Military Nurse Mary Albina Franklin

[Andrew Williams]

Does anyone know if the records for the Military Nurse's survive?

 

I am trying hard to locate them but keep hitting an endless road going nowhere. Mary's older sister was a Stewardess and Titanic survivor Mrs Annie Robinson.

 

This is a long project of discovery as I quickly learnt and after spending a year searching for the mother, both mother and Mary are buried together at the Old Cemetery Southampton. The exact year when both came to Southampton isn't known but there's every possibility Mary could have been involved at the Royal Victoria Military Hospital at Netley.

 

If such records do survive where would be the best place to start?

 

Any assistance and advise in this matter is greatly appreciated, and I welcome any feedback no matter how large or small.

 

Many thanks in advance

Andrew Williams

Hampshire U.K

 

[seaJane]

Her medal card as member of Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service is here -  https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D6079309 - but there are probably people on the GWF who have researched her already, so you may not need to fork out the necessary £3.50. I'll see if I can alert someone.

 

sJ

[PRC]

There is a also what appears to be a Nurses file for her at the National Archive. Indexed as Mary Franklin, the file itself is headed up Miss Mary A. Franklin. There are 23 pages and her address on enlistment appears to be 128 Shirley Road Road, Southampton, which hopefully ties up with the details you have. I'm looking at the (watermarked) preview version so difficult to make out details. That file is also available for £3.50.

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C10795611

 

Cheers,

Peter

[Andrew Williams]

On 19/05/2019 at 23:38, seaJane said:

Her medal card as member of Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service is here -  https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D6079309 - but there are probably people on the GWF who have researched her already, so you may not need to fork out the necessary £3.50. I'll see if I can alert someone.

 

sJ

 Correct SeaJane, I have those as small as there are, there are assisting in building up a much big picture. .

Many thanks for your assistance.

 

Andrew

[Andrew Williams]

On 19/05/2019 at 23:51, PRC said:

There is a also what appears to be a Nurses file for her at the National Archive. Indexed as Mary Franklin, the file itself is headed up Miss Mary A. Franklin. There are 23 pages and her address on enlistment appears to be 128 Shirley Road Road, Southampton, which hopefully ties up with the details you have. I'm looking at the (watermarked) preview version so difficult to make out details. That file is also available for £3.50.

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C10795611

 

Cheers,

Peter

Thanks PRC, I didn't think of checking Kew. Done the honours and downloaded.

 

Yes, Mary was living at 128 Shirley Road Southampton but later moved to the Portswood area of Southampton, and later died at Otterbourne Hill, Otterbourne, outside of Winchester. She left as Military Nurse in 1919, but now I have to establish the in-between years before she finally retired.

 

"Most grateful ol' been!"

 

Andrew

[PRC]

So is this the 84 year old Mary A Franklin who died in Q4 of 1951 in the Winchester District? There is an entry for a Mary Albina Franklin Franklin, spinster, who died 15th October 1951 in the 1951 Probate Calendar. https://probatesearch.service.gov.uk/Calendar?surname=Franklin&yearOfDeath=1951&page=4#calendar

 

So very likely she was on the 1939 National Register, which will also give \ confirm date of birth and potentially whether she had any WW2 Civil Defence work.

 

If she is not on the 1901 Census of England & Wales then potentially she might hyave been out in South Africa, as a numberof the Army Nurses were - hopefully that's covered in the file you've downloaded.

 

As a woman over 30 she may well be entiled to vote post 1918 if she ran her own household, and with later changes to voting rights for woman, entitled to vote as a household member. FMP is normally quite good on Voting Lists and IME easier to find people on than those on Ancestry.

 

There are then sources like the British Newspaper Archive that can be accessed for free at your local library if you are a member and which might turn up an obituary.

 

Hope that helps,

Peter

 

[alf mcm]

This may just be a co-incidence, but there's an interesting record on FMPfor a Mary Albyne Franklin, Stewardess;- https://search.findmypast.co.uk/record?id=TNA/MSEA/BT349/09/39/093957&parentid=TNA/BT349/2130498625/1

The record includes her signature, which may match one shown on the nursing service records.

 

Regards,

 

Alf McM

[PRC]

No signature :-), but a Mary Albina Franklin, aged 40 and a single woman, departed from Southampton aboard the S.S. New York on the 28th September 1912. She was travelling with a 72 year widow Elizabeth Anne Franklin. Both give their last city of residence as Southampton, England and the next of kin for both is given as "sister" Mrs(?) Robinson, 9 Shirley Road, Southampton. Both were visiting rather than immigrating and their eventual destination was Vancouver, British Columbia.

Source: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C9T6-CSRL-6?i=951&cc=1368704

 

Same site has a baptism for a Mary Albina Franklin which took place at St. Pauls, Bedford, on the 7th July 1867. Parents were Charles Simeon and Elizabeth "Ann".

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NBZ8-F43

 

Apologies if you alread have those two

 

Peter

Edited 21 May , 2019 by PRC
Typo

[Andrew Williams]

I am very impressed with you all. Yes, Peter, I have the vast bulk of those records on file you very kindly shared.

 

The family are spread over three countries as I previously mentioned in one of my earlier posts. The sister in question is Annie Robinson although Annie's chosen surname is actually a pseudonym. Her real name is Elizabeth Annie Franklin who later married Tom Snell Grierson-Kerswell in Liverpool. We don't know why she chose that surname, although there was an Annie Robinson as the Matron based at Liverpool workhouse where both of Annie's daughters were stationed. The oldest of the two sisters did immigrate and married an American whose own Mother and Father and Sister all perished during the volcanic eruption of Martinique in 1902 whereby the youngest Dorothy remained in Britain and died in 1981.

 

The Vancouver connection is to do with the other sister, who did immigrate to Canada and died out there in the late sixties. All names escape me at the moment as I've only got in from a long day at work. Charles Simeon Franklin marrying Elizabeth Ann Chew was his second wife. His first wife Susan died shortly after childbirth. The oldest daughter (Charles's first child to Susan) died ten years later. I have all the birth, death and marriage records including a vast array of the Will's and Probates.

 

A massive thank you to each and every one of you who joined in and shared their own special findings.

 

Andrew Williams

Edited 21 May , 2019 by Andrew Williams

[Andrew Williams]

I hope the Officer in charge and his or her band of merry Moderators don't mind me asking this other question I should have purpose in the last night's message as above.

 

Where is the forum to ask another question on those spies caught in Britain during the First World War?

 

These two were caught red-handed around The Solent area of Southampton doing their dirty business for the German Imperial Navy.

 

Many Thanks

Andrew Williams

[PRC]

Andrew,

 

I'd suggest

 

Other Great War Chat

 

For discussions about the Great War that do not fit another category.

https://www.greatwarforum.org/forum/8-other-great-war-chat/

 

Cheers,

Peter

 

Edited 22 May , 2019 by PRC
Format