about him have no idea when or where he was born, we only new he was my husbands Grandad and his Wifes name, it went round the family that we was an orphan and went straight into the Navy as a boy.
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You are most welcome! I have sent you a PM.
maxD
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A very strong gut feeling and clues from here and there suggest to me that his birth is the one registered in Barton Regis district Q3 1882, His RN record gives his place of birth as Westbury Wilts but, as suggested earlier, I believe the RN got the county wrong, there are no Edward Leach births in Wiltshire that year. He gives his birthplace as Bristol, Westbury on Trym is a suburb of Bristol and was then in the Barton Regis registration district. There are a number of Leach families in Westbury on Trym in 1881. There were a good number of Industrial Schools (boarding schools for poor and neglected children) in that area including including the industrial school ship Formidable at Portishead from which many boys would join the RN (he is not there in 1891).
Only the birth cert would prove/disprove this however but for what it is worth................
maxD
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My grandfather was Edward Leach married to Beatrice Rosina Pridham. They had seven children Edward ,May,Reginald, Dorothy, Audrey,Ken and Betty.
My father was Reg ( Cecil Reginald). He was married to Joy( Mona Joyce. I am the second of their four children. I was in contact with my grandparents via my parents till their dieing day. I am still in contact with several of my cousins and Uncle Ken's wife is still alive whom I'm also in contact with and their daughter. Which of these seven children is your husbands parent. I have an idea whom it might be. There is quite a lot of info on the website ancestry.co.uk of our family.
Hope this helps.
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My grandfather was Edward Leach married to Beatrice Rosina Pridham. They had seven children Edward ,May,Reginald, Dorothy, Audrey,Ken and Betty.
My father was Reg ( Cecil Reginald). He was married to Joy( Mona Joyce. I am the second of their four children. I was in contact with my grandparents via my parents till their dieing day. I am still in contact with several of my cousins and Uncle Ken's wife is still alive whom I'm also in contact with and their daughter. Which of these seven children is your husbands parent. I have an idea whom it might be. There is quite a lot of info on the website ancestry.co.uk of our family.
Hope this helps.
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My grandfather was Edward Leach married to Beatrice Rosina Pridham. They had seven children Edward ,May,Reginald, Dorothy, Audrey,Ken and Betty.
My father was Reg ( Cecil Reginald). He was married to Joy( Mona Joyce. I am the second of their four children. I was in contact with my grandparents via my parents till their dieing day. I am still in contact with several of my cousins and Uncle Ken's wife is still alive whom I'm also in contact with and their daughter. Which of these seven children is your husbands parent. I have an idea whom it might be. There is quite a lot of info on the website ancestry.co.uk of our family.
Hope this helps.
Was your husband's father b 1920 Tavistock with a sister 2 years later in Devonport?
Pauline
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My grandfather was Edward Leach married to Beatrice Rosina Pridham. They had seven children Edward ,May,Reginald, Dorothy, Audrey,Ken and Betty.
My father was Reg ( Cecil Reginald). He was married to Joy( Mona Joyce. I am the second of their four children. I was in contact with my grandparents via my parents till their dieing day. I am still in contact with several of my cousins and Uncle Ken's wife is still alive whom I'm also in contact with and their daughter. Which of these seven children is your husbands parent. I have an idea whom it might be. There is quite a lot of info on the website ancestry.co.uk of our family.
Hope this helps.
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My grandfather was Edward Leach married to Beatrice Rosina Pridham. They had seven children Edward ,May,Reginald, Dorothy, Audrey,Ken and Betty.
My father was Reg ( Cecil Reginald). He was married to Joy( Mona Joyce. I am the second of their four children. I was in contact with my grandparents via my parents till their dieing day. I am still in contact with several of my cousins and Uncle Ken's wife is still alive whom I'm also in contact with and their daughter. Which of these seven children is your husbands parent. I have an idea whom it might be. There is quite a lot of info on the website ancestry.co.uk of our family.
Hope this helps.