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General => The Common Room => Topic started by: Davedrave on Saturday 08 May 21 13:27 BST (UK)
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I am trying to find out more about Eva Winifred Bessie Lea, who is remarkably little-documented as far as I can see. She must have been the daughter of Richard Lea of the Indian Civil Service and Elizabeth his wife. I can find no birth or baptism for her, unlike her 6 siblings. Like 4 of her siblings she would appear to have been born in India.
I have 3 records: 1891 Census, where she was a boarder at “Simla” in Lillington, a school for children of parents in India, it appears. Birthplace was Assam.
During the Great War she was an assistant sister in Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Military Nursing Service Reserve in Egypt (medal card record).
She died at Red House, Bexhill-on-Sea in 1953 (probate record). She was a spinster. I wonder whether her absence from English censuses and the 1939 register (as far as I know) means she lived/worked abroad for years.
Any help would be much appreciated.
Dave :)
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She is in Bexhill on the 1939 but date of birth wrong.
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She is in Bexhill on the 1939 but date of birth wrong.
Many thanks, rosie. I really need to broaden my searches. I missed this because of that incorrect d.o.b. I see that she was living with her older sister Alice, also a spinster.
Dave :)
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When was she born?
There are several mentions of someone with that name on the UK Midwives Roll 1904-1959
One record has "occupation of father" as Indian Civil Service.
For "where educated" it has Leamington and Edinburgh
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There are UK return passenger lists for someone of that name.
A ref on Trove in Australia 1929/30 for Eva Winnifred Lea
20 Aug 1930 - REGISTER OF NURSES FOR 1929. - Trove
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/223076505/14001029
Sandra
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When was she born?
There are several mentions of someone with that name on the UK Midwives Roll 1904-1959
One record has "occupation of father" as Indian Civil Service.
For "where educated" it has Leamington and Edinburgh
Many thanks millipede. She was definitely born in India, about 1866, father in the Indian Civil Service. She was certainly educated in Leamington (school for children of Brits in India, in Lillington). She also nursed as a sister in the Great War. Your info suggests it must be her.
Dave
Apologies, I seem to have got confused over her date of birth. She was 15 in the 1891 Census, so presumably born about 1875/76, so the 1939 Register looks OK: Eva Winifred born July 1875, sister Alice Lea, born 1866.
Dave :)
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There are UK return passenger lists for someone of that name.
A ref on Trove in Australia 1929/30 for Eva Winnifred Lea
20 Aug 1930 - REGISTER OF NURSES FOR 1929. - Trove
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/223076505/14001029
Sandra
Many thanks Sandra, this sounds like her, I’ll investigate this article. She also seems to have a reference in 1953 in the London Gazette. I’m still trying to find what it is. It may be a notice of her death. Interestingly, her cousin the Archbishop of Canterbury performed the Coronation in the year she died. (Eva’s mother was Elizabeth Fisher before she married Richard Lea. She was Geoffrey Fisher’s aunt. His father baptised the two siblings of Eva who were born in England. It’s been amazing to find out about Richard Lea’s branch of my family, rather different from most of the solid farming stock most of them were!)
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Sorry, I don’t know how I managed to post this twice.
Dave :)
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She also seems to have a reference in 1953 in the London Gazette. I’m still trying to find what it is.
The London Gazette is free to search and view, I think this is what you are looking for
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/39771/page/795
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Many thanks rosie. I’m not very good at searching the gazette, so this is very helpful.
Dave :)
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I just put in Eva Winifred Lea 1953
ADDED There is no indication on the result of her name it was just the first in the list. This is the link to the search page
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/
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I just put in Eva Winifred Lea 1953
ADDED There is no indication on the result of her name it was just the first in the list. This is the link to the search page
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/
Thank you,
Dave :)
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Hello Davedrave.
I was most interested to find your post. I live about 3 miles away from the houses that Eva Lea lived in at Bexhill. The First was with Alice Lea, called Earley Mead on Hastings Road from 1935 ish . When Alice Died, Eva moved a few houses away to a house called Red Croft in 1946.
We know little else apart from Alice seems to have volunteered for A.R.P duties in wartime, and in 1936 Alice bought a Wolseley 14 that passed to Eva in 1946. This is the reason for my interest, as it survives and now lives with us close to where its original home was (unfortunately neither house survives today)
Many Thanks. Peter
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Hello again Davedrave.
Thank you for your very interesting PM.
Unfortunately I am not able to reply due to a lack of postings , and I can't seem to attach a photo of the Wolseley.
However if you do a Google Search for Wolseley AAP 764 it brings up a fair few pictures. I don't know if you are familiar with "Foyles War" but it was the car used in the first series of that (nearly back home in Hastings) and much other TV work.
I would love to see a photo of Eva and Alice one day, but I guess that's a big ask! Quite a famous Cousin though!
Best Regards, Peter
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Hi Pete,
Welcome to RootsChat, the attachments button is just below the white box in which you type in ;)
Regards
Sarah
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Hello again Davedrave.
Thank you for your very interesting PM.
Unfortunately I am not able to reply due to a lack of postings , and I can't seem to attach a photo of the Wolseley.
However if you do a Google Search for Wolseley AAP 764 it brings up a fair few pictures. I don't know if you are familiar with "Foyles War" but it was the car used in the first series of that (nearly back home in Hastings) and much other TV work.
I would love to see a photo of Eva and Alice one day, but I guess that's a big ask! Quite a famous Cousin though!
Best Regards, Peter
Many thanks Peter, I’ll follow up your link. Unfortunately I haven’t got any old photos, in fact nothing older than my grandfather on this side, although I do have a lovely old gravestone of 1722 of our common ancestor of Eva, Alice and me, still amazingly legible.
Best wishes,
Dave