Author Topic: Eva Winifred Lea  (Read 843 times)

Offline Davedrave

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Eva Winifred Lea
« on: Saturday 08 May 21 13:27 BST (UK) »
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 :)
ESSEX: Cramphorn Raven Sams Sayers Taylor; GLOS: Beacham/Beauchamp; HERTS: Chamberlain Chuck; LEICS: Allot Bentley Godfrey Greasley Hunt Hurst Jarvis Lane Lea Light Woodward; LINCS: Lambert Mitchell Muse ; STAFFS: Hodgkins Jarvis; SURREY: Light; WARKS: Astley/Chesshire Bradbury Hicken/Hickin Hudson; WORCS: Ballinger Beauchamp Laight

Online rosie99

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Re: Eva Winifred Lea
« Reply #1 on: Saturday 08 May 21 13:31 BST (UK) »
She is in Bexhill on the 1939 but date of birth wrong.
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Offline Davedrave

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Re: Eva Winifred Lea
« Reply #2 on: Saturday 08 May 21 13:44 BST (UK) »
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 :)
ESSEX: Cramphorn Raven Sams Sayers Taylor; GLOS: Beacham/Beauchamp; HERTS: Chamberlain Chuck; LEICS: Allot Bentley Godfrey Greasley Hunt Hurst Jarvis Lane Lea Light Woodward; LINCS: Lambert Mitchell Muse ; STAFFS: Hodgkins Jarvis; SURREY: Light; WARKS: Astley/Chesshire Bradbury Hicken/Hickin Hudson; WORCS: Ballinger Beauchamp Laight

Online Milliepede

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Re: Eva Winifred Lea
« Reply #3 on: Saturday 08 May 21 16:26 BST (UK) »
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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Online *Sandra*

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Re: Eva Winifred Lea
« Reply #4 on: Saturday 08 May 21 16:42 BST (UK) »
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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Offline Davedrave

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Re: Eva Winifred Lea
« Reply #5 on: Saturday 08 May 21 17:22 BST (UK) »
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 :)
ESSEX: Cramphorn Raven Sams Sayers Taylor; GLOS: Beacham/Beauchamp; HERTS: Chamberlain Chuck; LEICS: Allot Bentley Godfrey Greasley Hunt Hurst Jarvis Lane Lea Light Woodward; LINCS: Lambert Mitchell Muse ; STAFFS: Hodgkins Jarvis; SURREY: Light; WARKS: Astley/Chesshire Bradbury Hicken/Hickin Hudson; WORCS: Ballinger Beauchamp Laight

Offline Davedrave

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Re: Eva Winifred Lea
« Reply #6 on: Saturday 08 May 21 17:40 BST (UK) »
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!)
ESSEX: Cramphorn Raven Sams Sayers Taylor; GLOS: Beacham/Beauchamp; HERTS: Chamberlain Chuck; LEICS: Allot Bentley Godfrey Greasley Hunt Hurst Jarvis Lane Lea Light Woodward; LINCS: Lambert Mitchell Muse ; STAFFS: Hodgkins Jarvis; SURREY: Light; WARKS: Astley/Chesshire Bradbury Hicken/Hickin Hudson; WORCS: Ballinger Beauchamp Laight

Offline Davedrave

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Re: Eva Winifred Lea
« Reply #7 on: Saturday 08 May 21 17:42 BST (UK) »
Sorry, I don’t know how I managed to post this twice.

Dave :)
ESSEX: Cramphorn Raven Sams Sayers Taylor; GLOS: Beacham/Beauchamp; HERTS: Chamberlain Chuck; LEICS: Allot Bentley Godfrey Greasley Hunt Hurst Jarvis Lane Lea Light Woodward; LINCS: Lambert Mitchell Muse ; STAFFS: Hodgkins Jarvis; SURREY: Light; WARKS: Astley/Chesshire Bradbury Hicken/Hickin Hudson; WORCS: Ballinger Beauchamp Laight

Online rosie99

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Re: Eva Winifred Lea
« Reply #8 on: Saturday 08 May 21 17:57 BST (UK) »
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
Census information is Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk