Madeline Pascoe: transport driver WRAF

[angelab]

Not sure if this belongs in Women in the Great War or Air Personnel...

 

 

I am trying to find a bit more about a distant relative, Madeline Pascoe, born 1881 in Ireland, but living with her parents in Liverpool in the 1891 census.

I can't find her in any other censuses, but was surprised to see on Ancestry that she seems to have joined the "Women's Royal Air Force” as a transport driver in 1918.   Squinting through the watermark on her enlistment papers, viewable on line on the TNA site, I can see she enlisted at Hurst Park on 27 June 1918; service number 11844.  But there are no records of her postings etc.

 

Does anyone know what other avenues I could pursue to find out more about her?

 

 

 

 

Edited 1 November , 2019 by angelab

[nieuport11]

The main genealogy sites are generally free over the Armistice weekend so if you want to wait for 10 days I would try Findmypast, Ancestry and Fold3 then.

Ancestry is generally free all the time at most UK libraries.

Try these with different spellings or search for other family members to identify her on the 1901 and 1911 census

She appears in 1891 as Madoline

There is a Madeline Pascoe on the 1901 census, living in Manchester but with a birth year of 1879 and different parent.

However we know she was in Manchester in 1918 when she signed up

[MaxD]

It rather looks as if her attestation paper is all that survives. Both  Ancestry and FMP  cross reference to the National Archives document.

 

Max

[PRC]

9 hours ago, angelab said:

Squinting through the watermark on her enlistment papers, viewable on line on the TNA site, I can see she enlisted at Hurst Park on 27 June 1918; service number 11844

 

Peering through the same watermarks I can see she gives her home address as 49 Albert Road, Levenshulme, Manchester, (page 1) and her next of kin as her  mother, Mrs Pascoe, of the same address, (page 4).

 

The head of the household at that address on the 1911 Census of England & Wales is the 72 year old widow, Caroline St Clair(?) Pascoe, born Tredegar, Glamorganshire, and living on Private Means. Caroline states she has been married 48 years and has had 6 children, all then still alive.

 

Still living with her is her unmarried daughter Florence Rosalie Pascoe, (aged 45, born Manchester). There is also a grand daughter, Marjorie St Clair(?) Pascoe, aged 10, born Davenport(?), Cheshire, plus a boarder.

 

On the 1901 Census the 63 year old widow Caroline was head of the household at 19 Ladybarn Road, Rusholme, Manchester. She is still shown as born Tredegar. Among the children living with her is a 22 year old daughter, Madeline, born Manchester.

 

Strangely I struggled to track down the family on the earlier censuses, but I’m entirely of the opinion that your relative is not the woman who enlisted in the WRAF. The woman born Ireland is recorded on the 1891 Census with parents Matthew, (31, a Policeman, born Lambeth, London) and Anne \ Annie, (30, born Ireland). On the 1901 Census Matthew, (42, Police Constable, born Lambeth) and his wife “Mary” (41, born Ireland) were living in Everton, Lancashire.

 

Apologies for closing down such a promising lead,

 

Peter

Edited 1 November , 2019 by PRC
Typo

[angelab]

Thank you so much, folks.  I fear PRC is right, as the elusive Madeline/Madoline's mother was indeed Annie Pascoe of the 1891 Liverpool census. Annie died in 1898, and Matthew Pascoe had remarried a Mary before 1901.

 

i did indeed try looking up all her siblings on Ancestry, nieuwport, but it yielded nothing on her - though it proved a very confusing exercise since there was a lot of jumbling of her brothers' first names over the years.  And my cousin has searched Findmpast, too.

 

Very clever of you, Peter, to find the Manchester Pascoes.  if only Madeline had given her mother's first name on enlisting, I could have ruled the WRAF woman out right away.  

 

Thank you all, again.  I fear this brick wall is going to remain.

[PRC]

11 hours ago, angelab said:

Does anyone know what other avenues I could pursue to find out more about her?

 

Seems like the least I can do

 

The only likely death of a Matthew Pascoe who had been recorded as 31 in 1891 & 42 in 1901, (so born circa 1859/1860), was that of a Matthew Pascoe aged 57 in the West Derby District of Lancashire in the January to March quarter, (Q1) of 1916.

 

There is a 1916 Probate Calendar entry for a Matthew Pascoe, a Police Pensioner, of 71 Dewsbury Road, Anfield, Liverpool, who died on the 3rd March 1916. Probate was granted on the 18th March 1916 to a Richard Lyon, Police Constable. (I don't know if that means Mary was dead or just not able to handle probate herself.)

https://probatesearch.service.gov.uk/Calendar#calendar

My understanding is that the Probate Service has drastically slashed the price to get a copy of the will. Can't guarantee it but might included bequests to his children. If your Madeline had married at that time, it might give you her married name.

 

Additionally you may be able to find reports of the funeral in contemporary newspapers which might list family members.

 

Hope that helps,

Peter

 

Edited 1 November , 2019 by PRC
Typo

[angelab]

Yes, that is the right Matthew Pascoe, and it's a very good thought about getting the Will, Peter.  I'll give that a shot.

Nothing in the newspapers that I can find, at least not via the BNA.

 

Thank you again for your help.

 

Angela