Edward and Alice Willis

Edward William Willis 25/10/1883 – 28/2/1954 – Mary Alice Willis’s father.

Edward was born at 29, The Albany, Albany Road, Camberwell, South London. It was probably a flat. He was the youngest child of Charles William Willis and Caroline Martha (maiden name Graham). Edward’s eldest brother died in infancy and another older brother, Bartholomew, died at the age of seventeen. Edward had three sisters, Emma born 1871, Julianna born 1874, and Victoria born 1879.

The family were still living at 29, The Albany in 1891 but had moved to 13, Cottage Grove, Penrose Street by 1893. Most of the area around Penrose Street and also North Street, where Alice was born, has been redeveloped since WW2. 13, Cottage Grove remained the family home up until the outbreak of the Second World War. Edward’s father, Charles William, died in 1893. He didn’t leave a will. Administration of his estate amounting to £295 was granted to his wife, Caroline. I’ll write some more about Charles in another story – he doesn’t seem to have lived the life that would have been expected for him.

Caroline (she might have been known by her middle name, Martha) continued to live at Cottage Grove and in 1896 she married her next-door neighbour, Benjamin Newey, a widower. He died in 1908. Caroline was still living at Cottage Grove in 1911. She died in 1916. She left a will appointing Edward Willis as her executor and leaving £1503 to be divided between her four children.

Edward is missing from Camberwell in the 1901 census. There’s one Edward William Willis who might fit the bill – he’s to be found on a boat moored in Goole, Humber estuary, Yorkshire, occupation cook – did he run away to sea?????

Edward’s sister, Julianna (also known as Julia Anna) married Henry Every in 1895. In 1924, Julianna and her family were living next door to the Willis family at 14, Cottage Grove. Edward’s third sister, Victoria, married Frederick James Moore in 1900. The Moore family were living at 14, Cottage Grove in 1911 and later moved to 12, Cottage Grove. Quite an extended family!

The eldest sister, Emma Louisa, didn’t stay in London. In 1891 she was living in Portsea, Hampshire with her elderly great-aunt, Louisa Goodman. Aunt Louisa died in January 1892. In July 1892, Emma Louisa married Jonas Phillips in Roath, Glamorganshire. He died two months after the wedding, leaving £1500, which presumably went to Emma. I’ve lost track of her after that. She’s mentioned in her mother’s will, so I guess that she died after 1916.

 

Alice Dodson 9/9/1885 – 4/3/1971 – Mary Alice Willis’s mother.

Alice was born at 7, North Street, Walworth, South London. She was the daughter of Thomas Dodson and Mary (maiden name Treavish). She was second youngest in a family of twelve children. Five of her siblings died in childhood and others only lived into their twenties or early thirties. The two siblings who lived the longest were James 1863 -1933 and Mary Lydia (Polly?) 1873 – 1950.

 Alice’s father, Thomas, was born in Lambeth in 1841, occupation house painter. He died in 1911, aged about 70. Mary Treavish was born in North Street, Newington and died in 1906. There’s more to come about the Dodsons and Treavishes in another story.

Marriage

Edward Willis had returned to the Walworth area by 1904 and on the 17^th of December 1904 he married Alice Dodson at St Peter’s Church, Walworth. Both gave their address as 164, East Street, Walworth, the home of the Dodson family. The marriage was witnessed by Alice’s father, Thomas, and her sister, Sarah. The couple went on to have ten children Edward William 1905, Mary Alice 1906, Charles William 1909, John Wesley 1911, Eva 1912, James Henry 1914, Stanley George 1917, Arthur Robert 1919, Dora 1923 and Joyce 1925. The younger ones don’t seem to have had middle names – I guess that Edward & Alice had run out of names to use by then.

Edward had quite a variety of jobs over the years.

·       In 1904, on his wedding certificate he’s a cellarman.

·       In 1905 at his son Edward’s christening, he’s a painter.

·       In 1906 at Mary Alice’s christening, he’s a labourer.

·       In 1909 at Charles William’s christening, he’s a painter.

·       In 1911 at John Wesley’s christening, he’s a painter.

·       In 1911 census return he’s a painter.

·       In 1916 on grant of probate of his mother’s will, he’s a waterside worker.

·       In 1918 he appears on the UK Absent Voter list, occupation Royal Army Medical Corps.

·       In 1921 census return he’s a Packer at Royal Army Medical College, Millbank.

·       In 1933 at Mary Alice’s wedding, he’s a London County Council Clerk.

·       In 1935 at Charles William’s wedding, he’s a clerk

·       In 1936 at Eva’s wedding, he’s a clerk.

·       In 1938 at John Wesley’s wedding, he’s a clerk.

·       In 1939 at the outbreak of the Second World War, Edward is working away from home in Bath and is described as “Clerk in Civil Service”.

·       He’s also rumoured to have worked at Admiralty Arch and at the Royal Naval College at Greenwich. Apparently, he used to travel to Greenwich every day by bicycle.

It’s interesting to see that when Edward and Alice were first married, their children were christened at St Peter’s Church of England church in Walworth. Later on, James and Stanley were christened at a Wesleyan Methodist Chapel. The younger children weren’t christened, presumably the family were attending Cottage Green Baptist church by then and baptism was for adults. There’s a recent view of Cottage Green Chapel on Google maps here – it doesn’t look as though it’s in use anymore.

The fact that Edward served with the Royal Army Medical Corps during the First World War makes me wonder whether he was a conscientious objector. Members of the RAMC were not armed and did not fight. They did serve on the battlefield, acting as stretcher bearers and working in field hospitals. I don’t know whether that would have been the case for Edward.

By the time that war broke out again in 1939, Edward would have been in his mid-fifties, so wouldn’t have been called up for active service. I don’t know whether he spent all the war away from home, nor what his job entailed. I think that work with maps has been mentioned in the past. We think that Cottage Grove was badly damaged during the war and that’s when the family moved to Wallington. In 1945 they were living at 13, Brambledown Road. It’s a nice leafy road, I think that the houses have probably been renumbered and there are some more modern houses. Living with Edward and Alice in Brambledown Road in 1945 were their son Ted, daughter Dora, Florrie (son Jamie’s wife) and Aunt Polly.

Aunt Polly was Alice’s sister, Lydia Mary. In 1939 she was still living at 164, East Street, Walworth (the Dodson family home), together with her brother James’s widow, Sarah. Sarah died in 1940. I suppose that’s when Aunt Polly went to live with the Willises.  Aunt Polly died in 1950 in Wallington and was buried in Southwark.

In the 1950s Edward and Alice were living with Joyce and Les and family at 42, Springfield Road.

Here are Stiggo’s memories of her Willis grandparents:

“Nanny was very quiet and a very good housekeeper. Her sister lived with them and helped with the housework. We called her Aunty Polly. She was quite frail and slept a lot.

Everyone was in awe of Grandpa. He had very strong views on everything and had a good job in London. He came to our Church sometimes and on one occasion stood up and argued with the Minister on a point. He used to come back to ours for coffee and before he left, he'd give us pocket money - which pleased us - though we were rather scared of him. Les and Joyce - Mums sister lived with them when first married until they got their own house. Nan and Grandad had 11 children - one died quite young.”

Edward died of a heart attack on Sunday the 28^{th of} February 1954 during a service at the Methodist Church, Beddington Gardens, Wallington. Alice lived until 1971 and spent time in a nursing home towards the end of her life. Mandy and Mark, and maybe Sally visited her there on a couple of occasions and might have some memories of her. I remember an elderly lady in a blue coat, but little else.

Edward and Alice are both buried in Bandon Hill cemetery, Wallington.