The only one of the Simmonds boys that I ever knew was John (Jack), my grandfather's brother, who must have been in his 70s when I met him one sunny day in Brisbane - could it have been in the 80s?. I can't remember how … Continue reading Uncle Jack remembers Osterley
An Edwardian family
It's grand to be an Englishman in 1910, King Edward's on the throne, it's the age of men. (George Banks, in the film, Mary Poppins) My grandfather's birth seemed to have marked the beginning of his family. On his birth certificate the space under "father" … Continue reading An Edwardian family
George Simmonds, market gardener and grocer of Heston, Middlesex
I was named David for my grandfather, George Simmonds, whose birth certificate decidedly lists three names - George Frederick David. But who was he named for? His birth certificate lists no father - his mother is listed as Mabel Butler of Redhill, Surrey. Grandpa George … Continue reading George Simmonds, market gardener and grocer of Heston, Middlesex
Nurse Mabel Butler and The South Eastern Fever Hospital
In the year that Queen Victoria died, 1901, my great grandmother, Mabel Butler, was 25 and unmarried. According to the census that was carried out that year she was a hospital nurse at The South Eastern Hospital, Avonlea Road, Deptford, London SE. However, the census … Continue reading Nurse Mabel Butler and The South Eastern Fever Hospital
Growing up in Victorian England
My great grandmother, Mabel Butler, and her sister Sarah were orphans. Sarah was 11 years older than Mabel. They lost their parents in unclear circumstances when Sarah was about 14 and Mabel was 3. Their parents, Ephraim and Jane Butler, lived in Bristol when they … Continue reading Growing up in Victorian England
Forgotten tales 