Dear Dave, Anne, William and Hannah,
This letter was started a couple of months ago and has lain untouched for most of that time. Sorry. Anyway, Here goes again.
First, thank you very much for your hospitality to Karen when she was in Wellington. She is back safely and enjoyed her visit very much. She has been making the right noises about how wonderful NZ is and, while she did enjoy her time in Australia, she preferred NZ. Sensible girl. We saw her for about 15 minutes after she came back before she shot off to Dundee to continue her studies at the Art School. (I'm still not convinced of the point of studying art, I must be a Philistine.) Last week she was up in Orkney with the class for a "bonding" session, she must have been busy as she didn't post the postcard till she got back.
Everyone here is fine. My father still gets around, still goes to Mass every morning (though he has retired as Honorary Sacristan) and gets the messages on the way back. The rest of the day he spends in the garden if the weather permits. The potatoes have cropped well this year but are not as good a variety as we might have wished, he'll try something else next year. I don't know why he doesn't just stick with Maris Piper or one of the Pentland varieties.
I've acquired a "school run" three days a week to collect small Paul as Moira is attending a local college for an "access course" with a view to going on to teacher training college. Louise gets bussed back and forth from Fernhill and the bus passes conveniently close to our house, she just has to remember which day it is. Fiona is doing her pre-registration year, spending most of her week in hospitals and most of the weekend in night-clubs. She works in one and goes to others on the other night. She was at a medics ball the other night and fell over while doing "Strip the Willow", something which happens to most of us while we are young, only she managed to land on the elbow which she broke a couple of months ago by tripping over a handbag in the middle of an otherwise empty dance floor. So she was a bit worried till she got it x-rayed and it's just badly bruised.
Mary and Brian are well, I think they are considering an Antipodean trip this winter but no-one tells me anything. Gordon is still in Cambridge and Michelle splitting her time between Southport and Ipswich. She has to decide fairly soon whether to move full time to Ipswich but I haven't heard whether she's going to do so.
Aunt Hilda is still hanging on, but only just. Mary says she is just a shadow and comes and goes a bit but when she's there she's quite bright. I presume everything else in Manchester is all right, you probably hear more about that than I do.
Well, I hope you and your extended family have survived the winter and all are keeping well. I assume Kevin and Judy are back in NZ by now, I must write to them soon. One advantage (among many) of using a word processor is that I can crib much of the test from this letter into another. I do like labour saving devices.
Anyway, orrabest,
Right, that's the "news". Now for the interesting bit. I sent off for some certificates from the Registrar General (for England and Wales) with the following results.
1. I asked for the birth certificate of James McGee, born 2 March 1878 in New Mills, Derbyshire, son of Thomas and Margaret Hislop. No record was found for the whole of England and Wales from 1876 - 1880.
Now, I have the above details on a piece of paper in my mother's hand. Thomas is confirmed by the marriage certificate. The year may be wrong - both marriage and death certificates imply James was born in 1879, but that would still have been uncovered by the search. Which leaves us with an error in place of birth or mother's name. I had only a cursory look for James' birth in Scotland since I "knew" he was born in New Mills (there is a James born in Shettleston in 1878 but he is a different family entirely, none in 1879) but have now added a serious search to my "to do" list for next winter. Alternatively, his mother wasn't Margaret but I would have thought the GRO would have mentioned if there was a James McGee born in New Mills with father Thomas and different mother. Let's hope I can find him in Scotland, though if I don't, the England & Wales indexes have turned up in the Mitchell Library in Glasgow over the summer and I can try the search myself.
2. On 3 December 1903 at St. Aloysius Church, James McGee, 24 years, Bachelor, Calico Engraver, 26 Frances Street, Chorlton upon Medlock, son of Thomas McGee, Calico Engraver married Maria Shanks, 28 years, Spinster, (no occupation given), 13 Mawson Street, Chorlton upon Medlock, daughter of Richard Shanks (deceased), Night Watchman. The priest was Frederick Barton and witnesses Joseph Martin and Mary Driscoll. Registered No.131 in the District of Chorlton in the Counties of Manchester and Lancaster, A.A.H.Ramsbottom, Registrar.
Comment:
First point - both this and her death certificate give Maria rather than Marie, a minor point but may be useful to know. Second - both ages are one year younger than I had expected (but are consistent with the death certificates). Third - we now know that Thomas McGee was still alive in 1903 (aged about 56) and Richard Shanks was not. Fourth - a quick moan - Scottish marriage certificates give the name (including maiden surname) of the mother, which would have been very useful in this case. Fifth - I have found Frances and Mawson Streets on an old map of Central Manchester (about 1960 I think). Head south on the A6 past Piccadilly Station and turn right off Ardwick Green South just before Brunswick Street, which is at the split for Hyde and Stockport Roads, and you are in Mawson Street. After 250 yards, straight across Higher Temple Street and you are in Frances Street, which doesn't quite reach Upper Brook Street. This area has since been rebuilt and Mawson and Frances Streets have disappeared.
3. On 13 February 1918, Maria McGee died in the Royal Infirmary, aged 42 years, of (1) Acute Broncho Pneumonia, (2) Intestinal obstruction, certified by John Gow, F.R.C.S. Her address was 25 Old Elm Street, Ardwick, wife of James McGee, a Calico Printer's Engraver. The death was registered No.478 in the District of Chorlton, Sub-district of Chorlton upon Medlock in the County of Manchester C.B. on the following day by James McGee, Widower of deceased, Present at death, 25 Old Elm Street, Ardwick. A.?N.Dodd, Registrar.
Comment:
I had a date for this of 15 February which must be wrong. The registrar would surely know which date something was registered.
Scottish death certificates give the parents' names! (mutter, mutter)
Old Elm Street is about five yards long nowadays but it used to be about 200 yards until the whole of Ardwick was rearranged.
4. On 20 December 1944, James McGee died at 29 Bankfield Avenue, Longsight, aged 65 years, of ?Haemochromatosis, certified by C.A.Travers M.B. The death was registered No.46 in the District of Manchester, Sub-district of Manchester Eastern in the County Borough of Manchester the following day by M.Ellison, Daughter, Present at death, 15 Bickerdyke Avenue, Manchester 12, ?Burgoyne, Registrar.
Comment:
The writing on this one is terrible, I'll have to consult Fiona about haemochromatosis.
Bankfield Avenue runs between Laindon Road and Clarence Road, just north of Dickenson Road. The question is - was James living on his own or who was he staying with?
I presume we can all remember where Bickerdyke Avenue is?
Right, that's the registers dealt with. Recently I have found out that the Commonwealth War Graves Commission have a web site where you can type in the name of a soldier killed in action and get back details of where he is buried. All 1.6 million of them! So, remembering that my mother had mentioned a couple of Uncle Henrys killed in WW1, I had a look and found -
HENRY McGEE, Gunner, 706318 "D" Bty. 211th Bde., Royal Field Artillery
who died on Friday, 10th May 1918. Age 34.
Additional Information: Son of Thomas and Margaret McGee, of Manchester.
Commemorative Information
Cemetery: MONT HUON MILITARY CEMETERY, LE TREPORT, Seine-Maritime, France
Grave Reference/Panel Number: VI. H. 8A.
Location: Le Treport is a small seaport 25 kilometres north-east of Dieppe. The Cemetery is 1.5 kilometres south of the town. Go towards the centre of Le Treport and then follow the Littoral/Dieppe sign. The Cemetery stands on the D940.
Historical Information: Le Treport was an important hospital centre during the war. By July, 1916 it contained three General Hospitals (the 3rd, 16th and 2nd Canadian), No. 3 Convalescent Depot, and Lady Murray's B.R.C.S. Hospital; the original Military Cemetery was nearly filled, and it became necessary to use the new site at Mont Huon. The 7th Canadian, 47th and 16th U.S.A. General Hospitals arrived later. The hospitals were closed in March, 1919. There are now over 2,000, 1914-18 war casualties commemorated in this site and 7 from the 1939-45 War. The Cemetery covers an area of 7,851 square metres.
HERBERT SHANKS, Private, 52114 13th Bn., The King's (Liverpool Regiment)
who died on Saturday, 21st July 1917. Age 24.
Additional Information: Son of the late Richard and the late Rose Shanks, of Ardwick, Manchester; husband of Frances Minnie Shanks, of 79, Kirkstall St., Ardwick, Manchester.
Commemorative Information
Cemetery: RED CROSS CORNER CEMETERY, BEUGNY, Pas de Calais, France
Grave Reference/Panel Number: I. E. I.
Location: Beugny is a village 5 kilometres north-east of Bapaume on the N30, Bapaume to Cambrai road. Red Cross Corner Cemetery is on the west side of the village to the south side of the N30. CWGC signs on the N30 indicate the Cemetery.
Historical Information: Plot I of the cemetery (except Row "K") was made in April, 1917 to March, 1918, by Field Ambulances and fighting units. In March-August, 1918, the Germans buried 350 of their dead and ten British on the North and West sides of the cemetery, in BEUGNY MILITARY CEMETERY, No. 3; and they also buried 25 British dead of the 21st March in Plot I, Row "K." In September, 1918, Plot II was made by British troops. The German graves were removed after the Armistice to another cemetery, and the British graves among them were transferred partly to Delsaux Farm Cemetery and partly to Favreuil British Cemetery. There are now over 200, 1914-18 war casualties commemorated in this site. Of these, over 10 are unidentified and one, destroyed by shell fire in 1918, is represented by a special memorial. The cemetery covers an area of 958 square metres, including the path which leads to it and is enclosed by a red brick wall.
Ok, it's not Henry but close enough with the right parents and wife.
That's about it for the time being. I'll find out how/if I can get a copy of the soldiers service records from the PRO and chase up various other nebulous points. Given time, each little bit of the jigsaw leads to another and the picture grows.