Hello,
Since I last posted I have found out that the family were aware of the incident. My grandmother Lilian did tell her children, although they were not made aware of the details. I understand they did not want to pass the story down the family any further as it was a great source of pain and shame for my grandmother (who I understand was around 12 at the time). I have found a few bits of information regarding William and Mary Jane. William made several trips to the United States during the 1900's prior I the outbreak of WWI working for his uncle's mining business in Seattle. I have a copy of his immigration papers from Ellis Island from 1908. He was impressed by the prosperity his extended family had enjoyed in the U.S. And was visited by his uncle Ralph Bowen on several occasions when they lived in Trimdon, Count Durham. Ralph had children in The States and South Africa and was no doubt a driving force behind William's desire to start himself a new life across the pond. Sadly once married With Children Mary Jane did not want to emigrate and this caused a element of tension between them which may or may not have contributed to the turbulent relationship which led to their tragic deaths. I've dragged some of this info from my mam and matched it up to census records although I am struggling to find any more evidence of William in The US.
To Cadoc54,
Please pass my love and regards to your mum. I vaguely remember great aunt Rose but my mam always speaks fondly of her (my mam is Elizabeth, Lilian's daughter). I have a lot more information on our family including the adventures of the Bowen's in the U.S. As Christine mentioned in a previous post it makes for a very interesting read.
Jonathan.
