Every Family has a story to tell……….Welcome to mine
Discover the Dark Tales of the Past in My Brand-New Series: “Stories From the Grave” Sometimes history grows in unexpected ways, like roots pushing through stone, or a story taking on a life far larger than the truth behind it. Few places in London better capture this gentle entanglement of fact and legend than the Hardy … Continue reading The Hardy Tree – A Tree That Remembered the Dead
Discover the dark tales of the past in my brand-new series: "Stories From The Grave." Tucked away in the peaceful churchyard of St John the Baptist Church in Pinner, Greater London, stands one of the most curious monuments you’re likely to encounter, a tomb with what appears to be a coffin floating above the ground. Its unusual design has … Continue reading The Truth Behind Pinner’s Floating Coffin
The people of London lay blissfully asleep in their beds, completely unaware of the chaos and devastation that was about to unfold in the early hours of the morning. On a cold and rainy January morning in 1928, disaster struck the city when the River Thames flooded with devastating effect, claiming the lives of fourteen … Continue reading The Great London Flood of 1928
Killed in the Line of Duty Sergeant Edward Joseph Greengrass Service Number 2210433........... Edward Joseph Greengrass was born on 15 April 1907 in Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, the eldest of two children born to Edward William Greengrass and Elizabeth Augusta Jones. Edward and Elizabeth also had a daughter, Rose Elizabeth Greengrass who was born on … Continue reading Sergeant Edward Joseph Greengrass
Another iconic picture and another innocent life captured forever behind a lens, but who was the poor little girl whose life was perpetually framed in this picture and what was her story? The little girl in the picture was Adelaide Springett and she was captured in this beautiful photograph by Horace Warner who captioned the … Continue reading Who Was Adelaide Springett?
You might recall recently that I told you the story of my 2 x great-grandfather Henry Barnes, who was a Dock Worker all his life, a man who worked hard to provide for his family. Henry had a tough life, it was a difficult time living in the poorer quarters of London during the Victorian … Continue reading Forever Missed, But Never Forgotten
Listed below are the names of 32 Firemen and 2 Firewomen who lost their lives at The Old Palace School Bombing on 20th April 1941, in the heart of the East End of London. This is still today, the largest ever loss of life for the Fire Brigade Service, at a single incident. The link … Continue reading The Old Palace School Bombing Update
This is the 13th in my series of blogs documenting the lives and more importantly, telling the stories of my 2 x Great-Grandparents. By the very nature of the fact that these are the last few of my 2 x Great-Grandparents stories, will tell you that these have been by far the hardest to complete. … Continue reading Sitting on the Dock of The Bay……
I am pleased to announce the launch of my new website dedicated to the memory of the 34 firefighters who sadly lost their lives at the Old Palace School Bombing during WW2. The website is in its infancy, but over the coming months, you will hopefully be able to follow me and watch it grow. … Continue reading My New Website is……oldpalaceschoolbombing.com
This is the 11th in my series of blogs telling the life stories of my 2 x Great Grandparents and its the turn of Martha Harvey next. Martha was the sixth of seven children born to Edward Harvey and Hannah Bullen and she was born on 3rd September 1864 which was kindly recorded on her … Continue reading The Life and Times of Martha Harvey
The Chiddicks Family Tree 