Martha Hannah Beech

[old-ted]

Hi Stephanie. Welcome to the forum.

What a great surprise to hear from you & thanks for taking the time to post a reply to this thread. As you can see from the thread we research Seaham & the Great War and wanted to know more about Hannah & her family. We have so many questions to ask you & perhaps some more information to share.

Please contact us by e-mail on; seahamww1@hotmail.com

Regards

John & Kathleen

[Jim Strawbridge]

Hello Stephanie, As you will have seen from the Great War Forum I am preparing a Register of WW1 serving female casualties which includes Martha Beech. What I have I have cut/pasted below. I have a number of discrepancies. The explosion took place on the 26th April 1917 yet she died on the 25th May. A lingering death but as you have the birth certificate you will be right. I have George as being from Eastington but cannot find such a place in the North East but neither can I find an Eden Hastel. I have her parents as being at 19 Melbury Street not 17 as you have mentioned. But I have a 17 Millburn Street. Any help that you can give me so as to make my mini biography accurate would be welcome, Kind regards, Jim Strawbridge, Devon.

Remarks: Born Martha Hannah Pigg at 8 Harold Street, Washington Station in 1899 to William Charles Pigg who was to serve in the 2nd Durham Light Infantry. She married George Henry Beech of Eastington in 1915 when she was already pregnant. They lived at 19 Melbury Street, Seaham. He was a miner, much older than she, who went on to serve in the 1st North Staffordshire Regiment. They had a son later in 1915 but he died the following year. At the time of her death she was living at 17 Millburn Street, Seaham Harbour. She died in a fatal accident. Further research is required but she may have been one of the poor souls who died in a small explosion in the munition works at Longdown, Gretna Green. A six inch shell exploded injuring twelve workers eleven of whom were women. Three of these women died of their injuries. This was on Thursday the 26th April 1917. She is commemorated, as Martha Hannah Beech, on the altar rail memorial at St. Hild and St. Helen Church, Dawdon, Seaham, Co. Durham. A grave in the name of Martha Ann Beech, who was interred on the 30th May 1917, is in Princess Road cemetery, Seaham and this is almost certainly her. YMP11 as Martha Beech.

[phil@basildon]

Jim, Could it be Easington not Eastington? this was a mining village in County Durham.

[phil@basildon]

Further to the above, Eden is a district of Carlisle to the south of the City.

[old-ted]

I have George as being from Eastington but cannot find such a place in the North East but neither can I find an Eden Hastel.

But I have a 17 Millburn Street. Any help that you can give me so as to make my mini biography accurate would be welcome, Kind regards, Jim Strawbridge, Devon.

Hi Jim.

There is no doubt it is Easington.

The only suggestion I can offer ref; Eden Hastel is Castle Eden.

Further research shows no record of a Milburn St in Seaham at any time.

19 Melbury St was the address given on Hannah's childs birth certificate.

Edit; The village near Gretna was Longtown

Regards

John

[Jim Strawbridge]

Thank you all for your suggestions. Very helpful.