WISHER & DENNY

[Newstead62]

I'd be very interested to hear about you're wife's family, as I don't have much on Arthur beyond what I've found on the birth/marriage/death indexes.  I do know that he received a long service medal, from his time in the  Sherwood Foresters, and that the his family moved back down to Coventry.  They originally moved from Coventry to Nottingham in the 1860s and worked for the Raleigh Bicycle company in Radford.

Denise

[richmsmith]

Hi Denise,

Glad to be able to help.  As you know Arthur was born in 1865 in Coventry.  His father Henry worked as a silk dyer.  The silk weaving, particularly ribbon, industry which had prospered in Coventry declined from about 1860 when the government, for political reasons, removed tariffs from imported French ribbons.  Other industries developed and Coventry prospered again but Henry chose to stay with the trade he knew.  He took his family to Nottingham where he continued to work as a dyer, initially of silk but later of cotton.  He continued to work as a dyer until his death in 1901.

Arthur had briefly worked as a coal miner before joining the the Sherwood Foresters in 1883.  Later that year he joined the 1st Battalion which was based at Athlone, Ireland.  The Battalion moved to Kilkenny in 1885.  Later that year he was promoted to corporal.  While based at Kilkenny he met and married Annie Walsh, a farmer's daughter.

While the Battalion was based at Kilkenny detachments were sent to various places in the area.  Arthur was sent to New Ross, Co. Wexford, where Marie their first child was born in 1887.  Soon after this the Battalion moved to Limerick from where Arthur was detached to Tralee, Co. Kerry, where he was promoted to sergeant in 1888.  Henry, their second child was born at Tralee in 1889.

Later in 1889 the Battalion returned to England, where Arthur stayed for the rest of his army career.  For many years he was based at the Normanton barracks, Derby, where the rest of their children were born, Lily in 1893, Arthur in 1895 and Kathleen in 1898.  Arthur was promoted to colour sergeant in 1895.  By 1901 the family were living out of but close to the barracks.

From 1903 until his retirement from the army in 1908, after 25 years service, Arthur was based at Ashbourne, Derbyshire, where it is believed he was a recruiting sergeant.  On his retirement he was presented by his colleagues and by members of the Ashbourne Rifle Club with an engraved gold medallion.

After retirement he returned to Coventry, the city of his birth, to look for work.  Presumably, with the rapid growth  of the motor industry, prospects were better than in Derby or Nottingham.  Arthur lived in lodgings until he found a job and a place for the family to live.  Eventually the family joined him at a house in Raglan Street, where he and Annie lived for the rest of their lives.  Arthur had various jobs, including timekeeper in the motor industry.

Arthur rejoined the army in 1914 for the duration of the war.  It is known that he was not on active service and probably worked in recruiting.  This was probably why, in 1916 when conscription began, he transferred to the Labour Corps and trained as a lorry driver.

Arthur died in 1932 as a result of gangrene caused by diabetes.  Annie died in 1936.

There is much more I could tell you about his descendants, photographs, etc.  If your interest in what is to you a fairly distant relation goes that deep I am happy to do so.  Which of James's children are you descended from?

Regards,

Richard

[Newstead62]

Richard,

Many thanks for your detailed information about Arthur's family, and also my apologies for not replying sooner (family matters, of the living kind!).

First to answer your last question.  I'm related to Arthur through his older brother, James (1860-1922).  My paternal grandmother was Gertrude Denny (1906-1968), who was a grand-daughter of James via his son James (1885-1933).  My interest in the Denny family is centered mainly on those who stayed in Nottingham, though I'm also quite familiar with their family in Coventry. 
I don't know if you have access to Find My Past or any of the other sites that have digitized newspapers, but I'm going to transcribe an article which was in the Nottingham Evening Post, dated 1 February, 1902:
"LONG SERVICE MEDAL
Among the recipients of the medal for long service and good conduct in the current  army orders is Colour-Sergent Arthur Denny, Derbyshire  Regiment.  Colour Sergent Denny enlisted in the Derbyshire regiment in 1883, and has served continuously in that regiment from that date. He was promoted sergent in December, 1888, and transferred to the 3rd Battalion, Derbyshire Regiment, in 1893 for duty on the permanent staff, being promoted colour-sergent in 1895."
I also have another child for Arthur and Annie, other than those you mentioned, and her name was Sarah Ann(e).  Her birth was registered in 1891 under the 45th regiment overseas births (the same method as her other siblings).  I also have a death for Sarah Ann(e) in 1893 in the Shardlow registration district.
So how are you related to Arthur?  All the Richards I have in my Denny tree are from the 17- and 1800s 
Take care.
Denise

[richmsmith]

Hi Denise,

I should perhaps explain that I am not a Denny descendant.  It is my wife Nicky (Nickoli) who is a great granddaughter of Arthur and Annie.  Their daughter Lily was her grandmother and Lily's daughter Muriel was her mother.

Thank you very much for the information about Arthur's family.  You have introduced me to a previously unexplored source of data.  I was surprised to hear about Arthur and Annie's daughter Sarah.  Nicky has no recollection of ever hearing any mention in the family of Sarah but she was born and died before Lily was born so perhaps it is not surprising.

I now realize that I was wrong about Arthur training to be a lorry driver - that was another Arthur Denny.  He did transfer to the newly formed Labour Corp in 1916 but that was part of a major re-organisation of the army and may not have effected his duties.  I now believe that his role in the later years of his first period of service was as an instructor.  It is probable that this is what he also did in his second period of service.

I have worked out your position in the family and that you are my wife's 3rd cousin once removed!

I have a lot of detail on Arthur's descendants also photos, certificates, etc.  You are welcome to copies of anything I have.

Richard