As a
child in the early to mid-1960s my father's mother, Kate lived with us. I have
very vague memories of a shrivelled little old lady, probably suffering from
dementia. She died in 1967.
On
numerous occasions later in the 1960s and early 1970s we visited the crematorium, and I was
fascinated to read on her memorial plaque that her late husband, who died in 1942, but not a war
casualty, had the unusual middle name of Sedcole. James Sedcole Watson.
I knew
very little about my grandparents, Kate and James, apart from the fact that as
well as having had my father Harry, they also had his two older sisters, Connie Anne Watson and May Frazer Watson. They were 20 years older than him. Kate was born in 1882, 46 years before my father. This never seemed odd.
We had
many holidays with May, and her husband Uncle Peter Lampard, in the late
1960s and early 1970s. We saw Connie and her husband, Uncle Vic, once or twice a year, in Stevenage, Hertfordshire.
Sadly Auntie May died suddenly in 1973. We then discovered that she wasn't actually married to Uncle Peter, which in those times was quite a shock.
Sadly Auntie May died suddenly in 1973. We then discovered that she wasn't actually married to Uncle Peter, which in those times was quite a shock.
Like so
many young people I never thought to ask my father about his father, James
Sedcole Watson. I vaguely knew from my mother that he took part in the Jarrow
March of 1936, but I have never been able to verify that.
In 2015 I attended a reunion of my Alice's extended family. I was inspired by the research that had gone on. This tree in the photo is over one hundred feet long.
After this event I decided it was time to find out about my grandfather, and his unusual middle name. I had clear memories of a plaque to Kate in Breakspear Crematorium, Ruislip, but I visited, in the spring of 2015 and the plaque had been removed, probably after fees lapsed in the mid-seventies.
One of my first actions was to document what I already knew, on my own website.
I soon discovered that over the past 200 years my ancestors had survived family violence, drunkenness, tragic accidents, a grocery business, wartime tragedy, suicide, deprivation, a family deception, lost siblings and much more. Including a penalty for pavement cycling.
In 2015 I attended a reunion of my Alice's extended family. I was inspired by the research that had gone on. This tree in the photo is over one hundred feet long.
After this event I decided it was time to find out about my grandfather, and his unusual middle name. I had clear memories of a plaque to Kate in Breakspear Crematorium, Ruislip, but I visited, in the spring of 2015 and the plaque had been removed, probably after fees lapsed in the mid-seventies.
One of my first actions was to document what I already knew, on my own website.
I soon discovered that over the past 200 years my ancestors had survived family violence, drunkenness, tragic accidents, a grocery business, wartime tragedy, suicide, deprivation, a family deception, lost siblings and much more. Including a penalty for pavement cycling.