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So why is this not his death which you have already been given?

Name: Charlie B Wells
Birth Date: 29 Oct 1917
Date of registration: Jun 1990
Age at Death: 72
Registration district: Nuneaton and Bedworth
Inferred County: Warwickshire
Volume: 31
Page: 169

There was only one Charlie B Wells born that I can see reg dec 1917

Hi

As an ex WRAF I know AC2 was a very old rank

AC1 aircraftsman 1 (first rank)
AC2 would be the second rank he could be. The numbers I don't recognise. All service numbers when I was in had a letter first.

That rank had already gone a long time before I joined and replaced by leading aircraftsman so as we're going back that far would suggest that it's his service number which could be important in finding out if he died when in the RAF.

Correct way to write it is
Service number, then rank, then surname followed by given names if you have to send any correspondence.

Pat

local council run homes moved childen on elsewhere when space was getting crowded,,,,,a child could be moved from one end of the country to another,,,,,,,also,

up till the 1960s charities such as Barnados were shipping children to Australia &Canada,,,,,,,,and in lots of circumstances without any parental permission or a parent hoodwinked into signing forms they just didnt understand or were never shown the full contents of,,,,,,,,

dont leave it an age to start as 1938 is a good few years ago now,,,,

My father's father was Charles Barrett Wells who was an Electric Welder in the RAF (A.C.2/100385). I don't know what the letters/initials stand for. They lived at 8Yard, 1 Purwell Lane, Batley. I think Charlie's middle name was in fact his mother's maiden name. This certainly backs up the story that he died in Singapore....

Thanks - I'm trying to stay upbeat, I knew this was going to be hard to crack,, there's no way I cannot do this with people like you helping me. My wife is on her way back from my fathers house as we speak and has text to say she has got some info from him so I will keep you posted. Definitely going to try Bernados - I had already considered hem but thought that because the home wasn't run by Bernados they wouldn't be able to help.

How about your father contact DR Barnados as he is a sibling he will get a priority search done of their records its worth a try,,,,,and a free service for siblings,
he will need to request an application from from them......they also hold records of if a child was rehomed for adoption....they run children homes all over,and often was known under another name,,,,,,,such as ??? House/Grange or the like......

Tanners Lane,
Barking Side
Ilford
Essex
IG6--1QG.

Yes, Preston came up as a possible local marriage for Jacqueline on freebmd, but as her surname is not too uncommon there was always the chance it was wrong, which was why I only gave you Sandra's details as that looked more promising.

Not sure I'd rule out the maternal connection to Jacqueline though - your father would probably have been too young to realise if she was with the maternal grandmother, and for most of his younger life was in care so maybe wouldn't have known anyway. I don't think there are many angles to try with the paternal grandparents as Charlie doesn't appear to have had any siblings for us to try to trace their descendants.

Alice (b1913) may be your best lead judging by your conversation with Sandra, but it is a common name. If she stayed local then the possible marriage to George West gave 3 children between 1933 & 1938 all of which have very common names - again not easy to trace.

Ada (b1910) may have moved to the seaside, but if the marriage to George Thorne (in 1929) is correct, then her oldest son born in 1930 looks to have got married in 1948 in Dewsbury, and I can't see a death for him.

Don't get too down with this, it was always going to be a difficult one to crack, and at least you've got some details to get certificates. Who knows what they will show, maybe a small clue that can lead to a major breakthrough!

Keep on trying, it's all you can do.

atb

Hi Julia- I found it a little odd that Sandra knew and Jacqueline was quite shocked by it. I wonder if I mentioned something about Singapore to Sandra in my phone call on Monday night and that's what is confusing her? You would have thought that their grandad would have been remembered on 11th November every year had he died during active service surely? I'm not convinced. However, at least we know Jacqueline can't have gone with her maternal grandmother. Do you know where you got the name Preston from?

Can't help with the Singapore angle for Mark, I thought he died locally as it tied in age wise.

However, I can help with the Preston name - I think I mentioned it in a pm as a "possible" marriage for Jacqueline when I gave you Sandra's details.

Added - can't see a death for Mark on CWGC. and wouldn't he have been a bit old (56) to be in the RAF at the start of the war?

I forgot to mention - Sandra said she thought her grandad (Mark Watson) died whilst serving in the RAF which could explain the Singapore story, although Jacqueline could not verify this so I'm not too sure ..

Just had a very long conversation with Sandra - she remembers Jacqueline being spoken about - and also that the baby (Derek/Peter) was ill, but other than that didn't have any memories of them. Her mother and aunt "Renie" were especially close to their sister Alice so I'm going to try her children, see if I can track them down for a conversation. Sandra did however confirm that her grandmother Jane was in the area all her life therefore she couldn't have been the grandmother that took Jacqueline - it must have been the paternal grandmother. Another intersting lead perhaps (or am I clutching at straws) is that Irene's sister Ada moved to Blackpool and nobody had any contact with her. My mother told me that she believes Derek/Peter was taken to a seaside to live. I also had a chat with Sandra's older sister Jacqueline and she mentioned that her married name was Boswell - for some reason I had it as Preston,,,?? can anyone help with that,,,I'm not sure how I've got it mixed up...... I'm feeling a little deflated.... as though I'm never going to find out what happened to Jacqueline or Derek,,,,, its as though they were born - given in to care - and never seen or heard of again. :-(

Thank you Peter.

All you helpers out there - just a little bit of coincidence for you - it was only days ago I found out that my grandfather was called Charlie - my youngest child (age11yrs) is Charlie!! My father never said a word about it when we chose the name.

Hi,
You might be interested in having a look at this site :-
www.workhouses.org.uk.
If you tap into " Dewsbury--West Riding of Yorkshire" there are some interesting photos of the Work house and the Cottage Homes for children. These were taken over by the local Council after 1930. One of the children who was admitted there in the early 1950's has written her story which I'm sure will interest your father.
Good luck with your searches,
Peter

I think grandfather Mark Watson died in Dewsbury - death?


Deaths Dec 1932 (>99%)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Watson Mark 50 Dewsbury 9b 659

If Charie didn't die overseas (probably between 1943-1947 (assuming the child in 1944 was his, and Irene's re-marriage in 1947), then either she was a bigamist or they divorced. Unfortunately National Archive divorces only appear to go up to the late 1930s and I don't know if they are available elsewhere.

I've looked at Commonwealth war dead, but can't find Charlie, and the death posted earlier in this thread looked very promising for him.

When you talk to Sandra you could try asking about her other aunts & uncles, see if she knows of any of the other cousins - some were older than her and may remember more.

I think Alice Watson married George West in 1933, and it looks like they had 3 sons between 1933 & 1938 any of which may be still alive. The most likely marriage for Ada Watson is to George Thorne in 1929, again they possibly had 3 children between 1930 and 1937 who could also still be alive. I'll PM the children's names, but it is not certain they are the right family but may jog some memories.

The grandparents were Watson, Calvert was the grandmothers maiden name

jax

So far it "appears" the story my father (David) has about his father (Charlie Wells) dying in Singapore is untrue. However, I wonder if rather than it being a complete untruth, whether it was in fact his grandad (Mark Watson) who was in the RAF? Of course this is just another memory my father has and so far a lot of his childhood memories have been inconsistant so it may not have happened at all, to any member of his family.
Ref Jacqueline - do you think its worth looking for Jacqueline Calvert?

Can't wait to find out the outcome of all this, and it is so important for your father isn't it.
Jan

I have ordered all of the birth certificates so hopefully if we have the correct Jacqueline and Derek they will tell us if either of them were adopted.

She may have been adopted by her grandparents?
I have heard of someone born in the 1940s being adopted her mothers parents because she died in childbirth and they would not allow a man to bring up his own daughter on his own even though they were married

If Jacqueline went to live with her grandmother do you suppose it likely she would have assumed their surname? She could have been known as Jacqueline Wells, or Jacqueline Calvert (maternal).