Annie Louisa Drake nee Wilkins (1886–1916)

 Annie was an elder sister of my grandmother Gertrude Taylor nee Wilkins.

Annie’s birth was registered in Woolwich during Q1 1886. The rule was that up to 6 weeks were allowed between the date of birth and its registration, so she might have been born in late 1885. Her parents were Henry Wilkins (1851-1915) and his wife Jane nee Cornwell (1851-1934), who married in 1875. Annie’s name was registered as Annie Louisa Wilkins, but no other records I have found give her middle name.

In the 1891 census, the Wilkins family were living at 31 Kidd St (a shop), Woolwich Dockyard and consisted of Henry (aged 41, a grocer), Jane (40), Elizabeth (15), Albert (13), Alice (11), Ethel (9), Cecilia (7), Annie (5), Herbert (3) and Gertrude (1).

In 1901 Henry Wilkins aged 50, a coffee house keeper, was living at 11 Church Street, Woolwich Dockyard with his wife Jane (49) and children Albert (23, machinist shell factory), Alice (21, shirt machinist), Ethel (19, cook domestic), Cecilia (called Bessie, 16, shirt machinist), Annie (15), Herbert (13), Gertrude (11) and Mabel (9).

Annie married Thomas Henry Drake on 20 April 1908 at Woolwich Register Office. She was aged 22, he was 19. Their first child, Thomas Henry, was born on 1 June 1908, so Annie was pregnant when she wed (which was not uncommon at this time). They had two more children, Elizabeth Annie born in 1911 and Harry Arthur in 1915, all in Woolwich.

The 1911 census shows Thomas, aged 22, a carman (meaning someone who transports goods), Annie (25), Thomas (2) and Elizabeth (less than 1) living in 2 rooms at 9 Gough Street, Woolwich.

Sadly, Annie died on 7^th January 1916 at The Infirmary, Woolwich, aged only 29. Her death certificate gives her address as 9 Gough Street and her husband’s occupation as metal caster. The cause of death was (1) Morbus Cordis (2) Nephritis Pulmonary Embolism. Morbus Cordis means heart disease. Nephritis is a condition in which the tissues in the kidney become inflamed and have problems filtering waste from the blood. A pulmonary embolism is a blood clot that blocks and stops blood flow to an artery in the lung.

Annie was buried in Plumstead Cemetery in plot K 2002. I was not able to locate the exact location of the grave and believe that it is unmarked. 

Annie's husband Thomas was enlisted into the army on 27 April 1916. He joined the Royal Flying Corps and was later transferred to the Army Ordnance Corps. His service record shows that some of his pay was stopped for support of an illegitimate child that was born on 1 May 1917. The money was sent to Frances Ann Richardson (presumably the mother) who lived in Rotherhithe. Thomas was discharged from the army on 31 January 1919. I can't find him in the 1921 census, but his son Thomas Henry Drake is shown living with Mabel Barry (nee Wilkins), who was his aunt. The census return says that both of his parents were dead. I can't find a record of the death of Thomas senior.

Ethel Suter then Taylor nee Wilkins (1881 – 1933)

Ethel was an elder sister of my grandmother Gertrude and became the second wife of my grandfather William Taylor after Gertrude died.

Ethel Wilkins was born on 29th September 1881 in Woolwich. Her parents were Henry Wilkins (1851-1915) and his wife Jane nee Cornwell (1851-1934), who married in 1875.

The 1881 census (performed before Ethel was born) shows Henry Wilkins aged 29, a greengrocer and dairyman, living at 21 Prospect Place, Woolwich with his wife Jane (29) and their children Elizabeth (5), Albert (3) and Alice (1).

In 1891 the Wilkins family were living at 31 Kidd St (a shop), Woolwich Dockyard and consisted of Henry (aged 41, a grocer), Jane (40), Elizabeth (15), Albert (13), Alice (11), Ethel (9), Cecilia (7), Annie (5), Herbert (3) and Gertrude (1).

The 1901 census lists Henry Wilkins aged 50, a coffee house keeper, living at 11 Church Street, Woolwich Dockyard with his wife Jane (49) and children Albert (23, machinist shell factory), Alice (21, shirt machinist), Ethel (19, cook domestic), Cecilia (called Bessie, 16, shirt machinist), Annie (15), Herbert (13), Gertrude (11) and Mabel (9).

Ethel married William Henry Suter on 31st December 1902 at St Michael and All Angels church, Woolwich. The marriage record shows that she was aged 21. He was aged 22, a carman (meaning someone who conveys goods in a cart). His father was Walter John Suter (deceased), a coal merchant. The witnesses were Ethel’s father Henry and sister Cecilia. Ethel and William later had a daughter, Doris Florence (b1903) and a son, Herbert William (b1906).

The 1911 census shows William Suter (aged 30, a self-employed coal merchant), Ethel (29), Doris (7) and Herbert (4) living in 3 rooms at 144 Kingsman Street, Woolwich.

Ethel’s sister Gertrude married William Taylor in 1912. The image below is from a group photo taken at the wedding.

Ethel Wilkins in 1912

William died on 12th October 1914 aged 33 of tuberculosis at St Luke’s House, 14 Pembridge Square, Notting Hill Gate. This establishment was called a 'Home for the Dying Poor' and was a forerunner of the hospice movement. Ethel was with William when he died. Their address on the death certificate was 51 Charles Street, Woolwich.

In February 1919 Ethel and her children were still living at 51 Charles St, Woolwich. With them were Ethel’s sister, Gertrude Taylor nee Wilkins and her children Eric (b 1913), Vera (b 1916) and Ronald (b 1918). Gertrude’s husband, William Taylor, was in France, serving in the army. An influenza pandemic, known as Spanish flu, killed many millions of people across the world, mainly in 1918 and 1919.  Ethel’s son, Herbert Suter caught the disease and died on 12 February 1919 aged 12. William’s wife Gertrude also caught influenza. William was granted leave on the 15th February to come home but she died on 19th February 1919, aged 29. Gertrude’s death certificate says that William was present at her death. Herbert and Gertrude were both buried in Plumstead cemetery.

William’s children continued to live at 51 Charles St, Ethel Suter’s house, after Gertrude’s death and William joined them there after he was demobilised from the army in May 1919. According to a family story, Ethel threatened to stop looking after his children if William did not marry her. On 30th November 1920 William married Ethel Suter at Woolwich Registry Office. He was 30, a labourer at the Royal Arsenal and she was 38. The witnesses were Ethel’s eldest brother Albert Wilkins and his wife Beatrice. It was forbidden in the UK for a man to marry his dead wife’s sister until 1907. An Act of Parliament passed that year made it permissible.

William and Ethel’s marriage certificate

William and Ethel had a daughter, Betty Ethel Taylor, who was born 31st December 1921. 51 Charles Street was renamed 16 Brewer St in that year. The house was at the northern end of Brewer Street, not far from St Mary’s Church. The site of the house is now occupied by John Wilson Street, a dual carriageway that forms part of the South Circular Road (A205).

The 1921 census shows William Taylor at 14 Hibernia Street, Ramsgate as a boarder in the house of Arthur Gower (aged 40) and his wife Helen May (33). The census was recorded in June 1921, so William and his family were probably in Ramsgate on holiday. William is shown as aged 32, an explosive worker at Royal Arsenal, Woolwich. Also listed are his wife Ethel (38) and children Eric (8), Vera (5) and Ronald (2). Ethel's daughter Doris Suter, aged 17, a machine hand in "Shirt Stores, Wood St, Woolwich" and Gladys Sullivan (17) are also listed. Gladys had the same occupation and place of work as Doris, they were probably friends.

Ethel died on New Year's Day 1933, aged 51, of lobar pneumonia. This is a form of pneumonia characterized by inflammation that affects a large area of the lobe of a lung. It is caused by a bacterial infection, which would now be treated with antibiotic drugs, but these were not available when Ethel died. She was buried in Plumstead Cemetery in the same grave (which is unmarked) as William's first wife Gertrude. Probate records state that Ethel Taylor of 16 Brewer Street, Woolwich (wife of William Taylor, a coffee stall keeper) died on 1st January 1933 at St Nicholas Hospital, Plumstead. Administration of Ethel's estate (£407 14s) was granted to William. The fact that probate was needed shows that Ethel held some money (probably from her first husband) in her own name.

Ethel’s story shows that infectious diseases were a major problem when she was alive. They resulted in the death of her husband, son, sister and herself.

Ethel’s older daughter Doris married Augustus Arthur Moore in 1925 and they later had 5 children. She died in 1985 aged 81.

Ethel’s younger daughter Betty married Frederick Cecil Manley in 1946 and they went to have 3 children. She died in 1994 aged 72.

Cecilia Mary Taylor nee Wilkins (1884-1952)

 I have given myself the task of finding out as much as I can about the siblings of my grandmother Gertrude Wilkins (1890-1919), who was the 8^th child born to Henry and Jane Wilkins and had 2 brothers and 6 sisters. This article is about her sister Cecilia Mary (sometimes known as Bessie), who was the 5^th child of Henry and Jane. If you have any further information about her life, or a photo of her, please contact me. 

Cecilia was born 7^th January 1884 in Woolwich. She was baptised on 24^th February 1884 at Holy Trinity Church, Woolwich. The baptism record gives the address of her parents as 21 Prospect Place (in Woolwich) and the occupation of her father as greengrocer.

 In 1891 the Wilkins family were living at 31 Kidd St (a shop), Woolwich Dockyard and consisted of Henry (aged 41, a grocer), Jane (40), Elizabeth (15), Albert (13), Alice (11), Ethel (9), Cecilia (7), Annie (5), Herbert (3) and Gertrude (1). Kidd St is now called Wood Hill. The site of 31 Kidd St is now occupied by modern housing.

The 1901 census lists Henry Wilkins aged 50, a coffee house keeper, living at 11 Church Street, Woolwich with his wife Jane (49) and children Albert (23, machinist shell factory), Alice (21, shirt machinist), Ethel (19, cook domestic), Cecilia (called Bessie, 16, shirt machinist), Annie (15), Herbert (13), Gertrude (11) and Mabel (9). The site of 11 Church Street is now occupied by post war housing.

Cecilia gave birth to a daughter, Florence, on 4^th June 1903 at 11 Church Street. The birth certificate shows Cecilia’s occupation as machinist and does not give the name of the father.

On 24^th December1905, Cecilia married William Taylor at The Church of St Michael and All Angels, Woolwich. They both said that they were aged 21, although William was actually 20. This William Taylor is not part of my Taylor family. He was a carman, meaning that he was a driver of a vehicle (probably horse drawn) for delivering goods. The witnesses were Cecilia’s sister Ethel and her husband William Suter.

Marriage record in the church register.

William and Cecilia went on to have three daughters, namely Margaret Ellen (born 23^rd February 1906, so Cecilia was pregnant when she got married), Cecilia Mary (born 29^th January 1910) and Gertrude Victoria (born 23^rd May 1912).

 The 1911 census shows that Cecilia (aged 27, a shirt machinist) was living with her husband William (25, a carman working for coal dealers) and their two daughters Margaret (5) and Cecilia (1) in 3 rooms at 13 Gough St, Woolwich. Florence (aged 7) was living at 11 Church St with her grandparents Henry (62, a dining room keeper), Jane (59) and their daughters Gertrude (21) and Mabel (19). 

My grandmother Gertrude died in 1919 of influenza. A newspaper report shows that Cecilia and her husband attended the funeral. 

In 1921, Cecilia (aged 37) was living in 4 rooms at 38 Chapel Street, Woolwich with her husband William (36) and daughters Margaret (15), Cecilia (11) and Gertrude (9). William was a coal porter working for Royal Arsenal Cooperative Society, 147 Powis Street, Woolwich. Margaret was a shirt machinist. 

Electoral registers show Cecilia and William Taylor still living at 38 Chapel Street, Woolwich in 1939. The 1939 Register lists William (a general labourer public works) and Mary C Taylor at the address. In 1946 and 1950 they were living at 112 Woodbrook Road, Abbey Wood. 

Cecilia died on 9^th March 1952 aged 68 in Woolwich and is buried in grave P/359 in Plumstead Cemetery. I have looked for the grave but did not find it. The Probate index has an entry giving her address as 80 The Course, Eltham. Administration (meaning that she did not leave a will) of her estate, value £298, was granted to William Taylor, borough council labourer. William died 14^th July 1961 aged 76 in Woolwich and is buried in the same grave as his wife. 

Florence Wilkins (Cecilia’s eldest daughter) worked in the Wilkins Dining Rooms, 14 Beresford Street, Woolwich, run by her uncle Albert Wilkins and his wife Beatrice. Florence married 3 times: in 1923 in Woolwich to Albert E Graham, in 1942 in Woolwich to William T Hales and in 1955 in Thanet to Harold T Trollope. She died in 1988 aged 84. 

Cecilia’s daughter Margaret Taylor married William George Pearman in 1925 in Woolwich and died in 1989 aged 82. Her daughter Cecilia married Leonard John Thomas Finch in 1930 in Woolwich, Edward Harry Morland in 1960 in Woolwich and died in 1995 aged 85. Her youngest daughter Gertrude married Arthur Cecil Wilkes in 1937 in Woolwich and died in 2003 aged 90.

Mabel Barry / Lanyon nee Wilkins (1891-1957)

Mabel was born on October 1st 1891 in Woolwich. She was the youngest of nine children (two boys and seven girls) of Henry and Jane Wilkins. One of Mabel’s sisters was my grandmother Gertrude Amy Wilkins (1890-1919).

When Mabel was born her family was living at 31 Kidd Street, Woolwich Dockyard, which was the address of the grocery shop run by Henry Wilkins. In 1900, he began to operate a coffee house at 11 Church Street, Woolwich. The 1901 census shows Henry (aged 50, a coffee house keeper), Jane (49), Albert (23), Alice (21), Ethel (19), Bessie (16), Annie (15), Herbert (13), Gertrude (11) and Mabel (9) living at this address.

Mabel was still living at 11 Church St in 1911. The census gives her age as 19 and her occupation as a rubber casing machine hand working for Siemens Brothers Electrical Works. Also at the address were her father Henry (62, a dining room keeper), mother Jane (59), sister Gertrude (21) and niece Florence Wilkins (7).

Mabel at the marriage of her sister Gertrude in 1912

In 1913 Mabel married Laurence Barry in Woolwich. He was aged 25, she was 21. His occupation in the 1911 census was “fireman (ship)”. This was a rating for Merchant Navy seamen working in the engine room. Mabel and Laurence went on to have three children, Laurence Robert in 1915, Norah Annie in 1918 and Dennis in 1921. Dennis died soon after he was born.

In 1915, Laurence volunteered to join the army to fight in the war. He was a Gunner in the Royal Garrison Artillery and was sent to Egypt, where he arrived on 30^th October 1915. He survived the war, returned home and rejoined the Merchant Navy.

Laurence Barry's Merchant Navy record card 

The 1921 census shows Mabel Barry (aged 28) living at 5 Glass Yard, Woolwich with her children Laurence (5) and Norah (3) as well as her nephew Thomas Drake (13). Thomas was a son of Mabel's sister Annie Louisa Drake nee Wilkins (1886-1916). The census return says that both of Thomas's parents were dead. Mabel's husband is not listed, presumably he was abroad, working on a Merchant Navy ship.

Electoral registers show Mabel and her family living at 5 Glass Yard from 1922 to 1932. They moved to 38 Arsenal Road, Eltham in 1933. The electoral register for 1939 shows Mabel and Laurence living at this address with their children Laurence and Norah. The 1939 national register shows that Mabel's husband Laurence was by then working as crane driver in a brass foundry.

38 Arsenal Road (in 2012)

Mabel's son Laurence Robert Barry joined the Merchant Navy in 1930. On August 23rd 1940, he was on board SS Cumberland, which was in a convoy heading from Liverpool to Curacao. The Cumberland was torpedoed by a German submarine. Laurence, aged 24, and three other of the ship's crew of 58 were killed.

Mabel's husband Laurence died in 1942 aged 53 in Woolwich. Probate records show that administration of his estate (value £535) was granted to Mabel. She remarried in 1943 to Charles Lanyon. She was aged 52, he was 55. Charles’s first wife, Ethel had died earlier that year. The 1945 electoral register shows Mabel and Charles at 38 Arsenal Road with Charles’s children Gladys Mamie (born 1917) and Harold (born 1921). Gladys had moved out by 1949. Mabel, Charles and Harold continued to live at this address until Mabel died on July 1st 1957 aged 65. She was buried in Plumstead cemetery in the same grave (K / 2031) as her first husband Laurence. Probate for her estate (value £2097) was issued to Charles Lanyon (a retired carpenter) and Norah Annie Stemman (her daughter, who was married to John Stemman). Charles died in 1967 aged 79.

Albert Henry Wilkins (1877-1928), dining room keeper, and his wife Beatrice Louisa Wilkins nee Tothill (1885-1959)

This item includes information and photos kindly supplied by Russell Wilkins, Albert's grandson.

Albert Henry Wilkins was the eldest brother of Gertrude Amy Wilkins (1890-1919), who was the mother of Eric William Taylor (1913-2003), my father. Albert was born on 26^th December 1877 at 13 Whitworth Place, Plumstead, the second child of Henry Wilkins and his wife Jane (nee Cornwell). When Albert was born, Henry’s occupation was fresh meat dealer.

The family was still living at 13 Whitworth Place, when Albert was baptized at St Mary Magdalene, Woolwich on 27 Jan 1878. The 1881 census shows Henry Wilkins aged 29, a greengrocer and dairyman, living at 21 Prospect Place, Woolwich with his wife Jane (29) and their children Elizabeth (5), Albert (3) and Alice (1).

In 1891 the Wilkins family were living at 31 Kidd St (a shop), Woolwich Dockyard and consisted of Henry (aged 41, a grocer), Jane (40), Elizabeth (15), Albert (13), Alice (11), Ethel (9), Cecilia (7), Annie (5), Herbert (3) and Gertrude (1). Kidd St is now called Wood Hill. The site of 31 Kidd St is now occupied by modern housing. 

Albert Henry Wilkins aged about 18

The 1901 census lists Henry Wilkins aged 50, a coffee house keeper, living at 11 Church Street, Woolwich with his wife Jane (49) and children Albert (23, machinist shell factory), Alice (21, shirt machinist), Ethel (19, cook domestic), Cecilia (called Bessie, 16, shirt machinist), Annie (15), Herbert (13), Gertrude (11) and Mabel (9). The site of 11 Church Street is now occupied by post war housing.

On 2^nd January 1910, Albert (aged 32, a tram conductor) married Beatrice Louisa Tothill (aged 24, born on the Old Kent Road in London, her father was a coachman) at St Michael and All Angels Church, Woolwich. 

Marriage register entry

The 1911 census shows the couple living in 3 rooms at 9 Vincent Terrace, Abbey Road, Abbey Wood. Albert’s occupation is given as a tramway conductor, employed by London County Council. Albert's grandson, Russell Wilkins, has the ticket holder that he used.

Albert was a witness on the parish record of the marriage of his sister Gertrude (my grandmother) in 1912. 

Albert aged about 40

In 1911 Albert’s father Henry left his business premises in Church Street and opened Dining Rooms at 14 Beresford Street, Woolwich. Albert and Beatrice took over the business after Henry died in 1915. They lived at 499 Abbey Road, Abbey Wood (Albert’s sister Gertrude was living at 503 Abbey Road in 1916). 

The 1921 census shows Albert (caterer, working at home) and Beatrice living at 14 Beresford Street. Also at this address were Jane Wilkins (69, Albert's widowed mother) and Florence Wilkins (18, caterer's assistant). Florence was Albert's niece, a daughter of Albert's sister Mary Cecilia Wilkins.

Electoral registers from 1923 to 1929 show Albert, Beatrice and Jane Wilkins at 14 Beresford Street.

Albert and Beatrice had a son, Albert Edward Wilkins, in 1923, when Albert was aged 45 and Beatrice was 38.

The photo above (taken c 1927) shows the Wilkins Dining Rooms in Beresford Street. The people standing in the doorway are (from left to right), Florence Graham nee Wilkins, Albert and his wife Beatrice. My father had memories of visiting the dining rooms when a child (after attending church at the Baptist Tabernacle opposite) and being given a meal by Beatrice (known to him as “Aunt Beat”).

Beatrice Louisa Wilkins nee Tothill

Albert Henry Wilkins died of heart failure on 31^st December 1928 aged 51 years. The probate index record for him shows that he left no will and that administration of his estate (valued at £498 4s 3d), was granted to his widow, Beatrice, who continued to run the business at 14 Beresford Street after his death. Jane Wilkins lived there until she passed away in 1934. 

In 1939 Beatrice (aged 54) married Thomas Charles Nicolls (aged 62). They are shown in the photo above. The 1939 national register shows Beatrice (a caterer) and Thomas (a steel sawyer) living at 14 Beresford St. My mother remembered visiting the dining rooms in 1940 with my father and that Aunt Beat gave them gifts of food that was rationed during the war. The LCC bomb damage map shows that properties nearby were completely destroyed during the war and that the Wilkins Dining Rooms suffered minor blast damage. Thomas Nicolls died in 1945. My parents kept in touch with Beatrice - she was a godmother to my sister Evelyn.

The photo above shows the redesigned front of the dining rooms at 14 Beresford Street after the war. Beatrice continued to run the business until 1951. Beresford Street has been redeveloped and the building that housed Henry’s / Albert’s / Beatrice’s dining rooms no longer exists. Beatrice also owned the Four Aces Snack Bar, which was where the ambulance station on the new ferry approach is now. 

Four Aces Snack Bar

Beatrice died in 1959 aged 73. Albert and Beatrice are buried in grave O/115 in Woolwich Cemetery. The headstone (which is in good condition) is inscribed

Sacred to the memory of ALBERT WILKINS. A dear devoted husband and father who was called beyond suddenly 31^st December 1928, aged 51 years. His life was all unselfishness, his end was peace, perfect peace. Also BEATRICE wife of the above, who died 16^th March 1959, aged 73 years

Herbert George Wilkins (1888-1951), cable maker

Herbert George Wilkins was a brother of my grandmother Gertrude Taylor nee Wilkins (1890-1919). Herbert signed Gertrude’s marriage certificate as a witness, so seems to have been close to his sister. However, I never heard his name mentioned by either my grandfather or father, so presumably they lost touch with him after her death.

Herbert was born on 10 Mar 1888 in Woolwich, the seventh of nine children born to Henry Wilkins (b1850 in Bethnal Green, London) and Jane Wilkins nee Cornwell (b1851 in Kelvedon, Essex).

The 1891 census shows Henry Wilkins aged 41, a grocer, living at 31 Kidd St (a shop), Woolwich Dockyard with his wife Jane (40) and their children Elizabeth (15), Albert (13), Alice (11), Ethel (9), Cecilia (7), Annie (5), Herbert (3) and Gertrude (1).

By 1901, the family were living at 11 Church St, Woolwich and consisted of Henry (aged 50, now a coffee house keeper), Jane (49), Albert (23), Alice (21), Ethel (19), Bessie (16), Annie (15), Herbert (13), Gertrude (11) and Mabel (9).

Herbert enlisted with the Army on 10^th November 1902 at Woolwich, aged 14 years and 8 months, signing on for 12 years with the Colours. His record can be viewed in the British Army WW1 Pensions database on the Ancestry website. He joined the Army Service Corps as a saddler. At this time the British Army relied on horses to move their equipment. Men were needed to look after and drive the horses. The file contains a note from Herbert’s father giving permission for his son to enlist. There is also a letter from the headmaster of Herbert’s school (St Michael’s Boys’ School, Woolwich) saying “He is thoroughly well behaved, industrious and likely to make a good soldier. When he left school he had passed the seventh standard.”

Herbert was stationed at Woolwich. His army rank changed from Boy to Driver on 10 March 1906 when he reached the age of 18. In September 1907 he was transferred to Dover, then to Shorncliffe in February 1908. On 18 December 1909, Herbert (aged 21) married Mary Allan Kennedy (aged 20, born in Silvertown, West Ham) at Woolwich Register Office.

 Herbert was transferred back to Dover in February 1910. The 1911 census shows him (aged 23, a driver harness maker in the Army Service Corps) and his wife Mary (aged 21) as boarders at 14 Oxenden St, Dover. He left the Army on 27 May 1911 at Dover. His transfer document gives his intended place of residence as 350 Albert Rd, North Woolwich and his desired employment was “Stacker in Automotive Works”.

The first child of Herbert and Mary was Herbert Bryce Wilkins, born 28 July 1911 in Woolwich. They went to have five more children namely John Kennedy (born 1914), Bessie M (born 1916, died the same year), Marjorie (born 1923), Mary (born 1925) and May (born 1929) Wilkins, all born in the Dartford registration district.

Herbert was at the wedding of my grandparents Gertrude Wilkins and William Taylor in 1912. The  photo below of Herbert is extracted from a group photo taken then.

Britain declared war on Germany on 4 August 1914 when Herbert (aged 26) was still in the Army Reserve. He was called up on 17 August 1914 and sent to France to serve in the Army Service Corps as part of the British Expeditionary Force. Army rules required Herbert to extend his period of service by 12 months if Britain was at war when the term of his enlistment expired. He was therefore obliged to stay in the Army until November 1915, which he did. Herbert was discharged from the Number 1 Depot Company of the Army Service Corps on 9 November 1915 at Aldershot. His rank was Driver (Saddler), age 28 years 8 months, height 5 feet 3 inches. His intended place of residence was 60 Stapley Road, Belvedere, Kent (which is in the Dartford registration district). Herbert’s discharge papers describe him as a “sober and reliable man, accustomed to care and management of horses” and his military character as “exemplary”. As a result of his war service, Herbert was awarded the 1914 Star, British War and Victory campaign medals.

Herbert in 1915

I have a newspaper clipping describing the funeral of my grandmother Gertrude Taylor nee Wilkins, who died of influenza in 1919. It says that Herbert and Mary were there.

The 1921 census shows Herbert (aged 33), Mary (30), Herbert (9) and John (7) Wilkins living at 60 Stapely Road, Upper Belvedere. Percy George Page (26) was also listed at the address as a boarder. Herbert was out of work, his last job being to operate a cable stranding machine for cable making at Callenders Cable & Construction Company, who had a factory in Lower Belvedere. Percy had a job at the same site.

Electoral registers show Herbert and Mary Wilkins living at 60 Stapley Road from 1919 to 1951. The house still exists and is a modest mid-terrace property. It is close to the The Fox pub and a parade of shops in Nuxley Road. Herbert and Mary’s children are also listed (when they had reached the age of 21) at this address - Herbert Bryce Wilkins 1934 to 1937, John Kennedy Wilkins 1935 to 1940, Marjorie 1945 to 1948, Mary in 1946 and 1947.

The national register compiled in 1939 shows Herbert, a copper wire winder at a cable works, living at 60 Stapley Road with his wife Mary and son John (a capstan lathe hand), daughter May (at school) and Percy G Page (a builder's labourer).

Marjorie Wilkins married George Frederick Marsh in 1947 at All Saints Church, Belvedere. The marriage register gives the occupation of her father (Herbert George Wilkins) as “Factory Hand”.

Herbert and Mary in 1947

Herbert and Mary’s youngest child May Wilkins married Ernest William May in 1948 and became May May ! The marriage was witnessed by Herbert who signed the marriage register. His occupation is given as “Cable Maker”. He probably worked for British Insulated Callenders Cables Ltd, which had been formed in 1945 from the merger of the Callender Cable and Construction Company with British Insulated Cables. May and Ernest lived at 60 Stapley Road after their marriage.

Herbert died on March 21st 1951 aged 63 in Belvedere. In 1952, his widow Mary married Percy George Page, a long term boarder at 60 Stapley Road. He was living there in 1921 and electoral registers show him at the address from 1932. Mary lived at 60 Stapley Road until she died in 1967 aged 77. Administration of her estate (£210) was granted to her daughters May and Marjorie.

Herbert is buried in Erith Cemetery, Brook Street, grave DD38. I visited the grave in 2015. 

Herbert's grave in 2015

The gravestone was inscribed

In Loving Memory of

Herbert G Wilkins 1951

Herbert B Wilkins 1955

Percy G Page 1961

Mary A Page 1967

Forever in our thoughts

Herbert B Wilkins was the eldest son of Herbert and Mary. The grave has recently been refurbished by Herbert's grandson Philip May.

The grave in 2018

May and Ernest May continued to live at 60 Stapley Road until 1973.

Gertrude Taylor nee Wilkins (1890-1919), victim of Spanish Flu

Gertrude Wilkins was my grandmother, the mother of my father, Eric William Taylor (1913-2003). She was born on 1 Feb 1890 in Woolwich Dockyard, the eighth of nine children born to Henry William Wilkins (b1850 in Bethnal Green, London) and Jane Wilkins nee Cornwell (b1851 in Kelvedon, Essex). The name given on her birth certificate is Gertrude Helen Wilkins. However, the middle name given on her marriage and death certificates is Amy, not Helen.

The 1891 census shows Henry Wilkins aged 41, a grocer, living at 31 Kidd St (a shop), Woolwich Dockyard with his wife Jane (40) and their children Elizabeth (15), Albert (13), Alice (11), Ethel (9), Cecilia (7), Annie (5), Herbert (3) and Gertrude (1).

By 1901, the family were living at 11 Church St, Woolwich and consisted of Henry (aged 50, now a coffee house keeper), Jane (49), Albert (23), Alice (21), Ethel (19), Bessie (16), Annie (15), Herbert (13), Gertrude (11) and Mabel (9).

Gertrude Wilkins aged 19

Gertrude was still living at 11 Church St in 1911. The census gives her age as 21 and her occupation as a rubber casing machine hand working for Siemens Brothers Electrical Works. Also at the address were her father Henry (62, a dining room keeper), mother Jane (59), sister Mabel (19) and niece Florence Wilkins (7). The return was completed by Gertrude, so I have a sample of her handwriting.

Gertrude married William Taylor on 26 May 1912 at the Holy Trinity Church, New Charlton, which is close to 7 West Street, where William lived. They were both aged 22. He was a labourer at the Royal Arsenal. The marriage was witnessed by Gertrude’s brothers Herbert and Albert. I have pictures of the wedding.

William and Gertrude lived at 22A George St, Woolwich then at 503 Abbey Road, Abbey Wood and later at 51 Charles St, Woolwich. They had three children, Eric William who was born in 1913, Vera Gertrude born in 1916 and Ronald Albert born in 1918.

Gertrude Taylor nee Wilkins

Gertrude died of influenza at the Miller Hospital in Greenwich on 19 February 1919 aged 29. The influenza pandemic of 1918-19 killed about 50 million people (more than the 25 million who died in World War I), the most devastating epidemic in recorded world history. More people died of influenza in a single year than in four years of the Black Death (Bubonic Plague) from 1347 to 1351. Known as "Spanish Flu" the influenza of 1918-19 was a global disaster. In these two years, a fifth of the world's population was infected. The flu was most deadly for people ages 20 to 40. This pattern of mortality was unusual for influenza, which is usually a killer of the elderly and young children. The influenza virus had a mortality rate at 2.5% compared to previous influenza epidemics, which were less than 0.1%. People were struck with illness and died rapid deaths. One anecdote from 1918 was of four women playing bridge together one evening. Overnight, three of the women died from influenza. Others told stories of people on their way to work suddenly developing the flu and dying within hours. The first cases of the influenza epidemic in Britain appeared in Glasgow in May 1918. It soon spread to other towns and cities and during the next few months the virus killed 228,000 people in Britain.

The following report appeared in The Kentish Independent newspaper dated 28 February 1919:

“The funeral took place at Plumstead Cemetery on Wednesday of Mrs W Taylor, the loving wife of Mr W Taylor, of 51 Charles Street, Woolwich (late of Abbey Wood). The last sad rites were conducted by the Rev. Faulkner Baily. The floral tributes were very beautiful and were sent by her sorrowing husband and children, Mrs H Wilkins¹ (mother), Mr and Mrs W Jenkins² (brother-in-law and sister), Mr and Mrs A Wilkins³ (brother and sister-in-law), Mrs Suter⁴ (sister), Mr and Mrs W Taylor⁵ (brother-in-law and sister), Mr and Mrs H Wilkins⁶ (brother and sister-in-law), Mr and Mrs L Barry⁷ (brother-in-law and sister), Mr and Mrs G Taylor⁸, Mr and Mrs Himbury⁹, Mr and Mrs E Taylor¹⁰, Mr and Mrs A Smith¹¹, Mr and Mrs C Taylor¹², Mr and Mrs W King¹³, Mr and Mrs S Taylor¹⁴, Florrie (niece), Aunt Mary and family, Daisy and Albert¹⁵, Mr and Mrs H Dimon¹⁶, Mr and Mrs Cook, Mrs Wain, Edie and Gertie, and old neighbours of Abbey Wood. Mr Taylor wishes to thank all those who sent wreaths and letters of sympathy in his sad bereavement.”

Gertrude was buried on 25 February 1919 in grave 289, Plot M. I have located it within Plumstead cemetery, which is still in use and well maintained. There is no headstone or stonework on the grave, which is grassed over.

Notes

1. Jane Wilkins nee Cornwell (1851 - 1934)

2. Walter Hugh and Elizabeth Jane Jenkins nee Wilkins (b1876)

3. Albert Henry (b1877) and Beatrice Louisa Wilkins (Aunt Beat)

4. Mrs Suter was born Ethel Wilkins in 1881. Her husband William Henry Suter died in 1914. Her son Herbert William Suter died of influenza on February 12^th 1919 aged 12, a week before Gertrude. They are both buried in a plot near her. Ethel became William Taylor’s second wife in 1920.

5. William and Cecilia Mary (Bessie) Taylor nee Wilkins (b1884)

6. Herbert George (b1888) and Mary Allan Wilkins nee Kennedy

7. Lawrence and Mabel Barry nee Wilkins (b1891)

8. George Taylor (b1877, William’s brother) and Kate Elizabeth nee Lambert

9. Edwin Alfred and Harriet Jane Himbury nee Taylor (b1881, William’s sister)

10. Ernest Edward (b1879, William’s brother) and Annie Edith Taylor nee Bradley

11. Alfred Charles and Margaret Ellen Smith nee Taylor (b1887, William’s sister)

12. Charles (b1885, William’s brother) and Ellen Maria Taylor nee Holder

13. James William and May King nee Taylor (b1894, William’s sister)

14. Samuel Taylor (b1892, William’s brother) and his wife
15. Daisy and Albert Finnis (Daisy was a sister of Beatrice Louisa Wilkins nee Tothill)
16. Harold Vincent and Maud Emily Dimon, friends of the Wilkins family