Introducing...Albert Edward Charles FORDHAM (1900 - 1981)...

Albert's childhood

Growing up my Dad told me a lot about my Great Grandfather Albert Edward Fordham.  Being something of a hero to my dad I was named after Albert and after discussion with my mum (who it turned out was not a fan of the name Albert) I was given one of his middle names Edward.  For this reason my Great Grandfather is one of the individuals I have researched a while before this blog and here is what I know.

Albert was born on the 17th of October 1900 at their pleasantly sounding home at 7 Love Lane in the coastal town of Weymouth.  His birth was registered 41 days after his birth on the 27th November by his mother Helena Amelia Fordham nee Miller.  Albert's father (and namesake) was Albert Edward Fordham a stoker in the Royal Navy (see Albert junior's birth certificate in the last quarter of 1900). 

Albert's parents married on the 28th of January 1900 - meaning that his mother gave birth Eight and a half months after she was married.  When Albert's parents were married his mother was living at 76 St. Leonard's Road Weymouth while his father was stationed on HMS Minotaur.  Albert paternal grandfather was working as a night watchman and his maternal grandfather was a glazier, so neither of the couple were from overly affluent families (see Helena and Albert's marriage certificate in the first quarter of 1900).

Albert's father's ship (see the pictures above and below - thanks to Wikipedia Commons), the HMS Minotaur, was old by the time he served on it, having become a training ship in 1893 it was scrapped in 1905.

Albert father was 21 when Albert junior, his only child was born.  Albert senior came from a large family in Southwark, London, the fourth of nine children.  Albert's grandfather Charles worked as a brewers labourer when he was born.  There's no way to be certain but it's a reasonable assumption that Albert Junior's second middle name comes from his paternal grandfather Charles (see Albert senior's birth certificate in the first quarter of 1879). 

The mystery

Albert's mother, Helena, for me is more of a mystery.  The only documents that I have found which mention her are her marriage certificate, Albert junior's birth certificate and the 1901 census.  I can find no birth certificate, no marriage certificate before or after this and no death certificate. This is my first and longest standing brick wall and I continue my search for Helena.

By the 1901 census, taken on 31st March 1901, Albert junior was a 5 month old baby.  The family were still living at 7 Love Lane, where the young Albert was born.  We can now see from the census that the house he was born in, and that the family lived in was actually a boarding house owned by George Anthony and his wife Jane.  In total the census shows fourteen men and seventeen women were staying at the boarding house on the night of the census, including several carpenters, bricklayers, labourers, a house painter, a gardener, a laundress  and a cook.  Albert senior was no longer listed as working for the royal navy, instead he was a "laid off" naval stoker for the merchant navy.  The census now gives us a glimpse of Helena's origin, with her place of birth being Blackheath in London (see 1901 census in Weymouth).  Whether Helena moved to Weymouth with Albert before they married or whether they met there is a mystery.

Ten years later, Albert now aged 10 was living with his father Albert senior, the head of a house in Willesden, Middlesex and working as a motor driver.  The census lists Albert senior as married but Helena was not in the house at the time of the census and I cannot locate her anywhere else on the census.  I also cannot find any other record of her the earlier census.  The small family appear to have been doing well off enough financially, as at the time they a 29 year old housekeeper, Florence Shallis  from Devon was employed.

Albert's military years

My father remembers that Albert started his military career as a buglar before becoming a Royal Marine.  My father has also told me some stories from Albert's military career.  Albert was part of an expedition up the Yangtse River in china to rescue some Americans.  This apparently is where he was given the nickname "Hank the Yank", a term used to refer to any American man, not dissimilar to the use of "Tommy" for British soldiers or "Jerry" for German soldiers.

I was also told that during the Second World War Albert's ship captured an enemy ship and that the ship's captain gave him his sword.  Later I visited my Great Aunt, his daughter where I was shown the sword and it has stayed with me ever since.

Below is a picture of Albert at attention during a visit of Prince George Duke of Kent.

My father also told me a story of Albert returning from leave to his father's house.  After visiting the local pub he returned to the house we he was refused admittance by the housekeeper and he had to sleep that night in the coal shed. The housekeeper, it turned out was also in a relationship with Albert's father and disapproved of the Albert junior's visit to the pub.  Angry he left the next morning. Years later, the story continues, Albert junior was visited by two social workers who, mistakenly believing the housekeeper to be his mother reproached him for not providing support for her in her old age.

On the 3rd May 1924, aged 23, Albert married 23 year old Violet Elizabeth Potter at the Islington Register Office.  At the time of marriage Albert is a Private in the Royal Marines living in the barracks in Chatham, Kent.  The marriage was held in his wife's home town, where she lived at 23 Thornhill Road.  Albert's father continued as a motor driver, a job we can see he starting doing at least ten years before.  Albert's father in law worked as a porter.

Left is a photo of Albert in his sergeants uniform.  The chevrons show that he was a sergeant whereas the crossed guns crown and stars show he was a gunnery instructor first class.  This uniform was for the time period 1923 to 1927 (thanks to the Royal Marine Museum for identifying the uniform)

In 1930 Albert, aged 29, became a father for the first time when his wife gave birth to their son was at the Royal Navy maternity nursing home in Barnsole Road, Gillingham.  By this point Albert was a Corporal in the Royal Marines and the family living at 5 Longfellows Road, Gillingham.  Albert registered his son's birth 30 days later.

In 1934 Albert, aged 34, became a father for the second time when his wife gave birth again, this time to their daughter, at the same Royal Navy maternity nursing home as she gave birth in 4 years before.  By this time Albert was a Sergeant in the Royal Marines and living at 58 Stopford Road, Gillingham.  Albert registered his daughter's birth 20 days later.

My father remembers that later in life Albert held a senior role in the military police at Chatham Dockyard.  He was a member of a Royal Marine lodge of the Freemasons and enjoyed dancing.

My father also told me that his wife, Violet, died from internal bleeding after being struck by a car though I was never clear on her age when this happened and as yet I haven't found the death register. 

In 1951 Albert, aged 50, acted as one of the witnesses at his sons wedding.  At this point no longer in the Royal Marines Albert was working as a radial driller.

In 1956 Albert sees his second child married.

Later in life Albert's driving license was revoked, reducing his independence and I was told that this had an impact on his health.  In 1981 Albert died aged approximately 81, in the Chatham, Kent which he would have first called home at least 57 years earlier.

As you probably see from this posting there are some gaps in my knowledge about his my Great Grandfathers life.  As I learn more I'll post! I'm also going to create an ancestor profile page to condense my knowledge as it grows.

If anyone has information about Albert or has more background information on anything they would be happy to share  please drop me an email. I hope you enjoyed my first full posting!