Not exactly South Africa

[WhiteWings]

Hello All!  I am the grand-daughter of two WW1 pilots, Len Richardson (#74 RFC and Art Whealy #3Naval). I am trying to track down any descendants of men in their units and inparticular, Benjamin Roxborough-Smith, who saved my grand-father Richardson's life.  If anyone knows anyone who can contact a descendant, please let me know.  Thanks!

[ForeignGong]

Hi

Are you sure of the spelling of Benjamin Roxborough-Smith, as I can only find a "Benjamin Roxburgh-Smith" in the London Gazette who was awarded a DFC and a Belgian Croix de Guerre.

 

Peter

[PRC]

The National Archive Discovery catalogue does not have RAF Officers records for 1918-19 relating to a Benjamin Roxborough-Smith but it does have them for a Benjamin Roxbugh-Smith, born 10th April 1884. The watermarked preview pages are difficult to read but looks like some of the entries refer to 74 Squadron, initially in the UK fro September 1917 and then with the B.E.F. from 30th March 1918 with a spell in hospital in July 1918. His permanent home address is given as Bromley in Kent. He received the DFC and Belgian Croix de Guerre. He survived the war.

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D8227420

 

The birth of a Benjamin Roxburgh, (surname) Smith was registered with the Civil Authorities in the Wandsworth District in the April to June quarter of 1884. Mothers' maiden name was Edwards. There is no obvious marriage or death for a Benjamin Roxburgh-Smith in England and Wales nor could I find a likely emigration in the shipping records.

 

In fact the only Roxburgh-Smith I could find in the civil records for England and Wales was a Joy P. Roxburgh-Smith who married a John E. B Marriott in the Tonbridge District of Kent in the April to June quarter of 1941. Now if she was the daughter of the Benjamin who became an RAF officer, the earliest she could have been born is 1902 and to have been married with her parents permission at the age of 16 in 1941 the latest she could have been born was c1925. Checking the civil birth records there was a Joy P. Smith, mothers' maiden name Cordrey, who was born in the Bromley District of Kent in the October to December quarter of 1918.

 

The most likely mariage of her parents, if it occurred in England and Wales, was that of a Benjamin R. Smith to a Daisy G. Cordrey which was recorded in the Lambeth District of London in the April to June quarter, (Q2), of 1914. (The only like candidate for Daisy in the birth records was a Daisy Grace Cordrey, registered Greenwich Q2 1892).

 

Armed with the mothers' maiden name and looking at the civil birth records brings up three potential siblings of Joy - all registered  surname Smith and mothers' maiden name Cordrey. They were:-

David R.............Bromley District Q2 1915

George..............Wandsworth District Q3 1920

Violet E..............Wandsworth District Q4 1922

 

I'm afraid tracking down a David Smith and a George Smith is going to take more time than I can give. There are 20 potential marriages for a Violet E. Smith in the Wandsworth Civil Registration alone.

 

Joy P. Marriott had three children, all recorded with mothers' maiden name as Roxburgh-Smith.

Jacqueline J........Tonbridge District Q2 1942

Jonathan D..........Tonbridge District Q1 1946

Nicola J................Tonbridge District Q1 1949

 

So next steps could include:-

 - Check the 1939 National Register armed with the date of birth of Benjamin to see if the family can be tracked down - all four children could still have been at home at that time, although if they weren't dead before circa 1992 then their entries will have been blacked out and shown as officially closed.

- A source like the British Newspaper Archives to see if there are birth \ wedding and death announcements.

- Purchase the RAF Officers file  and  go to Kew \ hire a researcher to copy his British Army file https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C1122726

 

I won't add more in an open forum about the three children of Joy P. Marriott as they and any descendants may well still be alive.

 

Good luck with your search,

Peter

 

 

 

[corisande]

You can get his Officer Record on FmP - click for link to that record

 

It gives his address as his father in laws - Cordrey in Bromley, Kent

 

It gives dates of his DFC, bar to DFC and C de G , Belgium

[corisande]

The 1939 Register shows Daisy Roxburgh-Smith living with daughter Joy P who it shows later became Marriott

 

The record indicates that Daisy is divorced, and no sign of Benjamin on the register

[corisande]

And there is a fairly detailed Family Tree on Ancestry - click for Ancestry Tree.

 

It shows him died in UK  in 1952

[corisande]

...and, I have to smile at this, there is a wikipedia entry for him - click for Wikipedia entry

[nieuport11]

A Mrs Roxburgh-Smith was aboard PanAm flight PA151/1 from Johannesburg to Lisbon on 1.6.52

Possibly accompanied by a Miss Forrest

 

Fits with a South Africa death register entry for Benjamin Roxburgh-Smith, died South Africa January 1952

 

He died in Rome but the death was registered in South Africa

Edited 13 May , 2019 by nieuport11
updated info

[WhiteWings]

Thanks for all the leads gentlemen! I wondered why he did not keep in touch with my grandfather (as Caldwell and Kiddie did) but now I see he must have been hard to locate with all that moving about!