Henry Robert Armitage (1870-1946), soldier

Henry Robert Armitage was a son of William Armitage (b1841), who was an elder brother of my great grandfather Robert Melton Armitage (1846-1910).

William (b 1841 in Leeds) and Kate (b 1847 in Pimlico, Middlesex) Armitage had five sons and one daughter. Henry Robert Armitage was their eldest child, born on 21 June 1870 in Dover. He was named Robert Henry Armitage at birth, but all the records of him as an adult give his name as Henry Robert Armitage. William served as a soldier between 1861 and 1883. The places of birth of his children show where he was posted at the time. The 1881 census shows William (aged 40) and Kate (33) Armitage living in Artillery Barracks, Colchester St Giles, Essex with their children Robert Henry (aged 9, born Dover). Thomas William (7, born Ireland), Robert Melton (6, born Woolwich) and Ellen (2, born Colchester). It seems that William’s family moved with him when he was posted to a new location and that Henry grew up in army accommodation.

It is perhaps not surprising that Henry also became a soldier, as did at least two of his brothers. The Ancestry website has his army record. Henry joined the Royal Artillery as a boy soldier on 21^st October 1886 when he was aged 16 years and 3 months. He was promoted to Gunner on 21 June 1888 (his eighteenth birthday) and to Bombardier in September 1889. He served in the UK until 1890 when he was posted to India. In November 1891 was convicted of drunkenness and reduced in rank to Gunner. He was promoted back to Bombardier in 1893. He was posted to Aden in 1894 and to Gibraltar in 1895. Soon after his arrival there he was tried for another offence and reduced in rank to Gunner. He returned to the UK in 1897 where he was discharged on 5 December 1898, having served 12 years.

On 2^nd February 1899 Henry re-enlisted in the Royal Artillery signing on for 7 years with the Colours followed by 5 years in the Army Reserve. His age was given as 28 years 6 months, height 5 feet 10 ¼ inches, weight 167 lbs. He was not married, had blue eyes and black hair. Henry was sent to South Africa in  December 1899, where the Boer War was in progress. He was promoted to Bombardier in April 1900 and was posted to China as part of the China Expeditionary Force in July 1900.

The China Expeditionary Force was sent to deal with the Boxer Rebellion in 1900. China then was militarily weak and various Western countries saw it as a country ripe for exploitation. The Boxers were anti-western Chinese. They murdered Christians and destroyed Western property. The Chinese government sided with the Boxers and declared war on the Western Allies on 21st June 1900. A siege of Westerners in Peking started 20^th June 1900 and continued until 14^th August when an American / British / Russian / Japanese force of 20,000 men arrived. The rebellion was defeated and a peace protocol signed 7^th September 1901.

 Henry was promoted to Corporal in September 1900 and posted to India in August 1901, where he remained for the next 6 years. He was promoted to Sergeant in August 1901. In July 1903 he agreed to extend his service to 12 years with the colours. In February 1904 he was tried by court martial for being absent without leave. He was found guilty and his rank reduced to Corporal. He committed the same offence in October 1904 and was again court martialled, this time his rank being reduced to Bombardier. Henry was posted back to the UK in 1907 and was discharged (at his own request) from the Royal Garrison Artillery on 4^th May 1908 aged 37. His character was described as very good and his intended place of residence was North Lodge, Kensington Gardens (his father’s address). Henry’s total army service to this point was 21 years 139 days.

On 8 November 1910, Henry (aged 40) married Edith Ann Waite (aged 28) at Kensington Register Office. Edith was a widow whose maiden name was Cook and who had married Alfred John Waite (a store keeper) in 1901. They had a daughter, Edith Elsie Rosetta Waite that year. Alfred died in 1908. Henry and Edith had 5 children, all born in Kensington. They were William Henry (b1911), George Charles (b1912), Ellen Kate (b1914) and twins Joan Kathleen and Betty Ellen (b1918). Both the twins died in January 1919, possibly of influenza – an epidemic killed many people at this time.

The 1911 census shows Henry (aged 40, an army pensioner gatekeeper) living at 117 Portobello Road. Also in the household were Henry’s wife Edith (30), his step daughter Edith Waite (9) and son William (not yet 1).

Henry enlisted again on 2^nd September 1914 soon after the outbreak of the First World War. By this time he was 44, rather old for a fighting soldier. All his service during the war was in UK Artillery Depots. He was immediately promoted to the rank of Corporal in 1914 and promoted to Sergeant in 1915. Henry was discharged 21 February 1919 as no longer fit for war service due to emphysema and chest catarrh. His character was stated as very good and he was awarded a pension of 34½d a day (ie £52 9s per year, equivalent to about £8,000 now, estimated in relation to average wages) with increases when he reached the ages of 55 and 65.

After the war, Henry and Edith lived in Peel St, Kensington. Electoral registers show their address as 59 Peel Street from 1918 to 1923 and 63 Peel St from 1924 to 1930.

The 1921 census shows Henry (aged 51), William (10), George (8) and Ellen (6) at 59 Peel Street. Henry was a general clerk in the War Office, Whitehall. Edith is not shown on the census return with her husband.

The family moved to 38 St James Square, Shepherds Bush in 1931. The 1934 Electoral Register shows Henry and Edith living at 38 St James Square with their children William and George. They were still there in 1939 but the road had been renamed St James Gardens. The registered voters at the address were Henry, Edith, George and Ellen Armitage (who would have been too young to be listed in 1934).

Henry died on 15 January 1946 aged 75 at 38 St James Gardens. His occupation on the death certificate is given as retired Commercial Clerk. The cause of death was cardiac failure. Henry’s wife Edith was present.

William Ambrose Pinnuck (1822-77), labourer

William Ambrose Pinnuck was my great great grandfather. He was the father of Ellen Armitage nee Pinnuck (1855-1913), who was the mother of Emma Ivall nee Armitage (1883-1970), my maternal grandmother. He did not have the opportunities available to his descendants of my generation and seems to have had a fairly unremarkable life.

William was born 11 February 1822 in Enfield, the third of four children born to James and Mary Pinnuck. At the time William was born, Enfield was a country town and not a London suburb as it now is. William was christened on 19 May 1822 at St Andrew, Enfield. The church is next to Enfield market square. Parts of the church are 800 years old. Many of my Pinnuck relations were christened here. William’s baptism record gives his parent’s address as Chase Side, Enfield and his father’s occupation as labourer.

James Pinnuck died in 1836 aged 36, when his son William was 14. In 1841 William was an agricultural labourer living with his mother Mary (a seller of beer) and brother Job in Chase Side, Enfield.

William married Emma Brickett on 18 August 1844 at All Saints Church in Edmonton. He was aged 22 and she was 26. Emma was heavily pregnant when they married – their first child John was born in September 1844. He died the following year before reaching his first birthday. They had another child Ann Eliza in 1846. Sadly Emma died in 1848 aged 29.

The 1851 census shows William (aged 29, labourer) living with his mother Mary (a widow aged 57, beer shop keeper), brother Job (17, labourer) and cousin George (28, labourer) at “Five Bells”, Chase Side, Enfield. 

William married Frances Eleanor Brown on 4 June 1854 in St James, Enfield Highway, which is 1.5 miles east of Enfield Town. The marriage certificate records William as aged 33, a labourer, the son of James Pinnuck (deceased). Frances was a spinster aged 34. Her occupation was a servant and she was the daughter of John Brown, a shoemaker. Both lived in Enfield Highway and both were unable to sign their names. St James church was built in 1831. A fire in 1967 seriously damaged the east end of the church, which was restored in 1969. Frances was pregnant at the time of her marriage (which was quite common then) and their daughter Sarah Sophia Pinnuck was born on 31 July 1854, eight weeks later. They had five other children namely Ellen (1855-1913), Mary Anne (b1858), William Charles (1861-2), Alfred John (1863-97) and Charles George (1866-94).

Mary Pinnuck, William’s mother, died in 1855 aged 62. In 1861, William (39, an agricultural labourer) and Frances (38) were living in Holly Bush, Enfield with their children Sarah (7), Ellen (5) and Mary (2).

The 1871 census lists William aged 49, a labourer at Brigadier Hill, Enfield with his wife Frances (47) and children Mary (12), Alfred (8) and Charles (4).

Three of William’s daughters got married before he died. Sarah Sophia married Luke Paul in 1873, Ellen married Robert Melton Armitage in 1876 and Ann Eliza married William Moss in 1877.

William died on 29 August 1877 aged 55 at Parsonage Lane, Enfield. His death certificate gives his  occupation as "Labourer to the Local Board of Health" and the cause of death as "Paralysis 3 years, exhaustion 21 days". His wife Frances lived until 11 September 1910, when she died aged 86 at 45 Tilehouse Street, Hitchin. This was the address of "The Highlander" pub run by her son-in-law Luke Paul, where he and his wife Sarah Sophia lived. The cause of death for Frances was "Acute intestinal obstruction".

Frances Eleanor Pinnuck nee Brown as an old lady

The mourning card for Frances

George Henry Armitage (1898 - 1936), international footballer

George Henry Armitage was my great uncle, a brother of my grandmother, Emma Armitage. He was born on 17 January 1898 in Stoke Newington, North London, the youngest child of  Robert Melton Armitage (1846-1910) and Ellen Armitage nee Pinnuck (1855-1913). George had three brothers and three sisters that survived into adulthood. His siblings were Robert (1881-1916), Emma (1883-1970), William (1884-1940), Florence (1887-1945), Gertrude (1889-1978) and Alfred (1893-1957).

The 1901 census lists Robert Armitage (aged 53, a milk carrier), Ellen (45), Emma (17), Florence (13), Gertrude (11), Alfred (8), George (3) living at 70 Shakespeare Road, Stoke Newington, South Hornsey, London.

George was educated at Wordsworth Road School, Hackney. He doesn’t seem to have had an easy childhood. According to my grandmother, Robert Melton Armitage (George’s father) spent time in jail for watering the milk and was violent when drunk. He committed suicide by drinking poison in 1910 when George was 12. In 1911, George, aged 13, was living at 4 Oldfield Rd, Stoke Newington with his mother Ellen Armitage (56) and siblings Florence (23), Gertrude (22) and Alfred (18). George's mother died in 1913.

On 17 November 1914, George joined the Territorial Force as a volunteer, signing on for 4 years. George’s address was 9 Linkfield Rd, Isleworth, the house of his sister Emma and her husband George Ivall. He gave his age as 18 years and 6 months although it was actually 16 years and 10 months (it was common for army recruits to exaggerate their age). His height was 5 foot 8 inches. The principal role of the Territorial Force was home defence and its soldiers were not obliged to serve overseas until conscription was introduced in 1916. George served in the UK until 20 June 1916 when he was sent to France, where he served until 21 November 1916. George’s brother Robert was also in the army and had been killed in action in France on 24 May 1916. George embarked on a ship at Marseilles on 22 November 1916 to go to Salonika in Greece, where he disembarked on 1 December 1916.

Anglo-French forces began landing at the Greek port of Salonika on 5 October 1915. The troops were sent to provide military assistance to the Serbs who had recently been attacked by combined German, Austro-Hungarian and Bulgarian armies. The intervention came too late to save Serbia and after a brief winter campaign in severe weather conditions on the Serbian frontier, the Anglo-French forces found themselves back at Salonika. 

During 1916, further Allied contingents of Serbian, Italian and Russian troops arrived and offensive operations began. These culminated in the fall of Monastir to Franco-Serb forces during November. A second offensive during the spring of 1917, the British part of which was the First Battle of Doiran (24-25 April and 8-9 May), made little impression on the Bulgarian defences. The frontline remained more or less static until September 1918, when a third offensive was launched. During this the British attacked at Doiran for a second time (18-19 September). With a breakthrough by Serbian forces west of the River Vardar, the Bulgarian army was forced into a general retreat. The campaign concluded with the surrender of Bulgaria on 30 September 1918.

The British Salonika Force was comprised of six Divisions, grouped into two Corps. These were:

XII Corps: 22nd, 26th, 60th Divisions (George was in the 60^th Division)

XVI Corps: 10th, 27th, 28th Divisions

This made it a mixture of Regular, New Army and Territorial formations, with battalions of English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh origin. Disease proved to be a serious drain on manpower during the campaign.

George in army uniform

George was transferred to the Durham Light Infantry in June 1917 and to the Labour Corps on 13 Feb 1918. He was promoted to Corporal on 17 October 1918 and discharged from the army on 21 April 1919, the cause being that he was no longer physically fit for war service (apparently due to tuberculosis). He received the Silver War Badge, which was awarded to soldiers discharged as a result of sickness or wounds. He was also awarded the British War and Victory Medals, which were given to all British soldiers who served in WW1.

George Henry Armitage, date unknown

The 1921 census shows George, aged 23, living at 9 Linkfield Road, Isleworth with his sister Emma (37), her husband George Ivall (40) and their daughter Florence (13). George's occupation was audit clerk, working at Railway Cleaning House, Seymore Street, Euston Square in Central London. Electoral registers for 1922 and 1924 show George Armitage still living at 9 Linkfield Rd. 

In 1926 George Armitage married Elsie Joyce Atkins in Lambeth. He was 28 and she 29. They had a daughter, Joyce, in 1931 and lived at 88 The Drive, Beckenham. My mother (born in 1922) remembers visiting the family and helping to give baby Joyce a bath.

George and Elsie Joyce Armitage

George Armitage worked as a railway audit clerk and was also a notable amateur footballer (in those days professional footballers were poorly paid) - a centre half. His nickname was “Tishy”. 

A caricature of George

During his career he played for Hackney Schools, St Saviour’s FC (Chelsea), Wimbledon FC, Charlton Athletic (he made 165 league and 17 FA Cup appearances for them over the period 1924 to 1930) and Leyton FC. Charlton Athletic were in the Third Division (South) when he joined the club, making his first team debut on 15 March 1924 against Brighton (away). George was the captain of the team that won the third division during the 1928/29 season, thus getting promotion to the Second Division. He played seven times for the England Amateur international side. His first cap was on 5 May 1923 (against Belgium) and his last was on 7 November 1925 (against Ireland). One of his best performances was in the Amateurs v Professionals Trial on 5 October 1925 at White Hart Lane, Tottenham, which won him a full international cap for England (on 24 October 1925 against Northern Ireland). He was 5’ 11” tall and weighed 11st 9lb.  His final match for Charlton was on 18 April 1930 against Swansea Town (at home).

Charlton Athletic team photo

The story ends on a tragic note. George went to a sanitorium in Kent to recover from a bout of tuberculosis. He was depressed because of his illness and as a result, committed suicide by throwing himself under a train. He died on 28 August 1936 aged 38. The Times of 31 Aug 1936 included the following story in its Brief News section.

“Mr George Henry Armitage, 38, of The Drive, Beckenham, a former English amateur international footballer, was found dead on the railway line at Aylesford, Kent, on Friday. He had been a patient at Preston Hall Sanatorium near Maidstone.”

This item was printed in the Kentish Times on Friday 4 September 1936.

RAN IN FRONT OF TRAIN

Depressed After Illness

Former Amateur International Footballer

The theory that a Beckenham man, a former English amateur international football player, depressed by his illness which was an aftermath of the war, ran in front of a train on the day of his discharge from the Preston Hall Settlement of the British Legion, was advanced at an inquest at Aylesford on Monday on George Henry Armitage, aged 38 of The Drive, Beckenham. Mr Armitage’s body was found on the railway line at Allington on Friday.

            RELAPSE AFTER MAKING PROGRESS

Mrs Elsie Joyce Armitage, the widow, identified the body and said the deceased went to the Sanitorium because he was ill with tuberculosis, probably an aftermath of the war. He made good progress and then had a relapse. Her husband was depressed and upset.

The driver of the 1.8pm train from Maidstone East stated that he looked ahead to see if the signal was clear and saw no one on the line. The train was travelling at 30mph and he felt a jolt. The fireman of the train said that at the spot where the train ran over Armitage there was a hut.

Dr T.J.Lee of Preston Hall Sanatorium said that on Friday the deceased asked for his discharge, which would take effect from two o’clock. The tragedy occurred before that. “He seemed to think he was much worse than he was” said the doctor “He was more anxious than depressed.” The witness considered Armitage was a little unbalanced in mind.

NOT HIS NORMAL SELF

A nurse in charge of the pavilion where Armitage was, also gave evidence and said that that on Friday he did not seem to be his normal self.A police constable stated that he found a hat in the hut with the deceased’s initials on it. A portion of the shingle from the hut to the track was disturbed as if someone had dashed to the line.

Summing up, the Coroner said that the evidence showed that Armitage left the Sanitorium after mid-day and went to the line. He concealed himself in the hut and when the train came he dived in front of it. A verdict of Suicide while of Unsound Mind was returned. The foreman of the jury said it was clear the Preston Hall authorities had treated the deceased well, and he had left against their wishes.

--------------------

A benefit match for George’s dependents was held on September 24^th, 1936 at Leyton Football Club between Leyton and an Amateur International XI. The programme contained tributes from several members of the national press. Examples are :

“We all know George Armitage’s abilities as a footballer - “the greatest amateur of the post-war decade” - I heard him described by a famous old player. Apart from these qualities, he had an extraordinary gift - some of us might call it genius - of making friends.”

“Without any flourish of style he was the keystone in the defence of every team he played for and absolutely reliable.”

“George Armitage will always be remembered as one of our great sportsmen. His remarkable ability as a footballer was there for all to see, but off the field as on, he scrupulously maintained the highest standards and truest traditions of British sportsmanship.”  

Probate records show that administration of George's estate (£1,317 2s 5d) was granted to his widow.

I have donated one of George's amateur international caps to the Charlton Athletic Museum, who tell me that they intend to display it.

Alfred John Armitage (1893-1957), railway guard

Alfred John Armitage was my great uncle, a brother of my grandmother, Emma Armitage. He was born on February 2nd 1893 in South Hornsey, Stoke Newington, North London to Robert Melton Armitage (1846-1910) and Ellen Armitage nee Pinnuck (1855-1913). Alfred had three brothers and three sisters that survived into adulthood. They were Robert Melton (1881-1916), Emma (1883-1970), William Frederick (1884-1940), Florence Edith (1887-1945), Gertrude Ellen (1889-1978) and George Henry (1898-1936).

The 1901 census return lists the household as Robert Armitage (aged 53, a milk carrier), Ellen (45), Emma (17), Florence (13), Gertrude (11), Alfred (8) and George (3). They were living at 70 Shakespeare Road, Stoke Newington, South Hornsey, London.

Alfred (aged 13) is in a group photo taken at the wedding of his sister Emma in 1906. He doesn’t seem to have had an easy childhood. Robert Melton Armitage (Alfred’s father) spent time in jail for watering the milk and was violent when drunk. He committed suicide in 1910 at 70 Shakespeare Road by drinking poison when Alfred was 17.

In 1911 Alfred aged 18, a stoker at a laundry, was living at 4 Oldfield Rd, Stoke Newington with his mother Ellen Armitage (56) and siblings Florence (23), Gertrude (22) and George (13). The accommodation consisted of only 3 rooms, so it must have been crowded ! Alfred’s mother died in 1913. Railway employment records show that Alfred started work with the London & North Western Company on 6th March 1913.

In 1914, Alfred (aged 20) married Ethel Emily Frost (aged 22, a daughter of Alfred Frost, a coachman) at Stoke Newington parish church. Alfred’s occupation was given as railway porter and his address as 19 Sandbrook Road. They went on to have six children : Leslie John (1915-86), Alfred George (1918-91), Leonard Frank (1920-2004), Robert Melton (1920-93), Betty M (1922-24) and Stanley Thomas (1925-94). Electoral registers for 1918 to 1925 show the family living at 19 Sandbrook Road, Stoke Newington.

Alfred resigned from his job on the railways on 11^th June 1915, presumably to volunteer (conscription was not introduced until 1916) to fight in the war. The medal rolls show an A J Armitage who was initially a Gunner in the Royal Field Artillery and later a Sapper in the Royal Engineers and received the 1915 Star, a campaign medal given to those who fought that year. Alfred rejoined the London & North Western railway company on 3^rd May 1919. This became part of the London, Midland and Scottish (LMS) railway company that was formed in 1923.

The 1921 census shows Alfred (aged 28, a railway goods guard with the North London Railway Company), his wife Ethel (29) and children Leonard (1) and Robert (1) living in two rooms at 19 Sandbrook Road. Their two elder sons Leslie and Alfred are not listed with them and I can't find them in the census index. 

The birth certificate of their youngest child Stanley in 1925 gives Alfred’s occupation as railway guard. Alfred worked on the railway for 44 years, most of that time as a passenger guard based at Broad Street on the North London route, working out to Richmond, and Watford mostly. A passenger guard was nominally 'in charge' of the train and its passengers, and would also oversee any parcels or mail being conveyed. They would often pick up and put down many items from any station they called at and were responsible for ensuring that these were put out at the correct stop. They were also responsible for seeing passengers on and off the train and ensuring all doors were secure before signalling to the driver to proceed. In Alfred’s day this was always done by giving a blast on their silver (Acme Thunderer) pocket whistle, followed by displaying a green flag held steadily above the head (a green shaded oil lamp at night). This done, they would quickly step back into the guard’s compartment as the train moved off. 

In 1926, Alfred and his family moved to 207 Samuel Lewis Trust Buildings, Dalston Lane, Hackney. Samuel Lewis was a money lender who died in 1901 and left a large sum to set up a charitable trust to provide housing for the poor. Several large properties were built, including the one in Dalston Lane, which was completed in 1923. Alfred lived at number 207 until 1934, when he moved to number 202 where he lived until at least 1939. The national register compiled in September that year shows Alfred (a railway guard, LMS) and Ethel living at 202 Lewis Trust Buildings. 

Electoral registers indicate that sometime between 1939 and 1945 Alfred and his family moved back to Sandbrook Road, this time to number 17. Stoke Newington was extensively damaged by bombs during WW2. Many houses in the area were completely destroyed, although 17 Sandbrook Road suffered only minor blast damage. A V1 bomb fell nearby in Londesborough Road. In 1945 Alfred was living with Ethel and his sons Robert and Leonard. The 1947 to 1953 registers list Alfred and Ethel, Leonard and his wife Ivy, Stanley and his wife Rose at number 17. Stanley and Rose had moved out by 1955. Leonard and Ivy had gone by 1957. 

 Alfred John Armitage c 1955

Alfred’s daughter-in-law Eileen (wife of his son Robert) remembers him as a very likeable person. She recalls Alfred coming home from work when he would unclip his starched work collar and tie and hang them up on a hook in the kitchen. He would often take his false teeth out, much to the annoyance of his wife!

Alfred was ill in 1956 and during the early summer of 1957 attended the Railway Convalescent home in Torquay. It is believed while there he suffered from sunstroke as he came back very red and sunburnt. After he came back he had changed completely. He hardly spoke a word and it was as if he was looking straight through you. One day he went out for a walk and collapsed on a bench in Clissold Park. He died soon afterwards (in 1957) aged 64.

His wife Ethel moved away from Sandbrook Road in the early seventies to sheltered housing in Dunstable, near her son Alfred. She died there in 1986 aged 96.

Robert Melton Armitage (1881 - 1916) : killed in World War I

There are four people called Robert Melton Armitage in my family tree. The one that is the subject of this profile was the elder brother of Emma Ivall nee Armitage (1883 - 1972), my maternal grandmother.

Robert was born on 14 May 1881 at 34 Hatley Rd, Islington, the eldest surving child of the 12 (of which 5 died when young) born to Robert Melton Armitage (1846-1910) and Ellen Armitage nee Pinnuck (1855-1913). 34 Hatley Rd is a modest two storey terraced house, which still exists.

In 1885 the family was still living at 34 Hatley Road. This is the address given in the parish record of St Anne, Poole’s Park (a nearby church which was demolished in 1965) when Robert was baptized on 25 Mar 1885. His father’s occupation was given as milk carrier. Robert’s sister Emma (b 1883) and brother William Frederick (b 1884) were baptized on the same day. The family moved to 3 Shakespeare Road, Stoke Newington in about 1888, when Robert was seven.

The 1891 census shows Robert Armitage senior (aged 45, a milk carrier), Ellen (35), Robert (9), Emma (7), William (6), Florence (3), Gertrude (2) and Percy (5 months) living at 3 Shakespeare Road, South Hornsey, Middlesex.

Robert joined the Royal Artillery on 10 April 1899, signing up for 7 years active service and 5 years in the reserve. He gave his age as 18 years 11 months (it was actually 17 years 11 months), his previous occupation as a cabinet maker and his religion as Church of England. Robert’s height was 5 foot 6½ inches, weight 127lbs, his eyes blue and hair red. He was awarded a Third Class Certificate of Education in 1900 and passed a Wheelwright’s Course with the grade “Fair” in 1901. The 1901 census shows Robert, aged 20, a soldier in 30 Company, Eastern Division, Royal Garrison Artillery, living in Woolwich Barracks.

On 8 February 1903, Robert married Ann Maria Godfrey at St Matthias Church, Stoke Newington. Robert (occupation given as cabinet maker) was aged 22 and Ann was 25. The witnesses were Thomas Walter Godfrey (Ann’s brother), Edward Godfrey (Ann’s father, a decorator) and Emma Armitage (Robert’s sister and my grandmother).

Robert was transferred to the army reserve on 5 Aug 1903 after 4 years 118 days service, all of which was in the UK. It is not clear why he left early – his army record makes no mention of Robert having bought himself out. Perhaps the army had more soldiers than it needed and so allowed some to leave ?

Ann and Robert’s children were Ellen Elizabeth (born 27 Feb 1904 in Stoke Newington), Florence Annie (born 1906 in Edmonton, died in 1906), Doris Winifred (born 1912 in Hackney, died in 1914) and Marjory (born 12 Dec 1915 in Edmonton). My mother told me that one of the children, who was known as Dolly, was mentally disabled. Robert’s daughter Ellen Elizabeth was baptized at St Matthias’s Church, Stoke Newington on 3 April 1904. The register gives Robert’s address as 85 Shakespeare Road.

My grandmother Emma Armitage married in 1906. Robert signed the marriage register as a witness and is in the family group photo of the wedding with his wife and first child (see below)

The GPO Staff Appointments Register shows that Robert was appointed as an assistant postman in 1907, based at the London North depot. Robert’s father committed suicide in 1910 by drinking poison.

The 1911 census shows Robert (aged 29, a Postal Porter GPO), Ann (33) and Ellen Armitage (7) living at 30 Oldfield Rd, Stoke Newington. The census return says that the family was living in 3 rooms. Robert’s widowed mother (who died in 1913) and four of her children were living nearby at 4 Oldfield Rd. He left the army reserve on 9 April 1911 on completion of his 12 year term.

Robert was recruited for service in World War I on 24 July 1915. He gave his address as 119 Fair View Road, Tottenham, his age as 34 years 3 months and his occupation as wheelwright. His army papers include a Certificate of Trade Proficiency dated 27 July 1915 saying that he had been tested and found to be a “fair” wheelwright. His army record says that his initial rank was Pioneer. Underneath “Wheelwright” is “Indifferent”! Perhaps he was hoping that army service as a wheelwright would be relatively safe ? Robert became a Lance Corporal in the 226^th Field Company, Royal Engineers on 18 Nov 1915, when his unit embarked for France.

The Imperial War Museum library has a book “Military Operations : France and Belgium 1916” that describes the action that resulted in Robert’s death. On May 21^st 1916 the Germans mounted a heavy bombardment of a section of the line held by British troops near Vimy Ridge, north of Arras in Northern France. A German infantry assault followed which pushed the British line back. A counter attack was planned to re-establish a defensive line. The attack, to follow a short bombardment from hurriedly reinforced artillery, was to be made by 7th Brigade, 99th Brigade and 142nd Brigade. However, it seemed the enemy was expecting the attack, because at 8pm on 23rd May (25 minutes before the British infantry attack was due, and after the bombardment had begun) they began heavy shellfire. It fell on the assembly positions, particularly of 99th Brigade; the 1/Royal Berkshire lost 100 men before the assault should have begun. To make matters worse, German machine guns started firing exactly on time, too. Confusion reigned in 99th Brigade. The Berkshires signalled to the 22/Royal Fusiliers that they could not attack, and the latter sent runners to halt their own Companies. This message did not get to B Company, which advanced on its own and was wiped out, along with the attached section of 226 Field Company RE (Robert’s unit). The counter attack had to be abandoned.

The Commonwealth War Graves website records that Robert was killed in action on 24 May 1916 aged 35. He is buried in the Zouave Valley Cemetery, Souchez, Pas de Calais (Souchez is a village 12 kilometres north of Arras). The cemetery is about 2km SE of Souchez in a quiet position on a farm track and contains nearly 250 casualties from the 1914-18 war. There is a gravestone with the inscription “Known to be buried in this cemetery / 100318 Lance Cpl / R M Armitage / Royal Engineers / 24^th May 1916 / Their glory shall not be blocked out."  The wording on the gravestone (which is near the perimeter of the cemetery) indicates that the record of the burial made at the time did not allow for the accurate location of the grave. Robert's name is also on the London Post Office SE District War Memorial at Southwark Delivery Office.

After Robert’s death it was decided by the British high command that the artillery that would be required to support a major effort to regain the former position would be better deployed on the Somme. Vimy Ridge was later captured by Canadian troops in 1917.

Robert's will was written on 12th November 1915 using a standard Army form. He left the whole of his estate and effects to his wife Ann Maria. After his death, she received £3 12s 8d (his effects) from the Army in 1916 and a war gratuity of £3 in 1919. Ann Maria wrote to the war office asking for the return of his watch but they were unable to locate it. She was awarded a pension of 21 shillings (equivalent to about £45 at current values) per week payable from 4^th December 1916. The army later sent her Robert’s 1915 Star, British War and Victory Medals. In 1920 Ann married Frederick Francis Taylor in Edmonton. Electoral registers for 1922 and 1924 show them living at 119 Fairview Road, Tottenham. I haven’t found a record of Ann’s death.

There is an article about the life of Robert's daughter Ellen Elizabeth Armitage (1904-43) on this blog.

Gertrude Ellen Bull nee Armitage (1889 - 1978)

Gertrude Armitage (known to me as Auntie Gert) was a sister of my grandmother, Emma Armitage.

Gertrude was born on 22 February 1889 in Stoke Newington (in North London), a child of Robert Melton Armitage (1846 - 1910) and Ellen Armitage nee Pinnuck (1855 - 1913). Robert and Ellen had twelve children, although five on them died when young. Gertrude was baptised in October 1889 at St Matthias Church, Stoke Newington. The church had been built in 1851-3 and was badly damaged by a bomb in 1941. It was repaired, reopened in 1954 and is still used as a church. The baptism register gives the Armitage’s address as 3 Shakespeare Road and Robert’s trade as milk carrier.

The 1891 census shows Robert Armitage (aged 45, a milk carrier), Ellen (35), Robert (9), Emma (7), William (6), Florence (3), Gertrude (2) and Percy (5 months) living at 3 Shakespeare Road, Stoke Newington.

In 1901 the census return lists the household as Robert (aged 53, still a milk carrier), Ellen (45), Emma (17), Florence (13), Gertrude (11), Alfred (8), George (3). They were living at 70 Shakespeare Road, Stoke Newington. Percy Armitage is not listed because he died in 1892. Emma’s brothers Robert and William had left home by 1901. The southern section of Shakespeare Road that contained numbers 3 and 70 was damaged by bombing during the second world war and the houses there were subsequently demolished. Newer housing now stands on the site.

In 1906, Gertrude was a bridesmaid at the marriage of her sister Emma to George William Ivall, at St Matthias Church in Stoke Newington. A wedding photo shows Gertrude and the other 3 bridesmaids wearing impressive hats!

Gertrude probably didn’t have had an easy childhood. Her father spent time in jail for watering the milk and was violent when drunk. He committed suicide in 1910 at 70 Shakespeare Road by drinking poison, when Gertrude was 21.

In March 1911 Gertrude aged 22, was living at 4 Oldfield Rd, Stoke Newington with her mother Ellen Armitage (56) and siblings Emma (27), Florence (23), Alfred (18), George (13) and Emma’s daughter Florence (2). The accommodation consisted of only 3 rooms, so it must have been crowded! Gertrude’s occupation is given as an artist with a fine art publisher.

Entry in church marriage register

Gertrude married Henry Charles Bull in April 1911 at St Jude’s, Islington. She was 22, he was 24, a warehouseman. Henry’s father (also called Henry) was an upholsterer with his own business, who lived at 64 Mildmay Road, Islington, which is near where Gertrude lived. The witnesses were her sister Emma and brother Robert. Gertrude was pregnant when they married, her first child Hilda Gertrude being born in July 1911. Gertrude and Henry (known as Harry) had two more children Allan George (b1913) and Phyllis Irene (b1914).

Gertrude’s mother Ellen died in 1913 and was buried in Abney Park Cemetery (near Stoke Newington).

Gertrude with her children Allan, Phyllis and Hilda c 1917

Harry was a Gunner in the Royal Field Artillery during World War 1. He was a leading horseman on the large artillery guns (which were moved using horses). The campaign medals awarded to Henry indicate that he did not join the army until 1916 (when conscription was introduced). Gertrude had a hard life bringing up 3 children alone while Harry was away. The family lived at 32 Scarborough Road, Leytonstone, London E11. 

The 1921 census shows Henry (aged 34), Gertrude (32), Hilda (9), Allan (7) and Phyllis (6) living in 5 rooms at 32 Scarborough Road. Henry was a commercial travellor for Matthews & Clark Ltd, Furniture Manufacturers, 340/2 Old Street, London EC2. 

Around 1935, the family moved to 13 Brook Road, Chigwell, Essex. The 1939 register shows Harry (a commercial traveller selling furniture and general woodwork) and Gertrude living at 13 Brook Road, with their children Allan (a commercial traveller selling soap, fragrance and toilet products) and Phyllis (a short hand typist working for the railway). Their daughter Hilda (a short hand typist) was living at Boldner, Forty Green, Amersham in the household of Henry C Strickland (born 1873, a master nurseryman and market gardener).

Harry spent most of his working life as a sales representative, selling to furniture shops and became well known in the furniture trade. In 1953 he was working for Thomas Glenister Temple Works, High Wycombe. His grandson Jeffery Gibson remembers visiting the factory with him in 1953, when they were making stools for the coronation.

Gert and Harry with their grand daughter Angela in 1969

I remember Gert and Harry coming to visit my grandmother Emma when she lived with my parents in the 1960s. Gert walked awkwardly but otherwise seemed fairly fit and lively, although in her 70s.

In 1968, Gert and Harry moved from Chigwell to Tenterden (40 Knockwood Rd) in Kent where her daughter Phyllis lived (at 14 Homewood Rd, with her husband Denis). Harry died in 1971 aged 84 and Gert died in 1978 aged 89. She was cremated at Charing Crematorium in Kent.

Emma Ivall / Laughton nee Armitage (1883 - 1970)

Emma Armitage was my maternal grandmother. She was born on 30 June 1883 in Islington, the second surviving child of 12 (of whom 5 died when young) born to Robert Melton Armitage (1846 - 1910) and Ellen Armitage nee Pinnuck (1855 - 1913). Emma was born with a dislocated shoulder. It wasn’t corrected when she was an infant and so became a disability throughout her life, resulting in her not being able to lift her arm above her shoulder. She was known as “Cis” (an abbreviation of sister), this being what she was called by Florence (known as Florrie), her younger sister.

In 1885 the family were living at 34 Hatley Road, Islington (a modest two storey house that still exists). This is the address given in the parish record of St Anne, Poole’s Park (a nearby church which was demolished in 1965) when Emma was baptized on 25 Mar 1885. Her father’s occupation was given as milk carrier. Emma’s brother’s Robert Melton (b 1881) and William Frederick (b 1884) were baptized on the same day. The family moved to 3 Shakespeare Road, Stoke Newington in about 1888, when Emma was five.

The 1891 census shows Robert Armitage (aged 45, a milk carrier), Ellen (35), Robert (9), Emma (7), William (6), Florence (3), Gertrude (2) and Percy (5 months) living at 3 Shakespeare Road,  Stoke Newington (in North London)

In 1901 the census return lists the household as Robert (aged 53, still a milk carrier), Ellen (45), Emma (17), Florence (13), Gertrude (11), Alfred (8), George (3). They were living at 70 Shakespeare Road, Stoke Newington. Percy Armitage had died in 1892. Emma’s brothers Robert and William had left home by 1901. The census gives Emma’s occupation as a flower maker. She worked in a factory where artificial decorative flowers were made using small beads. My mother believed that she also worked as a domestic servant for a while. The southern section of Shakespeare Road that contained numbers 3 and 70 was damaged by bombing during World War 2 and the houses there were subsequently demolished and rebuilt.

Emma married George William Ivall, a bus conductor, on 26 August 1906 at the St Matthias Church in Stoke Newington. She was 23 and he was 25. The witnesses were Emma’s brothers Robert and Frederick. St Matthias Church was built in 1851-3 and badly damaged by a bomb in 1941. It was repaired, reopened in 1954 and still operates.

Emma and George started their married life living in Mall Road, Hammersmith and had a child, Florence Rose (known as Flossie), in 1908. Emma’s father committed suicide in 1910 (by drinking poison).

The 1911 census shows Emma (27) and her daughter Florence (2) at her mother’s house, 4 Oldfield Road, Stoke Newington. Her husband George (29, a motor omnibus conductor) is listed at 11 Mall Road, Hammersmith, occupying 3 rooms there. The census return for this address has Emma’s and Florence’s details included but crossed out. Presumably Emma was visiting her mother at the time of her census. There was another household at 11 Mall Rd namely James and Harriett De Val and their family. Their eldest daughter was Daisy Emmeline De Val (b 1884), who was a friend of Emma’s. Daisy’s daughter Lily (1911-2000) married Cyril Pamment (1910-95). Their daughter Sheila and her husband Jim are still family friends. 11 Mall Road no longer exists. The site of the house is now occupied by the Great West Road, which was built sometime after 1939.

Emma’s mother died in 1913. By 1914, George, Emma, their daughter Florence and George Armitage (Emma’s youngest brother, who joined the army that year) were living at 9 Linkfield Rd, Isleworth (the house still exists). Her elder brother Robert was a soldier in WW1 and was killed in action in 1916. Her husband George, also served as a soldier but survived. Monty Smith and Dick Franks were billeted at Emma’s house during the war. She remained friends with them and their families for the rest of her life.

The photo below shows Emma with her sisters Gertrude and Florence and their children. It was taken c 1918, when their husbands were in the army during World War One. From left to right are Gertrude Bull nee Armitage (1889-1978), her daughters Hilda (1911-76) and Phyllis (1914-2007), Emma Ivall nee Armitage (1883-1970), her daughter Florence (1908-22), Allan Bull (1913-91), Kathleen (1916-99) and her mother Florence Ivall nee Armitage (1887-1945).

The 1921 census shows Emma (aged 37) living in 5 rooms at 9 Linkfield Road, Isleworth with her husband George (40, an omnibus conductor) and daughter Florence (13). Also living with them were Emma's youngest brother George Henry Armitage (23, an audit clerk), who had been discharged from the army in 1919. In January 1922, Emma’s second child Grace Evelyn was born. Later that year, Florence, whose heart had been damaged by pneumonia, died aged 14.

Emma c 1925

In 1927, George got a job as the caretaker of the Licensed Vehicle Workers Sick Benefit Club at 30 Brixton Rd, Kennington (near the Oval cricket ground). The family moved to live on the top floor of the premises (which still exist). Emma did some of the work such as the catering for events held there. She also provided lunch for workers in the offices on the first floor.

In 1934, George died suddenly and unexpectedly from acute peritonitis. Emma was distraught with grief - my mother remembers her frequently crying at night. However, she continued as the caretaker at 30 Brixton Rd until 1939, employing others to help when necessary.

Emma’s life so far had been punctuated by the death, often sudden, of close family. This happened again in 1936 when her brother, George Armitage committed suicide (he threw himself under a train) as a result of depression caused by tuberculosis.

In 1938, Emma’s daughter Grace left school and wanted to find a job. Emma consulted Cyril Pamment who recommended that she do office work. This resulted in Grace getting a job with the London County Council and ultimately meeting and marrying my father.

Emma met Tom Laughton, a widower and friend of Dick Franks. Tom was a warehouseman at the Cambridge University Press. They married on 16 September 1939 at Christ Church, Cambridge. She was 56 and he 64. They went to live at his house in Cambridge at 33 Paradise Street (which still exists). The 1939 Register shows Tom Laughton (born 1 July 1875, a printer's warehouseman) and Emma Laughton at this address. Emma was a strong willed woman, Tom was cantankerous and set in his ways. As a result their relationship was not always harmonious! Tom died in 1947 aged 72 of a heart attack whilst visiting my mother and father at 309 Parkside Avenue in Barnehurst.

Dorothy (Dot) and Tom Pawley, her next door neighbours in Paradise Street, became close friends with Emma. She suffered from arthritis and had a hip replacement when this was not a common operation. In 1958 (aged 75), she came to live with my family at 92 Barnehurst Ave - she occupied the downstairs front room. She enjoyed playing cards and I remember playing solo whist with her every Saturday evening.

Emma and Grace at 92 Barnehurst Avenue c 1965

Emma died aged 87 of bronchopneumonia on 2 October 1970 at the Brook Hospital, Greenwich. She was buried at Isleworth Cemetery in the same grave (number 71BR) as her daughter Florence and husband George. The headstone reads

“In loving memory of my dear husband George William Ivall, died August 16, 1934, aged 53 years. Thy will be done.

Also of Emma Laughton, wife of the above, died 2^nd October 1970. To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die.”

There is a stone at the foot of the grave that reads

“In loving memory of Florence Rose Ivall died August 20^th 1922 aged 14 years. Loved with everlasting love.”