Has anyone come across this lady?

[Madmeg]

an intriguing possible sighting in 1895- a Miss Mirian (sic) E Beresford bc 1860 England on the SS City of Dallas went through New Orleans from somewhere I can't read, Livingstone,Belize, 'in transit" with a trunk, tin box and 1 bdle (sic).

her occupation appears to be "nurse"....

Edited 8 May , 2020 by Madmeg

[seaJane]

Hmm!

[The Inspector]

Hi 

This adds a bit more from 1882-1884....https://www.ancestry.co.uk/interactive/60423/42509_334048_00177?pid=156174&backurl=https://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?dbid%3D60423%26h%3D156174%26indiv%3Dtry%26o_vc%3DRecord:OtherRecord%26rhSource%3D8912&treeid=&personid=&hintid=&usePUB=true&usePUBJs=true&_ga=2.195148716.1239649968.1588527961-1783877415.1578070585....or is it incorrect?

looking....

Regards Barry

[The Inspector]

Hi Sj and all, 

Complete service and medical history.

CEF Records here . Nursing Sister.... Lt. Marian E Maillard.......https://www.ancestry.co.uk/interactive/61084/b5850-s064-0001?pid=649669&backurl=https://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv%3D1%26dbid%3D61084%26h%3D649669%26tid%3D%26pid%3D%26usePUB%3Dtrue%26_phsrc%3Diyp3146%26_phstart%3DsuccessSource&treeid=&personid=&hintid=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=iyp3146&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&_ga=2.170447648.1239649968.1588527961-1783877415.1578070585#?imageId=b5850-s064-0001

Her marriage cert. signature and attestation signature should  confirm it is the same person. Definitely born Armagh, in her own handwriting....according to the records!!!! The address on the 1921 census, 732 Fort St., Victoria , BC., is the same as on the service records BUT the d of b. now that's another story.! 

Regards Barry

I presume you have the photos of her husband and mother.

Edited 8 May , 2020 by The Inspector

[The Inspector]

5 hours ago, Madmeg said:

an intriguing possible sighting in 1895- a Miss Mirian (sic) E Beresford bc 1860 England on the SS City of Dallas went through New Orleans from somewhere I can't read, Livingstone,Belize, 'in transit" with a trunk, tin box and 1 bdle (sic).

her occupation appears to be "nurse"....

Hi

From Puerto Cortes, Honduras, 5.12.1895, occ. is a nurse.

27.5.1924 Marion Edith Maillard arrived London from Montreal on board SS Antonia, aged 50 yrs !, occ. Nurse address going to Oldfield House, Pembroke, S.Wales.

Regards Barry

Edited 8 May , 2020 by The Inspector

[Madmeg]

2 minutes ago, The Inspector said:

Hi

From Puerto Cortes, Honduras, 5.12.1895, occ. is a nurse.

Regards Barry

The original states -?? something I can't make out, Livingstone, Belize. The Ancestry collection labels it as Puerto Cortes ,Livingstone, Honduras and Belize (or something very like that I don't have the ancestry index in front of me. I can'e see Puerto Cortes or Honduras on the original. 

 

I want to read occ as nurse but don't want to read my own views into it- it could say "house" (as in housekeeper) I read it as nurse but it could be read the other way.

 

It's available on familysearch for those that don't have an ancestry account (like me). 

 

I note that WJ Maillard was stationed in Bermuda 1892- 1895...... and was in the hospital in Bermuda 1892 .. although Marian E Beresford is shown as being in India until 1893 - that said there don't appear to be ny original records out there to prove it :-).

 

Ref Mabel Beresford naval nurse stationed in Malta at the time of the Messina eq- someone suggested Marian could have been visiting her- I cannot find any link as yet between the two. Mabel was the daughter of Anne and William (possibly James) (Possibly Goodman/or Codrington) Beresford. Other children (older and younger) in the family were born in India while Mabel was born in Stonehouse. William was presumably something Naval or Army but he's being a bit elusive and their is nothing to tie him to James W's family as yet. William had a son Marcus- you would be amazed how popular that name is proving amongst the Beresford clan!  There is nothing in Mabel's record to show that she was a nurse at the Messina eq. That siad her record went from being consistantly good to quite poor at that time so could be indicative of stress and aftermath of a disaster event- she had a similar episode during WW1 when she was trying to deal with emphysema, pneumonia and the terminal illness of her mother - poor girl. It wasn;t just the soldiers who were liable to shell shock!

 

Interesting - ancestry let me look at the nursing record but locks me out of the Canadian records. Annoying that they are not om the actual Canadian free to look at database :-(

[The Inspector]

Hi Madmeg,

If you look at the entry below Marian's, "James Hall" you will see the "H" is totally different to the entry for Marian "Nurse". James Hall's occ. is a shoemaker and part of the "h" is overwritten on the first stroke of the "u" above

Do you have worldwide Ancestry? If not it will stop you from seeing some records.

Regards Barry 

Edited 8 May , 2020 by The Inspector

[Madmeg]

yeah I do see it as nurse but i didnt want to be too definitive - cos I WANT it o be nurse ;-)

 

I don;t have an ancestry subscription , of any kind, not at all. Can only check out on a library sub- when we go to whatever level they are allowed to open the libraries at.

[The Inspector]

Hi again

The service records are some of the best I have seen. No doubt whatsoever it is Marian.

Regards Barry

[Madmeg]

"Her marriage cert. signature and attestation signature should  confirm it is the same person. Definitely born Armagh, in her own handwriting....according to the records!!!! The address on the 1921 census, 732 Fort St., Victoria , BC., is the same as on the service records BUT the d of b. now that's another story.! 

Regards Barry

I presume you have the photos of her husband and mother."

 

So she must have lied again about her age in 1921? I'm sure it siad 1871! the lady managed the wonderful trick of getting YOUNGER with every passing year :-D

 

Are her medals on her form?

 

[The Inspector]

Hi

Yes she definitely told a few porkie pies about her age. In 1924 she is shown as 50 yrs old, a nurse,  when arriving in London from Montreal aboard Antonia. On her way to Oldfield House, Pembrokeshire, S. Wales.

Will look again at service records.

Regards Barry

Edited 9 May , 2020 by The Inspector

[Madmeg]

LOL- she definitely got younger and younger- wish I had that trick! So just need to try and work out what she was up to beteen 1916 and 1921..... but its gone midnight. Im off to bed

 

[The Inspector]

Hi 

The records have it all in great detail. No mention of any medals !!!

Regards Barry

Edited 8 May , 2020 by The Inspector

[williywonker]

I have been interested in the life and career of Mrs Maillard for some time, and attach below a summary of this quite remarkable lady. I hope members will find it of interest. I apologise for its length:

EARLY LIFE AND CAREER

Marian Edith Beresford (1855-1940) was born in the Parish of Narborough, Leicestershire, on the 25th August 1855, the daughter of James William and Frances Brown Beresford. The family are first recorded in the 1851 Census, residing in the Parish of Narborough, Leicestershire, although the street address has not been recorded. James Beresford, the head of the household is not present, but his wife, Frances describes her status as ‘Surgeon’s Wife’. Miss Beresford is again recorded in the 1861 Census, living at the family residence on Town Street Narborough, where her father, who is present on the register, states his profession to be ‘General Medical Practitioner’. James William Beresford MRCS died on the 18th July 1878, and the 1881 Census now records Frances Beresford as the Head of Household, residing at Deronda Lodge, Deronda Road, in the parish of St Mary Lambeth, Norwood, where Miss Beresford, now aged 25 years, is described as a ‘Governess’.

Miss Beresford became a Nurse-Probationer at the Ear and Throat Hospital, Shropshire from 1882 until 1884, at which point she took up a position as a Private Nurse in Canada. Returning to England in January 1887, she served a further year as a probationer at the Birmingham General Hospital where she received her nursing certificate in February 1888, and almost immediately afterwards was selected by the Government of India as one of eight nurses for service with the newly established Indian Nursing Service; her address before embarkation being given as St Bernard’s Road, Olton. This small band of pioneering nurses, under the supervision of Miss Loch and Miss Oxley, sailed for Bombay in the SS Malabar on the 22nd February 1888. On arrival, Miss Loch with five nurses went to the military hospital in Rawalpindi, whilst Miss Oxley with three sisters (including Miss Beresford) went to Bangalore where they ‘worked to establish a modern nursing system, overcoming prejudice, primitive conditions and the shortcomings of the untrained staff on hand’. During the next 5 years Miss Beresford served first as a Nursing Sister in Secunderabad, where she became ‘well known in military circles as a sister and deputy superintendent for her devotion to the soldiers during a severe outbreak of cholera and enteric’, and from 1891 as a Deputy Superintendent in Rangoon, Burma. There is considerable correspondence at the British Library concerning official complaints made by Miss Beresford on the capability of Miss Oxley. The accusations of incompetency reached Lady Roberts, and a decision was taken not to renew either Miss Beresford’s or Miss Oxley’s contract. Much against her will, Miss Beresford resigned her post on the 26th March 1893. On her return to England, she resumed her studies, and in April 1894 received a certificate from the London Obstetrical Society. She also registered as a member of the Royal British Nurses Association on the 27th April 1894 (Registration No 2094).

In September 1894, following a successful application by the Governor and Colonial Surgeon of British Honduras for funds to employ ‘a thoroughly competent nurse’, Miss Beresford travelled to Belize charged with instructing the local women of the colony on how to become nurses. Three pupils were initially selected for training and began their probationary period under her tutelage. Although she had been engaged on a three year agreement Miss Beresford terminated her contract after only six months having then met her future husband, Naval Surgeon William Job Maillard. Despite her relatively short time in Belize, the Government Gazette 1894 Report recorded, ‘that the staff at the hospital was materially strengthened by the arrival from England of a trained nurse, Miss Beresford’, and as reported in the BJN dated 6th March 1897, ‘she was especially commended, along with Dr P. T. Carpenter, for her excellent work in the training of nurses in the colony’. Back in England, she was present at the Nursing Conference held in London on 4th June 1896, when Miss Loch presented a paper on ‘The Indian Army Nursing Service', details of which were published in the BJN on the 12th, 19th and 26th September 1896.

Details of Miss Beresford’s training and early nursing career are summarised in both the Royal British Nurses' Association Register and Burdett’s 1898 Nursing Register, and can be summarised as follows: ‘Probationer Ear and Throat Hospital, Shropshire from September 1882-September 1884; Private Nurse Canada 1885-1886; Probationer at the General Hospital Birmingham (Certificate one year’s training) from January 1887-February 1888; Nursing Sister, Indian Nursing Service February 1888 to March 1893; Diploma London Obstetrical Society (L.O.S.) April 1904; Registered M.R.B.N.A. on 27th April 1894 (No 2094)’

Marian Edith Beresford married William Maillard on 9th September 1896 at the Parish Church of Woolstanton, Shropshire. The marriage certificate confirms her age as 35 years (DOB 1861) and states her occupation as ‘Lady Nurse’, resident at the Rectory, Woolstanton. Her father’s name is given as William Beresford-Gentleman, and her new husband is noted as serving with the shore establishment HMS Excellent.

Two years after their marriage, William Job Maillard won the Victoria Cross, when on the 6th September 1898, whilst serving aboard HMS Hazard, at Candia in Crete; the citation reading: ‘On the 6th September 1898, during the landing of seamen from Her Majesty’s Ship "Hazard" Surgeon Maillard, who had disembarked and reached a place of safety, returned through a perfect deluge of bullets into the boat and endeavoured to bring into safety Arthur Stroud, Ordinary Seaman, who had fallen back wounded into the boat as the other men jumped ashore. Surgeon Maillard failed to bring Stroud in only through the boat being adrift, and it being beyond his strength to lift the man (who was almost dead) out of so unstable a platform. Surgeon Maillard returned to his post with his clothes riddled with bullets, though he himself was unhurt’. Maillard’s Victoria Cross was gazetted on 2nd December 1898, and his medal was presented by Queen Victoria on 15th December 1898 at Buckingham Palace. His award is notable in that he remains the first and only Royal Navy Medical Officer to be awarded the VC, and his award is one of the few won whilst the country was not at war.

‘Very shortly after this signs of mental disorder began unmistakably to manifest themselves, and throughout his long and painful illness, which those about him knew could have but one result, he was devotedly nursed by his wife’ (Naval and Military Medical Services Gazette 26th September 1903 refers). As a result of his ill-health, William Maillard retired from the Royal Navy on 7th April 1902, and was admitted to Yarmouth Hospital, where his mental health deteriorated to the point where his wife was allowed to receive his retired pay under Section 335 of the Lunacy Act 1890. His service papers also confirm that on the 19th January 1903, ‘he was discharged to the care of his wife at Church Cottage Thames Ditton’. After enduring a long and painful illness caused by ‘the severe strain at Candia added to Malta fever’ (‘The Times’ of 19th September 1903 refers), William Job Maillard sadly succumbed to his illness on the 10th September 1903, aged just 40. He was buried in Wimborne Road Cemetery, Bournemouth. 

Shortly after her husband’s death, Mrs Maillard returned to Canada, sailing from Liverpool aboard the SS Iona and landing at Montreal on 30th October 1903. On embarkation she stated her occupation as ‘Domestic’ and gave her place of birth as Leicestershire, England. This was the first instance where confusion arises as to her true age and identify, since on almost all future documentation she states her place of birth as Ireland and provides inconsistent dates of birth. Marion Maillard is also believed to have served pre-war as a Matron on the Gold Coast, although no details of her appointment have been found, although she is recorded as having sailed from Liverpool to Sierra Leone aboard SS Nigeria on 29th July 1904.

MESSINA

Quite how or why Mrs Marian Maillard came to be in Malta at the time of the disaster is unclear, but it is known that a Miss Mabel Beresford was serving on the island as a Royal Naval Nurse, and that she also served at Messina; whether there was any family connection between these two ladies is not known. Whatever the reason for her presence in Malta, however, Mrs Maillard was no doubt resolute in her determination to offer her considerable nursing expertise to the voluntary medical services, and on the 31st December, at the age of 47, she sailed from Valetta aboard HMS Duncan as one of a party of 12 civil and military nurses in addition to 7 Royal Naval Surgeons, 13 volunteer civilian doctors and an RAMC Field Ambulance. Perhaps it was also more than just a coincidence that the Captain of HMS Duncan, William Goodenough had also served with her late husband at HMS Excellent shortly after their marriage.

An eye witness account from the Duncan, which was dated 6th January and published in the Hastings Observer of 16th January reported: ‘Just after noon, 12 nurses (volunteers) and 8 doctors, with a section of the RAMC with hospital tents and medical comforts arrived on board, and at 5 pm we proceeded out of Malta Harbour. After landing some of the provisions at Messina, we proceeded to the town of Catona on the Calabrian Coast. Early the next morning, in an incredibly short space of time a large camp had been erected, and a First Aid party and bluejackets with stretchers toured the town bringing many piteous cases to the field hospital. At dusk the parties embarked and come on board leaving the doctors, nurses and the RAMC in camp with a guard of Royal Marines. The scene in camp passed description. Lying all around outside the tents were serious cases awaiting their turn for the operating tent. On Wednesday, we were relieved by an Italian battleship, but we had already discovered practically all the serious cases. In all, over 300 serious cases had been administered to up to the date of our departure. We left on Wednesday 6th January at 4pm for Malta, leaving the nurses and the Field ambulance to carry on their heroic work’.

According to the ‘History of the Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps’, the field hospital ‘was set up in what had been the market place in nearby Catona; and it was there that two Sisters of the QAIMNS with two volunteer nurses, also from Malta, were sent when they disembarked from HMS Duncan during the morning of 2nd January 1909. The four women were allotted tents near the Officer’s Mess tent and the Steward’s Store Tent, and where they nursed until 15th January when the whole party returned to Malta’.

It is not known if Mrs Maillard was one of the two volunteer nurses quoted above, or was one of the small party of nursing staff that joined on the 3rd December, as recorded by ‘The RAMC Journal’ Volume 10: ‘On the evening of January 3rd the staff was unexpectedly increased by two doctors (one a lady), three nurses and a secretary, sent by the Roman Relief Committee to Messina. They had arrived there on the 1st, were sent across to the British Naval Hospital at Villa San Giovani on the 2nd, and their arrival at Catona seemed opportune, as there had been 174 admissions and 300 out-patients in the first 36 hours.

On January 16th the RAMC Field Ambulance arrived back at Malta about 11.30 a.m.; H.R.H. Field-Marshal Commanding in Chief came on board the ship. All the officers and nursing sisters had the honour of being presented and His Royal Highness was graciously pleased to express his satisfaction with the work that had been done’.

On the 6th May 1909, a Royal decree was published in Rome, authorising the production of a ‘Merit Medal’, to be awarded to institutions and individuals ‘who distinguished themselves on the occasion of the earthquake, whether by rendering assistance and medical treatment, or by donating health and administrative services and meeting the material and spiritual needs of the sufferers of the disaster’. The medal was to be struck in gold, silver and bronze, and the names of those chosen to receive each class was published in the Gazetta Ufficiale Del Regno D’Itala, dated the 5th July 1910. In addition to the award of the Merit Medal, the Gazetta also recorded the names of those individuals whose had been brought to notice for ‘Menzione Onorevolo’, or ‘Honourable Mention’. The section of the Gazetta relating to ‘The British Empire; United Kingdom and Ireland’ comprised a total of 99 individuals and organisations, with 2 Gold Medals, 44 Silver Medals; 17 Bronze Medals and 36 Honourable Mentions being awarded.

For her services during the Messina earthquake, Mrs Maillard was awarded an ‘Honourable Mention’, her name being published in the Gazetta Ufficiale Del Regno D’Itala, dated 5th July 1910, this being one of only 12 ‘Honourable Mentions’ awarded to Nursing Sisters for the Messina Earthquake Disaster. In addition to this honour, Mrs Maillard was also awarded a medal and diploma from the Italian Red Cross, ‘In recognition of her noble services to the suffering during the Messina Earthquake catastrophe’.

There remains some uncertainty as to whether Mrs Maillard did in fact receive the Messina Merit Medal in silver in addition to her ‘Menzione Onorevolo’. Although this is contrary to the Gazetta entry, 2 other Nursing Sisters, Miss Porter and Miss Gerrie, who, according to the Gazetta were similarly only awarded the ‘Menzione Onorevolo’, are known to have been awarded the silver Merit Medal which was personally forwarded to them by the Italian government.

On the 10th February 1912, The ‘British Nursing Journal’ reported the following: ‘Decorations in recognition of services rendered to the survivors of the Messina earthquake have also been awarded by the Italian Government to the following British nurses: Miss (or Mrs.) Maillard; Alice Niesigh; M.E. Belcher; Marion Macdonald; Clara Sarrau; Mary H. Lawrence, Helen H. Moir; Frances E. Nelson; Mabel Shingleton; Emily Terry; B. Gerrie; H. I. Munn; Hilda Hanbury’.    

THE GREAT WAR

It was at this point in her life that Marian Maillard began to alter the place and date of her birth in several official documents, until her return from Canada in 1924, after which she reverted to her true date of birth of 25th August 1855. As an example, she is recorded in the 1911 Census, as visiting the residence of Mrs Annie Rolls Hill, Haughley Liphook, Suffolk, where she stated her age as 48 years (DOB 1863), and is described as ‘Widow-Living on Private Means’. Interestingly, although she confirms her place of birth as Leicestershire, England, she states her status as ‘British by Parentage’.

Later that year, Mrs Maillard emigrated to Canada, sailing from Liverpool aboard the SS Teutonic and arriving in Quebec on the 15th September 1911. Details of her voyage are recorded in the Canadian Archives where her name appears in the list of ‘British Settlers’, although the embarkation register has been counter-stamped ‘Tourist’ and she confirmed she had no intention of permanently remaining in the country.

Nevertheless, on the outbreak of war, she was still in Canada, working as a Private Nurse, and on the 4th April 1915, at the age of 60 years, she returned to London aboard the SS St Paul, and on the 3rd May presented herself for enlistment in the Canadian Army Medical Corps. Mindful that she would almost certainly be considered too old for military service, she once again gave erroneous information as to the date and place of her birth; her enlistment papers stating the place of her birth as Armagh, Ireland, and the date as the 25th May 1869. She did, however, declare her previous service with the Indian Army Nursing Service, even though, and despite her now ‘reduced’ age, she would have been too young to have qualified in 1888. Her next-of-kin was given as her sister-in-law, Miss Winifred Dawkins Maillard, living at Oakfield House, Pembroke, Wales.

Passed fit for active service, her war service record is as follows: Left Canada 14th March 1915; enlisted CAMC 3rd May 1915; Posted No 1 Stationary Hospital Boulogne; Home 29th July 1915; Posted Dardenelles 1st August 1915; Home sick-leave 30th November 1915; Posted Moore Barracks Hospital 1st March 1916; Posted Granville Special Hospital Ramsgate on 9th May 1916; Posted Canadian Red Cross Hospital Buxton 13th June 1916; Posted Canadian Convalescent Hospital Bearwood Park 2nd April 1917; Admitted to Westcliffe Hall Hospital Folkestone 21st April 1917; Posted HMHS Letitia 20th July 1917; Posted Canadian Military Hospital Eastbourne 29th August 1917; Posted No 14 Canadian General Hospital Eastbourne 17th October 1917; Posted HMHS Araguaya 24th May 1918; Posted No 16 Canadian General Hospital Shorncliffe 25th September 1918; Posted HMHS Araguaya 25th September 1918; Posted No 8 Canadian General Hospital Rouen on 15th October 1918; Admitted No 8 Canadian General Hospital –sick- 20th November 1918; Posted CAMC Casualty Company Shorncliffe 2nd January 1919; Posted No 14 Canadian General Hospital Eastbourne 8th January 1919; embarked aboard HMTS Canada at Liverpool 24th March 1919 aboard the HMTS Canada; Place of intended residence ‘The Angela’, Burdett Avenue, Victoria BC.; Discharged Ottawa 17th April 1919; Struck of Strength CAMC 23rd April 1919.

One notable incident that happened during her period of service occurred on 19th July 1917 when Mrs Maillard was one of 12 nursing sisters on board HMHS ‘Letitia’, when the ship ran aground in dense fog at Portuguese Cove, Halifax, Nova Scotia. All passengers and crew were evacuated safely apart from one crew member who drowned whilst attempting to swim to shore.

LATER LIFE

Following her return to Canada, she must have made one unrecorded voyage back to England, as she is shown returning once more to Canada on the 24th May 1920 aboard the SS Empress of Russia. On embarkation, she recorded her age as 48 years (DOB 1872), her nationality as British and her place of birth as Ireland. She confirmed she had previously lived in Victoria BC having arrived in 1911 and left in 1915 for ‘service in the Canadian Nursing Service’. Her reason for returning was to residency, giving the name of her employer as Mrs Jones, Oakray, Victoria BC.

Mrs Maillard is recorded in the 1921 Canadian Census, aged 50 years (DOB 1871), residing at 732 Fort Street, Victoria, BC, where she states her nationality to be Canadian, and describes her status as a widow with no occupation. Her place of birth is again recorded as Ireland, and she gave the birthplace of her father as Ireland and that of her mother as England. She finally returned to London on 27th May 1924, arriving from Montreal on the SS Antonia. On disembarking she gave her intended place of residence as Oldfield House, Pembroke, South Wales, the residence of her sister-in-law.

The last official recording of her is in the 1939 Register, where she is shown as residing at Queen Alexandra Court, Wimbledon, the date of her birth reverting back to its original date of 25th August 1855. She died whilst living at this address on the 3rd August 1940, aged 95 years’. Her effects which amounted to £1,388 were left to  Miss Amelia Blackburn. Notice of her death was reported in ‘The Times’ dated 7th August 1940 as follows: ‘Marian Edith Maillard (nee Beresford) of Queen Alexandra’s Court, Wimbledon. Widow of W.J. Maillard V.C., M.D., R.N. Service, Streatham Crematorium, 8th August’.

Although childless herself, Marian Maillard became somewhat of an inspiration to her niece, Nora Beresford (the daughter of her brother Charles), who, clearly influenced by her aunt, also pursued a career in nursing, and served in India with the QAIMNI having obtained her nursing certificate in 1909. She also made frequent visits to British Columbia throughout her life.

 

[The Inspector]

Hi All

Willywonker, as we thought, it was her .

Question remaining...her medals. Documentation?

Regards Barry

[seaJane]

12 hours ago, The Inspector said:

Hi Sj and all, 

 

I presume you have the photos of her husband and mother.

 

Hi Inspector, I have several photographs of WIll, though nothing of her mother. The ancestry links will have to wait until I can get to a library, but thanks.

 

Willywonker, I wonder if we have ever communicated at my work? I wouldn't be surprised.

[Madmeg]

Far out what a well travelled lady! And what a comprehensive history of her- love to know where you found it all- from her CEF records? but the earlier nursing stuff is so hard to find. She obviously liked Canada, would explain why she disappears so comprehensively from the UK records :-D

 

 

Ref marriage- WoolstaSton , Shropshire (Wolstanton is in Staffordshire.) The Rectory seems to be the only habitation there, incumbent in 1891 was Edmund Donald Carr, he died in 1900 so she must have been staying with him and his family. Now what was THAT connection I wonder. I note that she was altering her age even at the time of her marriage :-) . (aged 35 ;-) she was 40!)

 

Ref Messina- I have had a pretty good dig around and currently there is nothing to show a relationship so far between Mabel and Marian. Marian's father James the doctor (not William the gentleman) would appear to be the son of another James (found 1841 along with brother David in Cheshire), while I have not yet been able to find Mabel's father William's family but there is probably a connection to one of the numerous Marcus Beresfords who were floating around in the 1900's. I'm going with co-incidence here for now with the two Beresford nurses. Mabel being a naval nurse has a record available on TNA.

 

Ref 1911 - I found her shown as in the household of John Redhouse not Annie Rolls Hill- but another look on ancestry shows that John Redhouse lived at Homoko Villa while  Annie Rolls and Maria Edith are both shown as at Haughlew  even though Marian E is listed as with the Redhouse family in the transcription.

 

Ref the Will. An Ameila Blackburn died in 1945 aged 71 in SW Surrey - assuming that that is the same Amelia there is a probate in Apr 1946 showing beneficiaries as Hubert Stanley Jones and Henry Heartfield OXLEY. You would be flabbergasted to know how many Hubert Stanley Joneses there were (yes really) but there is only one Henry Heartfield Oxley b 1900 and died 1982. Other than that he has been a little harder to trace but there could be a possible connection to the Miss Oxley Marian didnt get on with.

 

One thing I still wonder about. When her husband was sent into her care it was to an address in Surrey. And yet there he is dieing in Bournemouth. Of course Bournemouth was a big hangout for invalids of the time. Any idea of the address they were living at? 

 

I do think that the record in the Naval Gazette 1903 quoted above doesn't do the man much service- the implication is that he was an invalid from about 1898- and yet his record shows he was on active service up until February 1901 when he was invalided off the Archer while in Australia, this would appear to have been quite sudden- he was due to sail to New Zealand on her and had been involved in several social functions in late 1901. I originally thought from the shipping records that he accompanied her on the first leg of her journey home - instead it looks like she accompanied him on his first leg from Sydney to Freemantle where he disappears from the shipping records- put on a British navy ship home? She is obviously not too concerned as she then has an extended stay in Australia not showing as sailing home until November 1901, stopping off at Calcutta where I lose her again until she shows up on his Naval record in 1902

 

Edited 8 May , 2020 by Madmeg

[seaJane]

2 hours ago, Madmeg said:

an address in Surrey. And yet there he is dieing in Bournemouth. Of course Bournemouth was a big hangout for invalids of the time. Any idea of the address they were living at

The Surrey address, don't ask me why it's stuck in my brain, was 3 Church Cottages, Thames Ditton, just off the A3 aka the Portsmouth road.

 

There's a website that says he died in Ville D'Eu, Sherborne Road, Bournemouth, but I am sure the house was called Candia. I can't recall if I've ever known the road name, but it may have been in the Times obituary (which I'm locked down from because it's at work). The whole search for him and Edith wasn't helped by some egregious mistakes in John Winton's book The Victoria Cross at Sea.

 

An article I wrote in 2003:

https://archive.org/details/JRNMSVOL89Images/page/n12/mode/1up. And the British Medical Journal obituary is attached.

 

 

[Madmeg]

that's right you did post Candia before and I forgot - sorry- but Ville D'eu (?) different again. There is no "Sherborne Road" in Bournemouth :-) . Its been so many years since I lived in Bournemouth I can't even visually place the cemetary on Wimborne Road, hey ho.

 

That newspaper report REALLY doesn't give him enough respect- it really makes it look as if he was mentally incapable from 1898 or so even though he was demonstrably still active in the Navy until 1901. PTSD? maybe?

[Madmeg]

Possible connection for the oddly placed marriage- His brother JD Maillard was headmaster at Shiftnal school in 1894 (but was at Penarth by 1898) . Otherwise it seems a bit of an odd spot for them to marry. 

[The Inspector]

Hi Sj and all,

Marian's mother.. Frances Brown Waddington 25.8.14.-25.4.1895. Public tree on Ancestry

Regards Barry

[seaJane]

6 hours ago, Madmeg said:

There is no "Sherborne Road" in Bournemouth :-)

I discovered that too! 

There is a Shelbourne Road, however.

 

@The Inspector Barry, thanks for the picture!

[The Inspector]

Hi Sj,

Probate gives his address as "Crete" . Richmond Wood Rd., Bournemouth

Regards Barry.

[The Inspector]

10 hours ago, Madmeg said:

Ref the Will. An Ameila Blackburn died in 1945 aged 71 in SW Surrey - assuming that that is the same Amelia there is a probate in Apr 1946 showing beneficiaries as Hubert Stanley Jones and Henry Heartfield OXLEY. You would be flabbergasted to know how many Hubert Stanley Joneses there were (yes really) but there is only one Henry Heartfield Oxley b 1900 and died 1982. Other than that he has been a little harder to trace but there could be a possible connection to the Miss Oxley Marian didnt get on with.

Hi Madmeg and all,

I think this is the connection.....

The 1939 register has an Amelia Blackburn, a widow, b.18.3.1874 living at "Prinsted", Guildford Rd., Surrey with a HERBERT S Jones b.7.12.1900 and Edith A Jones b.8.5.1901. Herbert's occ. is Local Govt. Official, Principal Assistant S.C.C.  He is also an Air Raid Warden.

Herbert Stanley Jones married Edith May OXLEY on 6.6.1925 at St.Luke's , Richmond, Surrey. Herbert's occ. on the marriage cert. is "Staff of Metropolitan Asylums Board".

The Hearfield Oxley connection is from the same family...traced back via Ancestry. Edith May's mother was Edith Annie HEARFIELD.

Regards Barry

 

Edited 9 May , 2020 by The Inspector

[Madmeg]

The name Oxley is more common than I thought it would be- I find him in 1901 but not 1911- he seems to have been much favoured by those making wills is all I can say- Amelia, his (mother?) Edith Ann and Thomas henry (his father I think) all left him money, lucky chap. But I havent tried o see if there is any further connection to Sister Oxley. Struggling with Edith May as well.

Mr Jones with his link to the Asylums is interesting in terms of who Amelia was.