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I am still trying to find a photo of my grandfather Thomas James Huckins. He married Maud Strong (not my grandmother) and they emigrated to Sydney in 1916.. They had no children, according to his death certificate. He had a long career in the police both here and in Sydney. He also was in the 1914-18 war in the Australian army. Surely someone out there knows of him and has his photo? I live in hope. I managed to get his police service records but no photo! Any advice please?

Do you have his army service records as they are on the honouringanzacs website?

Dea x

There are other people on Genes who have this person in their trees. Have you contacted them? They may be descendants who have photos or know where you might find one.

Use the "search" facility to find them.

You also have to remember that lots of people from that era never had their photo taken so there may not be a photo to find.

Kath. x

Hello Dea and Kath. I will do another tree search as somebody new may have come on in the past five years. I did manage to trace a nephew of his who had no contact since the 1940's - and no photo. I would have thought that the couple would have sent pictures of themselves back to England from their new tropical home!
No Dea - I have not got his Oz military record. I will go on that site you mentioned now.
Thanks both.

This is the link (if it works) then you click on 'view records'

http://honouringanzacs.net.au/view-anzac-searched.php?aid=340523&anzactype=4&search_text=Huckins,%20Thomas%20James

Dea x

P.S. - No photo though but there is a physical description

Dea x

Thanks Dea. I am onto it now!

Did you find anythng of interest Jennifer ???

Dea Xxcx

Yes Dea - quite a bit thanks. No photo though. He was in Galipoli briefly before coming down with dysentry. The man left Oxfordshire to go to London & join the Metropolitan Police at Hampstead police station a few years prior to the 1911 census being taken. At that time my grandmother (Emma Georgina Remmers) became a widow when her police sergeant husband died in his early 50's. To make ends meet she took a couple of lodgers from the police station, one of whom was Thomas Huckins. He had a relationship with his landlady and she got pregnant with my mother Gertude May Huckins Remmers born May 1912. She had no idea about this and only found out that she was illegitimate when she applied for her birth cert to marry my father in 1936. Now we do not know if he knew about his daughter. Possibly did know but my gran was nearly 40 then and he was 23 so maybe it was not a long term possibility. In the army records I have ust looked at today I see that he actually came back to Hampstead and was a patient in New End Hospital when he got dysentry. My mum would have been a toddler by then and the hospital was very near where his former home had been. I think he ran off to Oz to escape his responsibilities then WW1 broke out and he joined up in Oz. In 1916 he married Maud Strong (I( have the cert) yet it describes him as married in 1914 in the army papers. So did he marry someone else before her? On his death cert it describes him as having no issue! My Mum, me, my two sons and six grandkids are his issue! So yes thanks Dea, plenty to think about.

Also, from his physical description it makes me think that my mum and me and one of my sons look like him - the tall gene and the fair skin blue eyes etc. Though his genes must be fairly watered down by now! thanks again. Jen.x

Hi Jen

Maud Lilian died about 7 months after Thomas. If you go to this site

http://investigator.records.nsw.gov.au/Search.aspx

and enter Huckins
you will see the probate packets that are available for both of them. It might be worth purchasing Maud's and it will cost you $49 (which is about 25 pounds.
I assume that Thomas left everything to Maud and you could find out who she made her will out to as they may have gotten personal items that may include photos. It's worth a try even though it is almost 50 years ago!
Thomas' army records at enlistment show that he is not married in 1914 and his mother was his next of kin. When he married Maud in 1916 he had his records updated to show Maud as next of kin. I don't believe he was married before.

Good luck!

Karin

Hi again

If you go to Trove digitised newspapers in Australia

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper

type in Constable Huckins and restrict search to New South Wales you'll find some articles about his police work.

Karin

There is only one marriage on Findmypast for Thomas J. Huckins and that is to Maude in 1916.

Kath. x

Hi Karin, Thanks for that. The informant on Thomas's death certificate was a neighbour so poor Maud must have been in hospital. I had a friend in Sydney go and look at the house in Parramata but it had been demolished by then. I agree it is worth a shot - in the absence of anything else. She may have let her money to the cats' home of course. Goodness knows how I can do this but maybe I will elicit help from a more knowledgeable person on transferring money.
regards
jen

Jen

There is the option of paying on line if you want.

Another thought - there are 9 Huckins listed in the White Pages phone directory in Australia. One of them may be a relation so you could write or phone to try and find a connection to you.

Karin

Going off now but glad you found it of help !

Dea Xxx

Thanks Dea. I am busy looking at the newsaper archives. It seems granddaddy was a brave lad.
regards
jen

Just thought I would tell you that I have today posted letters to all the Huckins families in Australia. Maybe someone will answer me? I live in hope! Thanks to you all. :-)

I do hope you make contact with someone connected Jennifer.

Please come back to this thread and let us know if you do.

Good luck,

Dea x

No replies yet from all the Huckins families in Oz. Maybe I'll get something soon. In tfhe meantime could anyone tell me the names of her siblings. Her father was Henry William Strong a bricklayer. She was Maude LIlian Strong born 1888. She married my grandfather 1st April 1916 in Bracknell Berkshire. Maybe I can trace descendants of hr siblings? I am reluctant to give up yet! Any help appreciated - as always!
jennifer

STRONG MAUD LILIAN 1887 — 1887 England & Wales births 1837-2006 Croydon, Surrey, England