Group photo from 1912 wedding between William Taylor and Gertude Wilkins

Russell Wilkins has shown me a copy of this picture from his late father's album. His photo has notes on the back identifying most of the adults in it. I have incorporated this info into the text below.

The wedding was 26 May 1912 at Holy Trinity Church, New Charlton. William (aged 22) and Gertrude (22) are in the front row, third and second from the right.

William Taylor was the 5^th of 7 children and had 3 brothers and 3 sisters. Gertrude Wilkins was the 8^th of 9 children and had 2 brothers and 6 sisters. The group seems to be mostly (perhaps all) members and friends of Gertrude’s family.

Other people in the group are :

Man in front row next to William – Herbert George Wilkins (aged 24)

Man in back row, second from left – Albert Henry Wilkins (34)

Herbert and Albert were Gertrude’s brothers and both witnessed the marriage certificate.

Old lady in front row on left – Gertrude’s mother Jane Wilkins nee Cornwell (60).

Woman in front row on right - Mabel Wilkins (20), Gertrude’s youngest sister.

Short woman in second row standing between Jane and Herbert Wilkins – Beatrice Louisa Wilkins nee Tothill (26), the wife of Albert Henry Wilkins.
Woman in second row on left - Daisy Gertrude M Tothill (24), a sister of Beatrice. Daisy married Albert E Finnis later in 1912.
Girl in back row next to Albert Henry Wilkins - Florence Wilkins (9), a daughter of Cecilia Mary Wilkins, who was a sister of Gertrude.
Woman in second row next to Beatrice - Maud Emily Dimon nee Slade (36), a Wilkins family friend. 

Woman in middle of second row, standing between Herbert and William – probably Ethel Suter nee Wilkins (30), Gertrude’s sister who later became William’s second wife after Gertrude died in 1919.

Woman on right hand side of second row – Mary Allen (known as Polly) Wilkins, wife of Herbert.

The other two adults in the group are standing third and second from the right in the second row. They could be Elizabeth Jane Jenkins nee Wilkins (36), who was Gertrude's eldest sister, and her husband Walter Hugh Jenkins (37). The man is holding a baby who could be their son, Stanley Hugh Jenkins, who was born in 1911.  

Henry Wilkins (1851-1915), grocer and coffee house keeper.

I have recently made contact with Russell Wilkins, who is a second cousin to me - he is a grandson of Albert Henry Wilkins (1877-1928). Russell has kindly provided some photos of Henry Wilkins and his wife Jane, which I have included in the article below. 

Henry Wilkins was my great grandfather. He was the father of Gertrude Amy Taylor nee Wilkins (1890-1919), who was the mother of Eric William Taylor (1913-2003), my father. Henry's name is given as Henry William Wilkins on Gertude’s marriage certificate and as Henry Albert Wilkins on the register for the marriage of his daughter Ethel. It is given as Henry Wilkins in all other records I have found.

Henry was born in about 1851 in Bethnal Green. His birth does not seem to have been registered and I can find no record of his baptism. Henry’s father was Henry Wilkins, who was born 1825 in Bethnal Green. His mother Sarah (nee Perryman), was born 1826 in Mile End, London. Henry was the second of their eight children.

The 1861 census shows Henry Wilkins senior (aged 35, a cats meat dealer) living at 9 Sussex Place, Plumstead with his wife Sarah (34) and their children Sarah (10), Henry (8), William (5), Thomas (3) and Alfred (1).

In 1871 the family, consisting of Henry Wilkins senior (47, a street hawker), Sarah (47), Henry (20, a street hawker), William (17, a street hawker), Thomas (14), Alfred (13) and Ann (10) were living at 6 Taylor St, Woolwich. The house was near Woolwich Arsenal station but no longer exists.

On 28 October 1875, Henry married Jane Cornwell (from Kelvedon in Essex) at St Andrews Church, Islington. They were both listed as aged 24. Henry’s occupation is given as provision merchant. The church where they married still stands. It is in Thornhill Square, an area of Islington which still contains Victorian houses, most of which are in good condition.

Jane and Henry Wilkins

Henry and Jane’s first child, Elizabeth Jane was born on March 30th 1876 in Kelvedon, Essex. The dates indicate that Jane was pregnant when she married. Their next child Albert Henry, was born on the 26^th December 1877. The family were then living at 13 Whitworth Place, Plumstead. Henry’s occupation is given as a fresh meat dealer. The rest of their children were Alice Annie (born 1879), Ethel (born 1881), Cecilia Mary (born 1884), Annie Louisa (born 1886), Herbert George (born 1888), Gertrude Amy (born 1890) and Mabel (born 1891), all born in Woolwich.

Parish records show that the family was still living at 13 Whitworth Place, Plumstead, when Albert Henry Wilkins was baptized on 27 Jan 1878 but had moved to 21 Prospect Place, Woolwich by the time Alice Annie was baptized on 16 Nov 1879. The 1881 census shows Henry Wilkins aged 29, a greengrocer and dairyman, living at 21 Prospect Place with his wife Jane (29) and their children Elizabeth (5), Albert (3) and Alice (1). They were still at this address on 24 Feb 1884 when Cecilia Mary was baptized.

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 Greenwich Heritage Centre has Kelly's Directories for Woolwich. The earliest one they have is 1893 which lists Mrs Sarah Wilkins, Greengrocer, at 31 Kidd Street (Sarah Wilkins was Henry‘s mother – so it seems that Henry worked for the family business in 1891). The same entry appears every year until 1900. From 1901 to 1911 there are entries for Henry Wilkins, Dining Rooms at 11 Church Street, Woolwich Dockyard.

Jane Wilkins nee Cornwell in about 1900

The 1901 census lists Henry Wilkins aged 50, a coffee house keeper, living at 11 Church Street 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.

Henry's mother Sarah died in Wandsworth on 19 August 1908. The death record gives her age as 84, although her date of birth indicates that it was 82. She is buried in Woolwich Cemetery in the same grave (U 87) as her daughter Annie (1862-1884). There is no marker on the grave (many of the gravestones in this cemetery have been cleared away).

Henry and his family were still living at 11 Church St in 1911. The household consisted of Henry (62, a dining room keeper), Jane (59), their daughters Gertrude (21) and Mabel (19) who were both rubber casing machine hands at Siemen’s Brothers Electrical Works and their granddaughter Florence Wilkins (7). Florence (born in 1903 when her mother was 19) was an illegitimate child of Henry’s daughter Cecilia Mary Wilkins. It is perhaps surprising that she wasn’t with her mother who married in 1905 and was living with her husband and their two daughters at 13 Gough St, Woolwich in 1911. The census return says that nine children were born to Henry and Jane of which eight were still living (their daughter Alice Annie died in 1910). The number of rooms the family occupied at 11 Church St is given as four. In 1901 ten people were living at this address, which must have been a squeeze !

The Kelly’s Directories for 1912 to 1916, show entries for Henry Wilkins, Dining Rooms at 14 Beresford Street, Woolwich. This is close to the main entrance to Woolwich Arsenal, which must have been good for business. There are no directories for 1917 to 1919, the next available ones being for 1920 and 1923, which list Albert Wilkins, Dining Rooms at 14 Beresford St (Albert was Henry‘s eldest son). The electoral register for 1914-15 lists Henry Wilkins as living at 14 Beresford Street. There are no more registers until 1919, when Beatrice Wilkins (Albert’s wife) is listed at the address.

The Wilkins Dining Rooms in Beresford Street, with Henry standing in the doorway. The photo was taken between 1912 and 1915.

Henry died on 15 July 1915 in Woolwich. The death register gives his age at death as 66. The following item was published in the Kentish Independent dated 23 July 1915.

Henry's wife Jane appears in the 1932 electoral register living with Beatrice Wilkins at 14 Beresford Street, but not at this address in 1933. Jane died 12 December 1934 aged 84. Both Henry and Jane were buried in Plumstead cemetery in grave K2058, together with their daughter Alice Sowersby nee Wilkins, who died in 1910 aged 30. I have located the plot, which is grassed over – there is no headstone or stonework.

Ancestor Chart

If you are related to me and would like a chart (for free) showing the names, dates and occupations of your Taylor / Wilkins / Cornwell ancestors, please send me an email on PhilT42LQS@Yahoo.co.uk.

Phil Taylor

Betty Ethel Manley nee Taylor (1921-94)

Betty Ethel Manley nee Taylor was a half-sister of my father, Eric William Taylor, who both had the same father, William Taylor. Eric’s mother (Gertrude) was William’s first wife who died in the influenza pandemic in 1919. She was a younger sister of Betty’s mother (Ethel).

Betty was born on 31 December 1921 in Woolwich, the only child from the marriage of William Taylor to his second wife Ethel Suter nee Wilkins. William and his family lived at 16 Brewer St, Woolwich. 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 electoral register shows William living at the address from 1921 until 1933.

Betty recounted that, as a small child, she slept in a room full of “knocked off” goods from the dockyard. One of her earliest memories was of her father taking the labels off stolen canned food (stored under her bed) to resell !  She also remembered seeing big, boxed dolls one Christmas, but she was not allowed to have one, just the usual piece of coal, a satsuma, some nuts and a coin.  The only real present she remembered receiving was a watch from her elder half-brother Eric for a birthday.

Ethel (Betty’s mother) died on New Years Day 1933 aged 51 when Betty was 11. She then brought up herself with help from her half -sister Doris Suter, who lived in Seddlescombe, a small rural village in Sussex. When Betty was about 15, her father (William) found her a flat in Woolwich above a greengrocer’s shop. William married Eleanor Mary Bateman (known as Nell or Nellie) in 1938 when Betty was 16. One morning he produced a little box with a ring inside it and told Betty "I am going to marry Nell today". Betty was surprised and also hurt that she wasn’t invited.

     

Before the war Betty was apprenticed to a tailor, a skill she kept all her life. With the onset of World War II she went to work in a factory making swivel eyes (aircraft parts), which is where she met her future husband Frederick Cecil Manley.  He was an engineer by trade and as such, kept at home during the war. Fred was Betty’s foreman and he used to come her bench and help her knock out a nights work and then they would spend the rest of the night in the broom cupboard ! 

 Betty, as a young woman

Betty was a bridesmaid at the wedding of her half-brother Eric to Grace Ivall (my parents) in Cambridge on 12 Feb 1944. Betty was also a witness on the wedding certificate. Her address at this time was 1A Conduit Way, Stonebridge Park, Willesden, London NW10.

When the war was over Fred was called up (to the RAF) and he decided that they should marry on his return.  However, Betty and Fred had a row about the wedding arrangements.  Betty did not hear from him for several days but he eventually returned, complete with a special license and they were married on 30 November 1946 at All Hallows Church, Greenford, West London. He was aged 25 and she was 24. The witnesses were Betty’s father William and her half- brother Eric.

Initially the couple lived with Betty’s half sister Vera and her husband Frank but their first home together was Orchard Cottage, a rented property in the grounds of a large house in the village of Seddlescombe, East Sussex. They moved here to be near Betty’s half-sister Doris and husband Arthur Moore. He and Fred started a bakery machinery servicing business. Betty and Fred’s first two daughters were born in Seddlescombe. Eventually the large house was acquired by the Pestalozzi Children’s Village and the cottage was required for staff quarters. By this time Doris and her family had moved to Emsworth in Hampshire, where their third daughter was born.  Betty and Fred brought a bungalow here in 1958 for £1800.  In 1971 Fred died of lung cancer leaving Betty to bring up her three daughters alone. She knocked five years off her age and obtained a job in a factory making seatbelts for Ford cars. 

In 1981, when Betty was 59, she had a stroke from which she never fully recovered.  However she did improve sufficiently to live on her own and continue with a full and active life.  She was a well known figure in Emsworth riding a large adult three wheel tricycle around the village causing traffic chaos!!

 

 Betty in 1988

Having had three daughters but always wanted a son, Betty was delighted to be presented with a first grandson in 1989 and despite her disabilities she was a very hands on Grandma. She suffered a major heart attack in June 1994 and died on 2 July aged 72.

Eric William Taylor (1913-2003), local government officer

Eric Taylor was my father. This profile contains information he told me, from my mother’s life story and from family history research.

Eric was born on 31 August 1913 in Woolwich, the eldest child of William and Gertrude Taylor. He was baptised at Holy Trinity Church, New Charlton on 19 October 1913. William and Gertrude later had two other children namely Vera Gertrude (1916-2002) and Ronald Albert (1918-88).

Gertrude, Eric’s mother, died of influenza in 1919 when he was aged 5. His father married Ethel, Gertrude’s elder sister, in 1920. They had a daughter, Betty Ethel in 1921. The family lived at 16 Brewer St, Woolwich until 1933.

When he was a child, Eric used to spend holidays in Sedlescombe (a village in Sussex) with Doris (b1903), Ethel’s daughter from her first marriage, who was married to a car mechanic. He used to cycle there on his own – quite a distance !

Eric was a bright boy and won a scholarship to Shooter’s Hill Grammar School. The admissions register of the school shows that he started there on 29 Sep 1924 (when he was 11) and left on 13 March 1931 (when he was 17½). I have a leather bound dictionary given to Eric in July 1928 as a school prize for Geography. He passed the London County Council (LCC) entrance exam and started work at County Hall in Central London, becoming a wages clerk.

Ethel, Eric’s stepmother, died in 1933. William Taylor and his family then moved 105 Brookhill Road, Woolwich. He got married again in 1938 to Eleanor Mary Bateman, a widow with four children from her first marriage. They all moved to 116 Sandy Hill Road, Woolwich in 1938.

The 1939 register shows Eric (a LCC general grade assistant) living at 116 Sandy Hill with his father William (a labourer, munitions work), stepmother Eleanor, brother Ronald (a grocery porter) and stepsister Constance L Bateman (a glass operative). There is also a closed record, which is presumably Eric's half sister Betty (born in 1921).

Eric met his future wife, Grace Evelyn Ivall (who also worked at County Hall) at an office dance in April 1940.

I obtained Eric’s war record from the Army after my father’s death. Eric joined the Home Guard in June 1940. He was enlisted into the Army on 22 October 1940 aged 27. He joined the Royal Artillery and was posted to the 907 Defence Battery at Southend on 20 November 1940. He spent the next 18 months in East Anglia and when granted leave he would hitch hike to visit Grace, who by then was living in Cambridge. Eric was appointed Unit Clerk Class IIIb on 12 April 1942. He was subsequently sent to North Africa, travelling on a troop ship that left England on 14 July 1942, sailing via Cape Town and arriving at Egypt on 3 September 1942. This was at a time that German U-boats were sinking a lot of shipping, so it must have been an interesting journey ! Eric was in a gun crew in the Eighth Army that fought under General Montgomery and won the battle of El Alamein, 23 October to 2 November 1942, one of the first allied victories and a turning point in the war. The German and Italian Armies were subsequently driven out of North Africa. The allies invaded Sicily on 10 July 1943 and the fighting to capture the island was over by 17 August. Eric was in Sicily between 17 July and 28 August 1943. He then returned to North Africa and was later sent back to the UK, embarking on 27 November 1943 and arriving on 9 December 1943.

Eric married Grace Evelyn Ivall on 12 February 1944 at the Church of St Andrew the Great in Cambridge. He was aged 30 and she was 22. The witnesses on the marriage certificate were Eric’s half sister Betty (who was also a bridesmaid) and Albert Ivall (Grace’s uncle). Grace was working as a St John’s Ambulance nurse at the Gresham Road Convalescent Home in Cambridge. I have a wedding photo showing the other nurses holding up splints to form an arch for them to walk through. They had a short honeymoon in Lyme Regis.

Eric and Grace in about 1944

Soon after his marriage, Eric fell ill with malaria that he had caught in North Africa or Sicily. He was admitted to Colchester Military Hospital (in Black Notley) on 7 March 1944.and discharged to the Gresham Road Convalescent Home on 20 March 1944, where he stayed until 20 April 1944 when he was sent back to his unit, the 64^th Medium Regiment R.A. On his return, he was promoted from Gunner to Lance Bombardier. He had another attack of malaria and was admitted to Colchester Military Hospital on 13 May 1944, returning to his unit on 5 June 1944, the day before D-Day. Eric was sent to Normandy on 8 July 1944 and later took part in the fighting in France, Belgium, Holland and Germany. He received a head wound on 12 December 1944 and was wounded again on 13 March 1945 but both times remained on duty. After Germany surrendered on 7 May 1945, Eric was part of the occupation force in Germany. He was promoted to Sergeant on 4 January 1946 and was sent to back the UK on 21 February 1946. Eric’s discharge paper stamped 26 February 1946 describes his military conduct as exemplary and his commanding officer has written “An exceptionally hardworking and sober NCO. He has a first class brain, plenty of initiative and is an extremely efficient organiser. I consider that he should have held commissioned rank.”

After he was discharged from the army, Eric had three months leave, which he spent in Cambridge with his wife at her mother’s house, 33 Paradise Street. Eric then returned to work with the LCC (who had made up his army pay to his full salary during the war). He and Grace stayed with Alec Henderson (who also worked at the LCC) and his wife Betty in Potter’s Bar, North London for a few months and then bought 309 Parkside Avenue, Barnehurst in September 1946 for £1,195. The house was a mid terrace house built in the 1930’s. Parkside Avenue was a long straight road and 309 was about a mile from Barnehurst Station. Eric walked there to catch a train to work (County Hall is close to Waterloo Station).

In 1949 their daughter Evelyn was born and in 1953 a son, Philip (me). In 1957, Eric and his family moved to 92 Barnehurst Avenue, which was a detached house with a large garden. They lived there for forty years. In 1958, Grace’s widowed mother came to live with them (she had the downstairs front room as her own). She was disabled as a result of a fall and broken hip joint and stayed at Barnehurst Avenue until her death in 1970.

Eric had a successful career with the LCC (which became the Greater London Council). He rose to a senior managerial role in the Highways and Transportation Department, working in the section that organised road improvements. In 1977 he was awarded the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Medal for Outstanding Service. He retired in 1978, aged 65, having worked for the LCC / GLC for 47 years.

When living at Barnehurst Avenue, Grace and Eric kept their garden in first class condition – it won prizes in the “Bexley in Bloom” competition. Eric produced large amounts of fruit and vegetables in the garden and he grew pot plants in a conservatory. Other interests included botany, classical music and history. Grace and Eric attended evening classes on these subjects over many years. They also enjoyed walking in the countryside.

Grace and Eric in their garden at 92 Barnehurst Avenue, c 1990.

Eric had an active retirement until his health deteriorated in the last five years of his life. In 1997, Grace and Eric moved to 24 Fern Court, Bexleyheath, a flat in a block designed for retired people. A combination of medical problems  resulted in Eric becoming less physically and mentally able and he died of bronchopneumonia at Queen Mary’s Hospital, Sidcup on 28^th May 2003 aged 89.

Ernest Edward Taylor (1879-1944), explosives worker

My grandfather William Taylor had nine siblings (six brothers and three sisters). However, he doesn’t seem to have had much to do with them during the latter part of his life. I am trying to find out what I can about their lives. Ernest Edward Taylor was one of my grandfather’s elder brothers.

His birth certificate shows that Ernest was born on 28^th March 1879 at Weedon Barracks, Northamptonshire. His father George Taylor was a bombardier in the 4^th Brigade, Royal Artillery. Ernest’s mother was George’s wife Margaret Taylor nee Smiles. George was posted to Woolwich, where Ernest was baptised at St Mary Magdalene, Woolwich on 26 November 1880. George was then sent to India (where his daughter Harriet Jane was born in 1881) then back to Woolwich (where his son Charles was born in 1885). I don’t know whether Ernest went to India with his parents.

It appears that George left the army in 1886 and the family moved to Charlton. The 1891 census shows George Taylor (aged 41, a labourer) and Margaret (36) living at 9 West Street, Charlton with their children George (14), Ernest (12), Harriet (9), Charles (6), Margaret (4) and Thomas (2) and William (10 months). This was an area of poor housing.

In 1900, Ernest married a local girl Annie Edith Bradley (born in Charlton) in Woolwich. He was aged 21, she was 22. The 1901 census shows them living at 74 Church Street, Woolwich. Ernest’s occupation was general labourer.

By 1911, they were living in 3 rooms at 17 Monk Street, Woolwich. Ernest, aged 32, was an explosives worker at Woolwich Arsenal. The census return says that they had one child who had died. In 1916 they had another child, Hazel Marion Florette Taylor, who was born in Woolwich. 

Electoral registers show Ernest and Annie living at 15 Woolwich Common in 1919. 

The 1921 census shows Ernest (aged 42) living at 310 High Street, Plumstead with his wife Annie (43) and daughter Hazel (5). Ernest was a “Technical foreman, explosives” at the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich. Also living at the address was Annie’s sister Florence Lily Atley (31), her husband William Henry Atley (27, a cable worker at Siemens Bros, electrical engineers, Woolwich) and their children William Edward (3) and Florence Lily (1). Also listed are Jane Bradley (72), Annie’s mother. Also, Ralph Edward Winter (22), who was an orphan and is described as Ernest’s adopted brother. Finally, Alice Wood (44), a visitor. The house (which is opposite St Nicholas Gardens) still exists.

The next record I can find of them is not until 1932, when Electoral Registers show Annie (but not Ernest) living at 310 Plumstead High Street. Annie and Ernest were at this address from 1935 to 1938. That year their daughter Hazel (by then of voting age) is also listed with them. She married Frank A Thouless in 1939.

The 1939 Register shows Annie living at 310 Plumstead High Street with her sister Florence Atley plus Florence's husband William and their two children. I can't find Ernest in the Register.

Ernest died on 16^th Aug 1944 in Hammersmith Hospital aged 65 and was buried in grave H / 1334 in Plumstead Cemetery. Annie died in 1953 (also in Hammersmith) aged 75 and was buried in the same grave, which has no stonework on it.

Stanley Hugh Jenkins (1911-44), RAFVR flight engineer who died in WW2

Stanley was a son of Elizabeth Jane Jenkins nee Wilkins (1876-1953), who was the eldest sibling of my grandmother Gertrude Taylor nee Wilkins. He was therefore a cousin of my father.

On 26^th March 1900, Elizabeth Jane Wilkins married Walter Hugh Jenkins at St Thomas, Charlton. She was aged 23, he was 24, born in Plumstead, a son of William Henry Jenkins, a blacksmith. Walter’s occupation was given as machinist on the marriage register. The witnesses were Elizabeth’s brother Albert and sister Ethel. Walter’s occupation was given as bookkeeper in the 1901 census and their address was 11 Elm Street, Plumstead.

The 1911 census shows Walter (35, a bookkeeping clerk at the Royal Arsenal) and Elizabeth (35) living in three rooms at 17 Piedmont Road, Plumstead. The census return says that they had two children but that both had died before the census date. One of these was Walter Leslie Jenkins, who died in 1907 aged 3. Elizabeth later had two more children, Stanley Hugh Jenkins (born May 16th 1911) and Winifred Jenkins (born April 11th 1913).

Walter Jenkins died in 1920 aged 44, when Stanley was aged 8. The 1921 census shows Elizabeth Jenkins (aged 44, a widow) at 17 Piedmont Road with her children Stanley (10) and Winifred (8). There is no occupation listed for Elizabeth, so it is not clear how she had enough money to support her family

Electoral registers show that Elizabeth continued to live at 17 Piedmont Road with her children. Stanley is listed at the address from 1933 (when he reached the age of 21) and Winifred from 1937. The 1939 national register shows Elizabeth Jenkins living at 17 Piedmont Road with her children Stanley (a vehicle builder) and Winifred (a florist). Winifred married Norman William Sutch in 1943 in Woolwich.

Stanley joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (RAFVR), which was formed in July 1936. The object was to provide a reserve of aircrew for use in the event of war. By September 1939, the RAFVR comprised 6,646 Pilots, 1,625 Observers and 1,946 Wireless Operators. When war broke out the Air Ministry employed the RAFVR as the principal means for aircrew entry to serve with the RAF. A civilian volunteer on being accepted for aircrew training took an oath of allegiance ('attestation') and was then inducted in to the RAFVR. Normally he returned to his civilian job for several months until he was called up for aircrew training. During this waiting period he could wear a silver RAFVR lapel badge to indicate his status. By the end of 1941 more than half of Bomber Command aircrew were members of the RAFVR. Eventually of the "RAF" aircrew in the Command probably more than 95% were serving members of the RAFVR.

WW2 service records have not yet been made public so I don’t have full details of Stanley’s time in the RAFVR. However, I do know that he was a Sergeant and served in 578 Squadron as a flight engineer. 578 Squadron was formed at RAF Snaith, East Riding of Yorkshire on 14 January 1944. It transferred to RAF Burn, North Yorkshire in February 1944 and was disbanded there on 15 April 1945. It was equipped with Halifax Mk III bombers which had four Hercules engines and a crew of seven - pilot, navigator, wireless operator, bomb aimer, flight engineer and two gunners - mid-upper and rear. 578 Squadron carried out 2,721 operational sorties with the Halifax for a loss of 219 aircrew and 40 aircraft.

On the right hand side of the Halifax cockpit was a fold down seat that the flight engineer used. The centre mounted throttles could be reached by both the pilot and flight engineer. On take-off, the flight engineer handled these while the pilot concentrated on keeping the heavily laden aircraft straight. The flight engineer was there to assist the pilot, monitor the engines and fuel levels and transfer fuel to maintain the balance of the aircraft.

Halifax Mk III bomber

The 578 Squadron Association have supplied me with information on five operations that Stanley took part in during 1944, including 3 attacks on Berlin and one on Leipzig. On 15/16th March 1944, the squadron attacked Stuttgart. It was a night raid, the planes took off at 18.52 on the 15^th. Stanley’s Halifax bomber later returned having completed its mission, but went out of control within sight of RAF Burn airfield and crashed at Selby Brickworks, killing him and most of the other crew. Only the navigator and wireless operator survived. The cause of the crash was never established. Stanley died on 16^th March 1944 aged 32 and is buried in a war grave in Harrogate (Stonefall) Cemetery.

The grave is inscribed

126234 SERGEANT

S H JENKINS

FLIGHT ENGINEER

ROYAL AIR FORCE

16TH MARCH 1944 AGE 32

DUTY DONE

RIP

There are 988 WW2 burials in this cemetery, nearly all of airmen. Probate records show that Stanley’s mother was granted administration of his estate (£545).

Elizabeth Jenkins lived at 17 Piedmont Road until her death on 28 April 1953 aged 77. She was buried in Plumstead Cemetery in the same grave (K / 2222) as her husband. Probate on Elizabeth’s estate (£2001) was granted to her daughter Winifred, who died in 1981 (in Tunbridge Wells) aged 68. As far as I can tell, Winifred had no children.