Looking for Edith Grace Johnson b. 1919 Ipswich

[louisa maud]

What date is the attestation papers

LM

[Greensleeves]

Interesting how these searches take us galloping off in various directions.  Probably of no relevance to this search, but looking up details of Royal Terrace, Kennington Park, I found details of a tragedy which happened there on 15th October 1940.  An unknown number of people were seeking refuge in an air raid shelter in the Park, when it suffered a direct hit, killing all those within.  The death toll was never released, although it is thought it was well over 100.  Only about 50 of the dead were identified, and looking at the list of the known dead, it does include people from nearby streets, including Royal Terrace, although no Johnsons.

http://www.vauxhallandkennington.org.uk/forgottentragedy.pdf

[Greensleeves]

Louisa Maud, Richard enlisted in the Royal Regiment of Artillery on 11 February 1909, so well before the outbreak of WW1.  He married Rose Alice Garnham on 9th June 1915.

Regards
GS

[louisa maud]

So we looking for a Kate Johnson before that date, don't know how they all missed the census

LM

[chempat]

Image number 81479 gives him an age of 18 in year 1909 - or am I on the wrong page, or does it mean he is above 18 years of age?

Malta is also mentioned in his residence place?

[chempat]

Richard in 1911?

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XWRX-HNW

[groom]

Interesting how these searches take us galloping off in various directions.  Probably of no relevance to this search, but looking up details of Royal Terrace, Kennington Park, I found details of a tragedy which happened there on 15th October 1940.  An unknown number of people were seeking refuge in an air raid shelter in the Park, when it suffered a direct hit, killing all those within.  The death toll was never released, although it is thought it was well over 100.  Only about 50 of the dead were identified, and looking at the list of the known dead, it does include people from nearby streets, including Royal Terrace, although no Johnsons.

http://www.vauxhallandkennington.org.uk/forgottentragedy.pdf

Could that be the tragic answer to this post? Knowing how dates get confused when passed down in families, could she have visited Ipswich in 1940, gone back to London and been one of the unidentified dead killed in the bomb shelter?

[Greensleeves]

That is a possible explanation to the disappearance of Edith and her baby, Jan.  It's in the right place, since we know Richard's father and siblings lived there in or about 1909.  Whilst they weren't at the Royal Terrace address in 1911 it is quite possible that they remained in the area.

As you say, the date Edith turned up unannounced at my grandmother's house with her baby could well have been 1940 rather than 1941.  And when she decided to return to London, the family tried to dissuade her because of the dangers from bombings.

This is, of course, supposition, but from the evidence we have, it is quite possible that this is what happened to her.

[groom]

Unfortunately, I think that may well be the case. It seems very strange that if she survived the war she didn’t contact her family again. They obviously accepted the baby and didn’t cast her out because of that. Very Sad.