Image of 15 Hants 2Lt Percy Aylward; Wilton Town Clerk?

[Kimberley John Lindsay]

Dear All, and Andy,

I contacted a great-nephew or some-such, asked for a Military Image of Percy D. Aylward, and was pleased - thanks to GWF stalwarts - to have written to "Family".

Imagine my disappointment, when this modern-day Aylward politely replied by eMail, telling me that he had not heard of Percy.

Not being one to (in matters of Military research) take No for an answer, I thanked him for his prompt Reply, but asked if my knew some other Family member who might know more...

Kindest regards,

Kim.

[Kimberley John Lindsay]

Dear All,

I had a nice Brit girl called Helen to trawl through the "Salisbury Journal" for an hour - in the hope of finding that elusive photo of Percy Danford Aylward (after all a leading Salisbury Solicitor and Town Clerk for Wilton, for decades!). 

Nothing. Well, no photo (aka Image), that is. The newspaper snippets of 1937 (stood down as Town Clerk), and 1970 (death) were welcome and interesting - but not enough to take care of my intense disappointment!

Kindest regards,

Kim.

[Kimberley John Lindsay]

Dear All,

A long-time solicitor like Percy Danford Aylward, who died at Salisbury on 23 (?) June 1970, surely had a Will?

Details in the Will could possibly lead to a photo of the elusive Bachelor...!

I have just now written to the latter-day Solicitor's offices (name slightly changed since the long-gone days when he was a Partner).

Whoever sends me in the right direction to a copy/scan of Percy Aylward will get a Goodie from my Military bookshelves.

Kindest regards,

Kim.

Edited 22 September , 2019 by Kimberley John Lindsay

[helpjpl]

 

1.  1970:

 

 

2.  To get a copy of a will:

https://www.gov.uk/search-will-probate

 

JP

[Kimberley John Lindsay]

Dear JP,

Super!

Many thanks, and I have just obtained a copy of his Will online, which is supposed to be beamed to me on 7 October. Wow!

Twenty-three thousand Pounds probate. Does this mean that, in 1970, bachelor Percy Aylward was very well-off?

Kindest regards,

Kim.

[Kimberley John Lindsay]

Dear All, and Andy,

Any chance of the wounded 15th Hampshires subaltern 2/Lt P. D. Aylward having appeared in a 1918 "The Hampshire Advertiser"...?

Or even later, having been a Man About Town in that area?

Kindest regards,

Kim.

[George Rayner]

Not that I can see, or turns up in a search!

 

George

[Kimberley John Lindsay]

Dear George,

Many thanks for looking.

I am trying all sorts of avenues, and at least this has eliminated one...

Funnily enough, I acquired the 2.Lt/Town Clerk Group to Percy Aylward, at the same time as an Old Contemptible Spr., RE/IARO group to Ernest Mathews (a Carpenter).

I realised that it would be virtually impossible to find an Image of upper-lower class Mathews - but thought it would be easy to find one of lower-upper-middle class Aylward.

The opposite has proven to have been the case...!

Kindest regards,

Kim. 

Edited 23 September , 2019 by Kimberley John Lindsay

[Kimberley John Lindsay]

Dear All,

I have written again (the first letter was ignored - stange for a practise of solicitors!) to the runner-up of Whitehead, Vizard, Venn and Lush, in Salisbury.

Surely an Image of the erstwhile Man-About-Town (in both Wilton and Salisbury) exists! I will not give up until such a photgraph is found...

Kindest regards,

Kim.

[Kimberley John Lindsay]

Dear All,

The Whitehead Vizard Solicitors wallahs answered - but only after I had sent a second (this time Registered) letter:-

They 'simply do not have an Image' of their erstwhile decades-long Partner, Percy Aylward.

I also wrote a letter to the family of Anthony Cage Aylward, late Solicitor of Salisbury - it seems to have run in the Family.

This was returned, 'Resident Deceased'...

I also paid 1.50 Pounds online for the Percy Danford Aylward, Born 1885, Lockerley, Hants., Birth Certificate.

I received notice that it would be beamed to me within ten days: but no certificate has been beamed. 

One has to admit to a feeling of being up against the proverbial Brick Wall!

Perhaps someone has a 15th Hampshire Yeomanry Battalion Group Photograph, 1918?

Kindest regards,

Kim.

[Guest]

Hi,

I was fascinated to find so much interest in Uncle Percy (great uncle in fact). I am the grand son of Arthur Longland Aylward and would be most interested to see a photo of Percy. I met him several times and was at his funeral in Lockerley. The last time I saw him was for tea ina place called the House of Steps opposite Whitehead Vizard Venn and Lush. There have been a couple of deaths of older family members with photos in old boxes, but none of Percy.

[Kimberley John Lindsay]

Dear Rod,

Thanks for that and how interesting!

Talk about an elusive Image. I really tried my best to obtain one - and now this...

Could you perhaps at least describe Percy: a pen-portrait would be far better than none at all.

He was obviously something of a Man About Town in his Day, which is why I was amazed that nothing came of my miriad enquiries (Tennis included).

Kindest regards,

Kim.

[Guest]

Hi Kim,

I was 18 when Percy died, yes you can find me on Ancestry - I've been there a few times in the past! However, he did not feature in our lives apart from the rare visit in connection with family business. I recall a short man, bald with old fashioned manners and mannerisms. I don't really recall him being interested in what the children were up to. My grand father died a couple of years previously and is likewise buried in Lockerley. I do recall Percy leaving us to go and check out the plot that was waiting for him. Interestingly there are, to the best of my knowledge, no photographs of his brother George! As for being a man about town, I always believed he was more of an old bachelor who lived quite modestly. I'd be delighted to find out that this was not the case - a scandal would be good! Incidentally, we pronounce Aylward "ale word".  

Best wishes, and good to know that he has generated some interest,

Rod Aylward

 

[Kimberley John Lindsay]

Dear Rod,

Many thanks for your pen-portrait of Percy Aylward.

I do not have Ancestry, unfortunately, but I attach a picture of myself with my medals (Australian Defence Medal - Wow!), and Dads (my grandfather also had the MC) - in Anzac Day mode, but actually photographed in Germany (I married a German, ironically). Also one of me in 1964 having flown that Piper Colt: those were the days!

Sadly, Percys medals have passed out of my Collection - had I found his portrait, they would have become a Keeper Group - but I beam you scans. (He may have been in the 1904 group of students at Hartley University College: have a look!)

I wrote a manuscript based on my research (and was absolutely disgusted that the firm of solicitors he co-founded, did not even have his photograph or much information). However the GWF only allows beamings of Jpegs, so I would have to send it to your eMail address: if you want it?

By a Man About Town I meant his having been Steward of Wilton Charities, Recreation of Tennis, long-time Town Clerk of Wilton, a Solicitor, had Private Means and so on.

I found no scandal: quite the contrary. His wounding as an overage Subaltern on the Western Front was honourable in the extreme. Furthermore, his being awarded both the 1935 Jubilee Medal and the 1937 Coronation Medal was a sign of being a trusted part of the Establishment.

Kindest regards,

Kim.

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