A PRIVATE ARCHIVE OF MEMORIES OF
THE WORTHINGTONS
WAKELING FAMILY HISTORY
FAMILY OF ALBERT EDWARD WAKELING - FATHER OF ADELAIDE MAY
ALBERT EDWARD WAKELING
(Grandpa)
Born c1880 - 03.09.1953
Married 1903 (in Islington) Ada Maud Berkshire 19.10.1879 - 10.08.1968
He was a lorry driver and a Freemason.
Resided 26 Thornhill Crescent, Islington.
After Albert died, Ada went to live with her daughter Rosina at 45 Huntingdon Street, Barnsbury.
Albert and Ada had 9 children:
ROSINA RHODA
(Aunt Rose)
09.05.1904 - 19.04.2005
Married 1926 (in Islington) Sydney Charles Bell (b.1902 - d.1980).
2 children: Sydney (17.01.1927 - c1990) and Vera (b.03.03.1930)
Aunt Rose took singing lessons but stayed at home after leaving school at age 14 to help look after siblings.
Cousin Sydney married Iris (b.1927) - Rainham.
Cousin Vera (born 03.03.1930) was evacuated and schooled in Hitchin; married on 03.03.51 to Ron Smale (who died in 1976) and had two children:
Valerie (b.1954 married Ian - France)
Brian (b.1957) worked for Petro Chemicals and traveled abroad. Brian divorced Elizabeth and married Nicky. He has 3 daughters plus grandchildren
ALBERT THOMAS
Born 1905
Died of diphtheria aged 2 years
ADELAIDE MAY
(Mum/Nana)
03.05.1906 - 16.01.1991 in Islington
Twin of Ada Winifred
Married William Louis Worthington (31.01.190 - 31.12.1951)
Had 10 children:
Audrey Maud 14.07.1931
Iris Florence 16.09.1932
Sheila Winifred 29.08.1935
Brian William 20.01.1937
Brenda Rosina 06.10.1938
Irene May 15.03.1940
Joseph Clive 26.06.1941
John Louis 19.03.1944
Roy Albert 19.03.1944
Pamela 02.08.1946
ADA WINIFRED
(Aunt Win)
03.05.1906 - 27.8.1996
She should have been named Winifred but Grandpa made a mistake at the registry office (imagine having twins called Adelaide and Ada!)
Married Herbert (Bert) Alfred Brown (30.08.1904 - 11.05.1968) and had 4 children:
Cousin Jean Winifred 28.09.1928 married Dennis Tavener (deceased) and lived in East Grinstead
3 children: Susan (married Keith Lindsay - Hastings), Lucinda (America), and Peter.
Cousin Doreen Annie Ada born 24.01.1930 died January 2000. Married David Atkin (died 2014?) and had 3 sons: Douglas (America), Nigel (married Kathy, lives in Ibiza, one son) and Mark.
Cousin Alan Alfred Brown 21.06.31 died 04.09.09 married Pamela, had three children, Douglas, Patsy and Ian.
Cousin Douglas James Brown 27.04.1935 -2017 married Yvonne one son, David.
Pubs: Middlesex Tavern, The Coach & Horses, The Blue Eyed Maid (which is now an Indian restaurant).
Sheena is Uncle Bert’s niece.
ALFRED HENRY
(Uncle Alf)
07.07.1907 - 09.12.1960
Married Doris Mary Howe (b.1907 d.11.04.84). 2 children:
Cousin Victor (Vic) born 02.09.40; married Joy had two boys, Simon & Andrew. (Divorced and live in Dunstable)
Cousin Linda born 26.07.1943 married Reuben Bainborough 1964-1975; had 3 children, Tracy & Michael James (sadly died 2 & 7 days after birth) and Julie, who died 1989 age 19. All 3 children suffered handicaps. Linda remarried Derek Ash; live in Essex. Pub: Three Compasses.
Alf played piano and was a good snooker player. He died in a road accident. Doris’s first husband, Lionel Winn, also died in a road accident. Vic, Linda and Tommy (brother Ernest’s son) went to L.V. School, Slough.
ERNEST
(Uncle Ernie)
16.03.1910 -13.03.1982
Shown as married on the 1939 register to Dora Kassie Winifred Horton (b.07.05.1909 St Pancras) and lived at 562 Rotherhythe Street, a pub called The Clipper which is currently (2019) under review for demolition. Living with them was a 75 year old widow named Sophia Horton, probably Dora’s mother. Dora’s father was George Horton (born 1870) who married Sophia Elliot (born 1871 in Bloomsbury, as listed in the 1911 Census).
During the war they were rescued from bombs and fire at the docks by the Fire Brigade. Son, Tommy about Vic’s age married Polish lady, Ella (they had one child, Adash). Tommy divorced and went to Australia. Ernest was a Licensed Victualler and Freemason.
After Dora died Ernest married Laurie’s ex, Beatrice (Aunt Bea) - 14.02.1976 in Epping Forest.
Pubs: The Crown, The King of Denmark, The Grapes, The Steam Engine, The Ship, East India College Arms.
Last known address is 31 Elderfield, Old Harlow.
ALBERT LORRAINE
(Uncle Lorri)
14.10.1919 - 30.03.1990
He did do his stint as barman but was an academic and became a metallurgist in Scotland. He was also a Freemason. He married Beatrice Strachan (January 1912 - 08.11.2011). Bea had been married before to a Jim Waters, and later married Lorri’s brother Ernest!). Lorri and Bea had 2 children:
Norman James, who died at the age of 9.
Margaret Born 02.08.1948. Married Ronnie McDermid and they live in Renfrewshire. They have a daughter, Lindsay, and a son, Gordon.
Lindsay married Alan in 2007 and they have two children, Lawrie (b.2008) and Elsie Bea (b.2010). They live in Yorkshire. Gordon is a CA in Glasgow. Margaret was bequeathed the lovely clock from the Earl of Warwick pub.
Lorri divorced Bea and married Norma McDonald (25.10.1935 - 01.07.2003) and had one child, Madeleine, who was born 21.09.1974. Norma already had two sons, Michael Louis (23.11.1959 - 21.12.2016) and Robert Gordon Wakeling (born 1956 in Chiswick, living in Canada) by her first husband, Edward Janes.
Madeleine married Matthew Martin Jones (b.29.6.1973 in Macclesfield). They have two children, Clement (23.4.2014) and Gabriel (1.6.2016) and live in Hitchin.
IRENE LOUISA
(Aunt Rene)
1920 - 06.03.2014. She was a Sunday School teacher at 16, office worker and Comptometer Operator (first mechanical calculator). She liked to play the piano.
Married c1946 to Dan Feasey. Jehovah's witness.
4 Children:
Elaine (died of cancer)
Twins Christine & Anne
Colin
Possibly due to her becoming a Jehovah's Witness Rene lost touch with the family but we have this record printed in The Comet:
Sadly on 6th March 2014 Irene, of Guysfield Residential Home, Willian, and formerly of Letchworth passed away aged 94. Much loved mum, nanny and great nanny and friend to many. Private family funeral service at Harwood Park Crematorium, Watton Road, Stevenage, Friday 28th March at 12.30 pm. Memorial service at The Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, Curlew Close, Grange Estate, Letchworth on Saturday 29th March at 2.00 pm. Family flowers only; donations to the Alzheimer’s Society.
ROY
(Uncle Roy)
29.11.1923 - 02.04.2012.
Roy was a good swimmer, gaining lots of certificates; he was a drummer, loved jazz and big band. When he visited his mum and dad, Polly the Parrot would squawk “tappy drummer, tappy drummer”! He was also a keen golfer at Barrow Golf Club. He was an Insurance Agent, then a commercial traveller for Borthwicks Meat Company, his last job being in the Buying Department at Vickers Shipbuilders.
Married Ivy Balmer (29.09.1923 - 21.08.2010) and divorced in late 1971. Roy and Ivy had 3 children:
Diane (born 03.06.1955) Had 2 sons, Michael and Matthew, with her first husband, Ian. She married Steve and they own the Kings Arms in Barrow.
Michael married Catherine and had two daughters (Lauren born August 2002 and Erin born 18 March 2005).
Matthew went to Australia in 2003, married with son, Zach born 20 March 2017.
Derek (19.05.1958) who was killed in a motorcycle accident on 18.09.1986
David who sadly died 13.06.1960 shortly after birth
After his divorce Roy married Enid Ebdell (b.15.07.1938) who still lives in Barrow. She has three children: Stephen, Deborah and Alison, who are somewhat estranged from the family.