Thompson family, especially George, father of Ken

Thompson family, especially George, father of Ken.

See interview tape 195 with Ken.

1891 census
PRO RG 12/1425, f.56, p.21, schedule126, Church Street
James Thompson    Head    M    36    Labourer    born Essex, Witham
Rachel Thompson    Wife    M    34        born Essex, Witham
Florence Adams    Dau        8    Scholar    born Essex, Witham
Charles James Thompson    Son        5        born Essex, Witham
William Ed Thompson    Son        3        born Essex, Witham
Ethel G Thompson    Dau        1        born Essex, Witham
Samuel Adams    Bro in law    S    36    Labourer    born Essex, Writtle

1891, July, August or September (web site, www.1837online.com)
George Frederick Thompson was born in Braintree Registration District (ref 4a 634)

1901 census
PRO RG 13/1725, f.58, p.7, schedule 47, Church Street
James Thompson    Head    M    48    Engine Driver Stationary Engine (worker)    born Essex, Witham
Rachel Thompson    Wife    M    47        born Essex, Witham
Florie [sic] Thompson    Day    S    18        born Essex, Witham
Charlie Thompson    Son    S    15    Builders’ labourer (worker)    born Essex, Witham
William Thompson    Son    S    13    Ordinary agricultural labourer    born Essex, Witham
Ethel Thompson    Dau    S    11        born Essex, Witham
George Thompson    Son        9        born Essex, Witham
Ernest Thompson    Son        7        born Essex, Witham

Witham Roll of honour, 1914-1918 War
Includes the following Thompsons who served and survived. PW means Prisoner of War.
E W Thompson (PW)
R E Thompson (PW)
G Thompson (PW)

Info from Ian Hook, Essex Regiment Museum, in email
I have a 34141 L/Cpl GF Thompson, 9th Essex, a POW from Witham, recorded as helped by the Essex Regiment Prisoners of War Fund. He was entitled to the British War and Allied Victory Medals (National Archive Ref WO329/1377 as a Private.

Papers loaned by Ken Thompson and scanned in (on computer under world war 1)
25 May 1917. Letter to James Thompson, GT posted as wounded, missing, after action on 9 April 1917.
7 July 1917. Letter to James Thompson. GT of 9th Bn Essex was ‘wounded in action prior to capture by the Germans (Gun shot wound arm and shoulder)’.
18 December 1918. Discharge certificate issued at Warley. GT 34141. Enlisted 23 November 1915. First posted to Essex Yeomanry. Wound stripes, one, chevron blue two. Discharged because no longer physically fit. Served 2 years and 314 days with the Colours and 77 days in the Army Reserve. Born 1891. Height 5ft 10½ins. Scars right shoulder and left buttock. Fresh complexion, blue eyes, brown hair. Stamped on back Witham Local Food Office, Ration book issued 18[or 19?].1.19.
1922. Papers from Pensions Appeal Tribunal. Appeal is against 7/6 weekly allownce for 156 weeks plus terminal gratuity of £40. Of Chipping Hill, Witham. First attestation 23 Nov 1915. Mobilised 8 2 16. Final discharge 18.12.18. Served army res 3 months 23 Nov 1915 to 7 Feb 1916. With colours 8 2 1916 to 18 12 1918. In France 29 Dec 1916 to 9 April 1917. Prisoner of War 10 April 1917 to 6 Sept 1918. Grounds for appeal – wound in right shoulder preventing full weeks work and very painful at work. Disabilities on entry. Right testicle removed by abdominal operation. During service, on 18 Sept 1916 admitted to hospital in Aldershot with eczema for 9 days. On repatriation after being PoW, entered 1st London General Hospital, Camberwell, for four days. More details.

1919, All Saints tombstones
No. 405, Rachel and James Thompson, gives:
Rachel the beloved wife of James Thompson, passed away Aug 18 1919 aged 62 years
Also of James Thompson who passed away July 9 1933 aged 78

1920 electoral register
Includes the following Thompsons:
Emma Thompson, Mill Lane
Maria Thompson, Church Street
Henry Charles Thompson, Church Street
Annie Thompson, Church Street
James Thompson, Church Street
George Frederick Thompson, Church Street
William Edward Thompson, Church Street
Reginald Thompson, 9 Braintree Road

Directories
1922    Thompson George, coal merchant, Chipping Hill
1926    Thompson George, coal merchant, Chipping Hill
1929    Thompson George F, coal & coke merchant; cartage contractor; firewood logs ; estimates given; local agent for Mason’s cement, Braintree road, Chipping Hill. T N 106

1930 electoral register
Includes the following Thompsons (there are probably others: I didn’t look through all the streets, I was only looking for certain ones, and just put down any others I came across at the same time)
3 Chalks Road
George Frederick Thompson, Ann Thompson
43 Church Street
Maria Thompson (also Alexander and Annie Camilia Wenden)
84 Church Street
James Thompson (also John William and Lena Lackenby)
34 Cressing Road
Charles Henry Thompson, Annie Thompson (also Emily Woodwards)
47 Cressing Road
Ernest Walter Thompson, Annie Elizabeth Thompson (also George Frederick Allen)
91 Cressing Road
Emma Thompson

1933, All Saints tombstones
No. 405, Rachel and James Thompson, gives:
James Thompson who passed away July 9 1933 aged 78

Directories
1933    Thompson George F. coal & coke merchant; cartage contractor; firewood logs; estimates given; local agent for Mason’s cement, Braintree road, Chipping Hill. T N 106
1937    Thompson George F. Coal and coke merchant cartage contractor firewood logs, buyer and seller of old Tudor tiles and bricks. Local Agent for Masons cement. Braintree Road, Chipping Hill. Phone 106. [in form of advert]

c 1939 (info from Dave Theobald, Nov 2005
Maud Theobald (nee Skingsley) moved into 3 Chalks Road from Romford area, with family including Dave (b c 1935), after her husband George Theobald died. It had previously been occupied by George Thompson and family, but they were moving away to 9 Braintree Road. Re the Skingsley grandparents, Arthur and Emily – Arthur couldn’t write and his wife had to hold his hand if he had to write his name.
1 Chalks
2 Ada Smith
3 George Thompson and Argie (nee Skingsley, sister of Maud Theobald), then Theobalds
4 Rudkins
5 Skingsley
6 Dazley

Photos of Scheveningen hospital
Now given to Ian Hook at Essex Regiment Museum.

Emails with Sheila Ellis

Following is a reply from an email to Sheila Ellis who gave me two photos of a WW1 Hospital at Scheveningen in Holland, that George Thompson had given her. She thought he might be on them but according to his son Ken he isn’t. He gave them her because she was a Rudkin and the inscription on the back of one of them mentions a Rudkin ie. ‘Scheveningen Holland. Where I met Pte[?] Rudkin about April 1918 in Hospital’. The other just had the caption ‘Hospital Scheveningen Holland’. This is not in George Thompson’s writing. So someone else must presumably have given them to him.

Envelope-to: janet@gyford.com
From: Ttedellis@aol.com
Date: Tue, 30 Mar 2004 05:52:10 EST
Subject: George Frederick Thompson
To: janet@gyford.com

Hello Janet,

George Frederick Thompson, who gave me the photographs was the coal merchant, who had his yard in Braintree Road, close the the railway station. (Now Ramdsen Mills)
He handed them to me when I was working in the local bank and thought that one of the soldiers might be one of my relatives (Edward Rudkin). They apparently met whilst in hospital in Holland during WW1. I left the bank in 1974 so it would be around this date or a bit earlier.

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