 Birth Certificate of Arthur William CHRISTOPHER ©Compiled by Michael Russell FIPD Arthur William CHRISTOPHER (1859-1916) was my great grandfather and the eldest of 10 children of Henry CHRISTOPHER Junior (1838-1914) and Mary Ann KEYS (1835-1914) . A detailed account of his childhood has already been given under the Life of his father which can be accessed via the link provided. Suffice it to say that he was born at Alfred Terrace in West Ham on 29th June 1859 and traveled with his parents when they moved to Sydenham in Kent where he was baptised at St Bartholomew's church with his younger sister Eliza Ellen in 1863. He also went with them to Turkey and survived the Cholera outbreak in 1865 which killed both his grandfather and younger brother Joseph Henry CHRISTOPHER (1864-1865). He lived in Mill Lane in Maldon from their return to England in 1866 to 1878 when they returned to West Ham to live. As a young man he followed his father's trade to become a signal fitter working for the railways and It was at West Ham that he was reacquainted with the Denman Family and went on to marry their daughter Catherine. 2. Marriage at The United Free Methodist Church in Field Road West Ham - 10th September 1881  Marriage of Arthur William CHRISTOPHER to Catherine Lucy Denman 1881 ©Compiled by Michael Russell FIPD  When Arthur and Catherine married they did so at the height of the Methodist movement in West Ham. The United Methodist Church in Field Road(1) originated about 1861 when Free Methodists from the 3rd London circuit started mission meetings there. In 1863 a school-chapel was built at the corner of Field Road and Essex Street, and the church seating over 500 was added in 1870. When Arthur married there it was undergoing enlargement and a new hall was built at the corner of Essex Street and Norfolk Street with further extensions in 1907. Field Road became head of the Forest Gate circuit, for many years one of the leading United Methodist circuits. Among it's early converts was Tom Elliott who became a prominent evangelist, known as the 'Happy Shoemaker'. The Ministry of James Wright (1889-1902) was it's most prosperous period. Meetings at Field Road continued until the opening of the new building at Woodgrange Road in 1956. The Field Road buildings were later demolished and by 1962 flats had been built on the site. As far as I can tell the Christopher family had not up to this point shown much interest in religion, although they had like the majority been steadfastly baptised, married and buried by the Church of England. A more profound interest in Religion however seems to first manifest itself with this marriage between Arthur and Catherine. Arthur's indoctrination however has much older origins and appears to have come from the Denman Family. It needs to be remembered that the Christopher family had been closely associated with John Denman since 1845 during the time of Arthur's grandfather. John Denman had married Elizabeth James (1822-1859) at Stockwell Independent Chapel in Colchester in 1849 and this non-conformity with the established church seems to have resulted in John and Elizabeth joining the Methodist movement soon after they moved to West Ham in 1855. John Denman's eldest son John James DENMAN (1853-1939) was born in Colchester in 1853 and married when he was 20 to Mary Christopher (1854-1932) who was Henry Christopher Senior's younger sister, so family ties were strong and made stronger when John looked after some of Henry's children that did not travel to Turkey with him in 1865. After John's 1st wife Elizabeth died, John remarried to Ann Brazier and this was in the Primitive Methodist Chapel in Chelmsford so Catherine Lucy Denman was raised as a strict methodist and Arthur and Catherine raised all their children in the faith as well. Catherine Lucy DENMAN (1857-1935) was born on 5th Feb 1857 at 3 Oxford Terrace in West Ham the daughter of John DENMAN (1817-1886) by his first wife Elizabeth JAMES (1822-1859) and had until her marriage lived her entire life in West Ham. My mother identified the picture of Catherine on the right in 1974, which she thought was taken shortly before her marriage to Arthur. It was among Catherine's possessions when she died in 1935 and descended to her youngest daughter Minnie and hence to my mother in 1972. Immediately prior to marriage she was working locally in Church Street as a domestic servant to a 39 year old stock brokers clerk called Thomas M Denman & his wife Emily & 5 children, who was presumably a relative of some sort. As can be seem from this very unusual marriage certificate they were the 136th marriage at the Free Church in Field Road and they were married on 10th Sep 1881 by the Rev Richard Elijah Abercrombie (1840-1897) who was Minister there in 1881. He later went to serve the Ministry in Jamaica where he died in 1897 at the age of 58 in Kingston. I have over 600 birth marriage and death certificates of the family and in 40 years of research this is the only certificate that I have come across which bears a victorian stamp. At this point it is worth mentioning that the picture at the top of this account, of Arthur with his brother Ephesus, was we think taken about 1886. Before I move on a few more words about Catherine's elder brother John James DENMAN (1853-1939). He became an engine driver on the railways, married Mary CHRISTOPHER (1854-1932) in 1873 and raised a family of 9 children in West Ham. On Christmas eve 1886 Mary gave birth to a baby girl, their 7th child, that they named Alice Mary DENMAN (1886-1961). Alice was baptised we think a few months later when this excellent picture was taken of both families. The original photograph on the left is an ambrotype (on glass with a tin surround stuck on the outside). In 1980 this was falling apart so I sent it to a professional photograph restorer and he produced the image on the right. From this my mother was able to identify all the people in the photograph. 3. Baptism of Alice Mary DENMAN - 1887   From left to right: Alice Mary Denman in her christening robe being held by her father John James Denman (age 34) standing next to his wife Mary Denman nee Christopher (age 33); Next to Mary is Catherine Lucy Christopher (nee Denman) (age 30) and Arthur William Christopher (age 28); sitting is Ann Denman widow of John Denman (age 74) In front Florence Lizze Christopher (age 3) and Lilian Katherine Christopher (age 2) ©Picture by Michael Russell FIPD 1980 From a very short obituary notice in the Essex Newsman dated 30th Sep 1916 I know that Arthur and his family came to live at Wickford in Essex "just prior to the opening of the railway" so they clearly moved later in 1888.
  
On the 1st January 1889 a new Railway Line was opened from Shenfield to Wickford. Construction had begun in 1885 and this 50 mile stretch of line meant that they had to build 2 viaducts, 67 bridges, 126 culverts, 20 railway stations and 4 goods yards which required 28 million bricks and the excavation of 2.865,000 yards of earth(2). The 1st picture above shows construction of the line and one of the bridges so must date around 1887 when the foundation stone was also laid for the Railway Station(3). In addition to the line they also built 'cottages' (actually houses) for their employees by the bridge in the High Street and at the level crossing where the line crossed Wick Lane. For more information read Maurice Wakeham's excellent article "All Aboard" on the Wickford History website. Arthur's job as a signal fitter and his arrival prior to the opening of the line shows that he was being employed to help establish the signaling for the new railway station and junction with the existing line. The official opening of the line took place on 1st January 1889 and was attended by the station master Thomas Locking. Arthur was also present and later on 3rd February 1899 at the Annual Railway Supper held at the Castle Inn he was reported in the local press as being one of those who sang as part of the entertainment. The 2nd picture above is an early picture of Wickford Junction station showing a passenger train standing at the platform. The third picture is said to date from 1907 whilst Arthur was working there, but I cannot clearly identify him in the photograph. He was sufficiently important to the operation however that he was offered one of the better railway cottages in Wick Lane (see picture below) for him and wife and three children to live in. This was to be their home for the next 28 years. Arthur and Catherine were Methodists but the Methodist church on Southend Road does not appear to have been established in Wickford until 1927 so they appear to have attended the Congregational Chapel in the High street opposite Market Road turn off where Arthur was later to be buried. On 29th December 1889 they had another son whom they named Arthur William Harry Christopher (1889-1968) who was the first of their children to be actually born in the Railway Cottages at Wickford. The following year there was a tragedy on the line just before entering the station. A friend of Arthur's a Charles Crow (1855-1890) a native of Chelmsford was killed. Charles Crow had married Susan Pilgrim in West Ham at the end of 1877 and worked there as a general labourer before joining the Great Eastern Railway in 1887 as foreman of a platelayer gang constructing, and then maintaining, the new section of line being built between Billericay and Wickford. For the sake of convenience he had settled close to where construction had reached when he arrived and was therefore still living in the small hamlet of Ramsden Bellhouse 2 miles before Wickford. According to the inquest he left home at 3.30 to go to work on perfectly good terms with his wife and went to the goods yard at Wickford where he was seen by a colleague and was well and sober. He then had a pint of ale and a steak at the Swann Inn (opened 1890) before leaving at 12 o'clock. The driver of the 12.48 train from Shenfield saw him sitting on the rail with his arms folded and his head on his breast as though he was asleep. Despite opening the steam whistle and applying the break the driver was unable to stop the train before it reached him and he was killed. Arthur was one of the witnesses called at the inquest to attest to his state of mind at the time The jury, probably more out of consideration for his wife than anything else, returned a verdict of accidental death. Susan of course also lost her home and went to Romford to live with her widowed sister Esther Saitch.   From the 1891 Census it's clear that Catherine's widowed step-mother Ann DENMAN (1812-1898) (shown in the group photograph above in 1887) also came with them to live at Wickford cottages. Ann was to remain with them until her death at the age of 86 on 29th Sep 1898.Frederick Joseph CHRISTOPHER (1891-1958) was their next child to be born in the cottages on 27th August 1891 followed by my great aunt Minnie Amelia CHRISTOPHER (1894-1972) who is responsible for preserving all the Christopher photographs including these. She was joined by their last child Robert George James CHRISTOPHER (1899-1984) on 19th Oct 1899. At the turn of the century Arthur appears to have joined the 'A' Company of the 2nd Dorset Regiment as a private infantry soldier No.5894 and was posted to the Field Force in South Africa. He was subsequently awarded the Queens Medals for service in South Africa for 1901 and 1902 with clasps showing service in the Orange Free State and Transvaal during that period. The picture left of the Railway Cottages shows that they were semi-detached houses, and is thought to have been taken about 1900/1905. They lived in the one on the left with the rose growing over the porch. The picture right is included as it's taken in the front garden of the Railway Cottages (taken a bit later around July 1916). Arthur William Christopher was by then seriously ill and could not come outside, so is looking through the window. Catherine Lucy (aged 59) is standing in the black dress with her grandson Edward Thompson (age 6) behind her. Standing right is her daughter Lillian Katherine (aged 31) by then married to Herbert Hammond. The lady sitting on the grass facing away is Florence May Neal (1900-1944) (aged 16). She was the adopted daughter of George Robert Christopher (1870-1940) who worked for the gas works at Plaistow in West Ham. [George was the grandson of Henry Christopher Senior via his son George Christopher]. Florence May NEALE was born on 27th Sep 1900 and we think orphaned very young as she is already living with George when the 1901 census was taken and listed as a 'nurse child'. Soon after this she was formally adopted. The Christopher and Denman families continued to be closely related visiting one another both at Wickford, and Plaistow in West Ham. In 1923 Florence May was to marry Catherine's youngest son Robert George James Christopher. The young girl sitting in front on the grass is Lilian Katherine Hammond (aged 9) Catherine's granddaughter. There are some really good pictures of Wickford on the Wickford History site, but it's a big site so I have provided direct links to some of those that relate to Arthur's time there 1888-1914:-
(2). Wickford High Street a gallery of old photographs which includes the one below sent to Florence Lizzie Christopher (3). In and around Wickford High Street another gallery of old photographs - this one includes a picture of the railway bridge they lived close to (4). Wickford Congregational Chapel Arthur was buried at Wickford Congregational cemetery in 1916 (5). Wick Lane - circa 1910 (6). The Old Railway Cottages This is useful as it shows the location of the Railway cottages close to the bridge and confirms they were demolished in 1987   I have also included here a postcard that was sent to Arthur's daughter Florence Lizzie Christopher and posted on 20th April 1905 when she was away horse riding as it shows Wickford Village as it was when they lived there. 7. Death of Arthur William CHRISTOPHER In 1914 and Catherine Lucy CHRISTOPHER in 1935  
Smoking caps were popular in the period 1840-1880 and usually worn by gentlemen in the privacy of their home. They got their name because men wore them whilst smoking to stop the hair from smelling of smoke and also to keep the head warm. Arthur died from cancer of the stomach and liver at The Railway Cottages in Wick Lane in Wickford at the age of 57 on 23rd September 1916 and was buried at the Wickford Congregational Cemetery in Essex. The picture of Catherine was taken on the same day as the picture of Arthur in 1916 at the Railway Cottages. When he died in September of that year Catherine was then obliged to leave the Railway Cottages and she moved to live in Westcliff-on-Sea living at 69 Fleetwood Avenue with her daughter and my great aunt Minnie Amelia Christopher. Catherine died of Coronary Thrombosis in Southend General Hospital on 25th October 1935 leaving the little that she had to Minnie.  
With her grandchildren, three of her children and daughter in law   These pictures were taken at 69 Fleetwood Avenue in the back garden the first taken in the spring of 1917, shortly after Catherine moved to live in Westcliff-on-Sea after Arthur's death. It shows Catherine (aged 60) with her grandchildren. My mother Edna Clara McNally (aged about 18 months) is sitting on Catherine's lap. Back left is Christopher McNally her brother (age 3); back right is Lilian Katherine Hammond (aged 9); front left Edward Victor Christopher Thompson (aged 6) ; front right Herbert James Christopher Hammond (aged 7) The second picture taken Jan 1925 shows back row Catherine Lucy Christopher nee Denman (age 68) back left her grandson Edward VC Thompson (age 14) back right her grandson Herbert JC Hammond (age 15) centre left her daughter Florence Lizzie Thompson (age 41) very centre her daughter and my beloved great aunt Minnie Amelia Christopher (age 31) centre right Florence May Christopher (aged 24) her daughter-in-law and wife of her son Robert George James Christopher sitting on the grass (aged 25). (1). Alice Lavinia CHRISTOPHER (1882-1882) Born on 25th July 1882 at Stratford in West Ham she only lived a month and died on 28th August the same year. (2). Florence Lizzie CHRISTOPHER (1883-1973)   Florence Lizzie Christopher (known as Flo) was born at Stratford on 16th Nov 1883 but grew up at Wickford Railway cottages in Essex. She was baptised at St Catherine's church in Wickford on 26th Jan 1896. It is easy to forget that most girls around this date received only a cursory education. The elementary Education Act of 1893 raised the school leaving age to 11 and later to 13. When Florence was 13 we have an interesting insight into her life as we find her already working as a 'nursemaid' at Beeches Farm just down the road from where they lived. The farm of 238 acres was originally owned by Thomas Bell a well known figure in the local community who had actually made a contribution towards the cost of building the school. Thomas however died in April 1895 and it passed into new hands. I think the farm was bought by Henry Lester and his wife Ellen who had a young daughter Emmeline who aged 5 needed to attend school, and a 1 year old son named Henry. Florence was employed to look after the two children and their growing family as they had 4 children by the time of the 1901 census. One of her jobs would have been to walk and fetch Emmeline from school, probably with Henry in the pram. At midday on Wednesday 12th May 1897 several bags containing the children's dinners were stolen out of the school porch. Suspicion fell upon 5 men who had been 'loafing about the neighbourhood' who were pursued by the local constable and with the help off the constable at Billericay arrested them. I only know of this incident as they appeared before the magistrate at Brentwood when the school master a Mr William John Sully, Mr Henry Lester a local farmer and Florence Lizzie Christopher were called to give evidence. The picture of her left is thought to have been taken about 1903 and the one on the right in 1905.   Florence Lizzie Thompson nee Christopher (1883-1973) Taken circa 1915 & 1916 Florence married Victor Golding Thompson (1887-1967) in the 3rd quarter of 1910. Victor was the son of Edward Thompson a bank clerk from Dalston in Middlesex by his wife Mary Ann Golding who originated from Leyton in Essex. He was known within the family as Vic and was a stone mason by trade. They had only one son Edward Victor Christopher Thompson as shown below. When Florence's father died and her mother had to vacate the Railway Cottages in 1916 her presence in Westcliff was the main reason that her mother also moved to live near by. During the first world war her husband served in the Railways Royal Engineers Regt [Soldier 52835] and attained the rank of Sergeant. He was later awarded a Temporary rank of Warrant Officer I (W.O.1) (WR/296333) and awarded the 1914/15 star for service in France and the British War and Victory medals. He was discharged from the army on 20th Feb 1919. Florence decided that she had to go out and take whatever work was available in order that her son could attend technical college. Her hard work was later repaid when he was awarded an OBE. Some time prior to the Sep 1939 Census the family moved to live at 245 Fairfax Drive, Westcliff-on-Sea which as far as I know was where her husband Victor died in the 1st qtr of 1967 at the age of 79. I met Florence in 1972 and she struck me as a very cheerful grey haired lady who had all her faculties and sense of humour unto the end. Her niece Christine by her youngest brother Robert George James Christopher (who was known as Jim or Jimmy) comments, " When Flo's husband Vic died she took to staying with my mum and dad during the winter months. Dad's house at 42 Cavendish Gardens had central heating by then and no open fires to make up, which Flo could no longer cope with, and she returned to her own home during the summer months. Eventually, sometime after I'd left home to get married in 1968 Flo gave up her tenancy and moved in with her brother permanently. During this time she spent one week a year in the summer months with me in my first married home in Tilbury so mum and dad could have a holiday. In the winter of 1972 she became increasingly sick and frail, but was determined to see my sister Sue married in May 1973, which she did. She rose from her sick bed to attend the Registry office wedding and the wedding breakfast afterwards and then returned to her bed and died a few days later while my sister was on honeymoon." Florence died at the age of 89 in May 1973 at 42 Cavendish Gardens.  Edward Victor Christopher Thompson (1910-aft 1972 ?) OBE was born on 15th December 1910 at Frederick Villas in Westcliff Park Drive in Westcliff-on-Sea and baptised at St Mary The Virgin Church in Prittlewell in Essex on 18th June 1916. He is shown above in both the family group photographs shown above taken with Catherine Lucy Christopher, Edward then being aged 6 and 14. He married when he was 27 years old to Ettie Georgina Steward (1913-1997), known as Georgie, who was then aged 24 as she had been born in the district of Rochford Essex on 14th Nov 1913. After marriage in 1937 they settled to live for many years at 64 Chatsworth Gardens in Harrow (still there in 1965 - see Electoral Registers) . In the Sep 1939 Census his occupation was shown to be that of a modeller in plaster, and Ettie / Georgie as a provision saleswoman. They had two children:- (2.1) Jean Christine Thompson born at Chatsworth gardens in 3rd qtr of 1940, she married Raymond J Taylor on 16th March 1963 in the district of Harrow, Middlesex, and (2.2) Paul E.G. Thompson born at Chatsworth gardens in 1942, he later married Rita A Cunningham in the district of Brent Greater London in the 3rd qtr 1966. Edward was a close friend of Christopher McNally, the son of his mothers sister Emily Bertha Christopher, and acted as his best man when he married on 17th November 1945 at St Marys Church in Prittlewell. Edward eventually joined the Civil Service and was employed as a Chief Illustrator at the Home Office at Romney House in London SW1. It was a proud moment for his mother and the rest of the family when he was awarded an OBE in the 1971 New Year Honours List. (3). Lilian Kate CHRISTOPHER (1885-1961)  Like her elder sister Lilian was born at Stratford, West Ham on 1st April 1885 but grew up at Wickford Railway Cottages in Essex. Particularly in her youth she was close to her younger sister Emily Bertha Christopher (1888-1960) who was my grandmother. When Lilian was 16 years old and Emily only 13 they both worked as general house servants at 'Goal Farm' in Barling. The farm situated only 6 kilometres north-east of Southend-on-Sea was being run then by Emily the widow of Alexander Allerton a farmer. At the age of 22 on the 14th July 1907, Lilian married 21 year old Herbert James HAMMOND (1886-1979) at St Thomas of Canterbury Church in Brentwood. Picture left of Lilian was taken about 1910.   Lilian Kate Hammond nee Christopher (1883-1973) Taken circa 1929 & 1933 Herbert had been born on 28th May 1886 at Brentwood in Essex the son of Walter Joseph HAMMOND (1855-1887) an inspector of weights and measures by his wife Lucy Ann nee SMITH a native of Marylebone in London. He was baptised at the St Thomas of Canterbury Church in Brentwood on 11th July 1886. Herbert never really knew his father as he had died the year after he was born. His mother however re-married when he was 10 years old to Frederick George HARRIS. Herbert was working as a grocer's errand boy before the age of 14 but soon followed in the footsteps of his older brother Arthur James Hammond and became a Railway Clerk. He progressed to become the stationmaster at Snarsbrook Wanstead near Leytonstone where they lived. When her mother died in 1935 she inherited her mothers garnet engagement ring which later descended to her daughter Lilian and from there eventually to Christine (Joy) Christopher via her mother Eva. Both Lilian Kate and her husband Herbert became closely involved with the St John's Ambulance Service and were active in carrying out other charity work. They had two children as shown below. Lilian Kate died on 29th Dec 1961 at the age of 76 followed by her husband Herbert at Redbridge in Essex in 1979.   (3.1) Lilian Katherine HAMMOND (1907-1988) (Picture left about 1932) Lilian, named after her mother, was born on 27th Nov 1907 at Brentwood and married John WARD in the district of West Ham in third quarter of 1929. They had a daughter Mary Ward born in 1930 and in the 1939 Census taken on 29th September that year they are living at 113 Dyers Hall Road in Leytonstone where John Ward was described as a Railway shunter. Lilian died at Redbridge in Essex in 1988. (3.2) Herbert James Christopher HAMMOND (b.1909) (Picture right about 1939) Herbert was born on 3rd April 1909 and married Hilda M Lang (born 13th May 1905) at Hendon in Middlesex in 1936. In the 1939 Census they were living Tudor Court Wembley when Herbert was described as an Aircraft Engineer and Hilda was working in a drapers shop. In the early 1960's they were living at 28 Embry Way in nearby Harrow. (4). Emily Bertha CHRISTOPHER (1888-1960)  Emily was my grandmother and a more detailed account of her life is available via this link. Suffice it to say that she grew up at Wickford with her siblings and was like them raised as a strict Methodist. By the age of 13 she was working as a general house servant with her elder sister Lilian at Goal Farm in Barling. Over the next decade she remained in service and by 1911 was a domestic servant working for the widower John Herbert Gooch a bank clerk and his sister Eleanor. She lived with them at 41 Argyle Road Westcliff-on-Sea where among other things she was responsible for looking after his 5 year old son. Arglye Road was within easy walking distance of where her married sister Florence Lizzie Thompson lived in Westcliff Park Drive. The following year she married my grandfather Percy Nicholas McNally at St Paul's Church in Westcliff-on-Sea. Immediately after marriage they moved to live at 53 West Road in Shoeburyness where Percy worked locally as a plasterer. They had three children (4.1) Christopher McNally (1913-1997) (4.2) Edna Clara McNally (1915-1995) my mother and (4.3) Thomas Edwin McNally (1927-2010). Percy fought in the 1st world war attesting for the Royal Engineers on 11th Dec 1915 [SoldierWR/255879] and like so many of that generation lost two of his brothers. He was at Eppes but survived to return to his family being demobilized in April 1920. Emily contracted Parkinson's disease around 1925 and spent most of her life as an invalid. She passed away at West Road on 26th January 1960 followed by her husband Percy in 1967. Emily and Percy are buried in St Andrews churchyard in Shoeburyness. (5). Arthur William Harry CHRISTOPHER (1889-1968)   Arthur was born at Wickford Railway Cottages on 29th December 1889.
According to his daughter Marie, whom I met several times in the 1970's, he started his working life at the Iron Foundry at Rayne in Essex which lies on the north side of the old Roman Road now known as Stane Street. He took an apprenticeship as a pattern maker and worked in the pattern workshop. Arthur later left the Iron Foundry and joined the Great Eastern Railway Company and at the age of 22 was working for them as a general labourer at Stratford whilst living in boarding accommodation at nearby Cann Hall Road in West Ham.
Granny Christopher his mother apparently took his younger brothers wages to pay for his lodgings. The picture left of him was taken about 1908. He met his wife Maud Fitch (1890-1982) the daughter of William & Anne Fitch at Braintree and they married there on 11th March 1915.
They settled to live at Southend-on-Sea where their eldest child Arthur Victor Christopher was born at Sutton Road on 31st May 1916 and baptised at St Mary the Virgin church in Prittlewell on 18th June 1916. Arthur Victor is thought to be about 6 or 7 months and therefore taken Dec 1916/Jan 1917. A year later on 13th June 1917 Arthur was called up to serve for his country and traveled to London to attend a medical examination. Unfortunately he was caught in a bombing raid on London. As soon as you mention bombing in London everyone thinks of the blitz during the Second World War, but bombing occurred even before 1917. The Army Medical Centre was actually in Liverpool Street Station and Arthur was there being examined with four others when the German air force dropped bombs on the station which hit an incoming train. Two of his companions were killed outright and two died the same night, Arthur being the only one to survive. In some respects this was extremely lucky, but he was very seriously injured and the pain would incapacitate him restricting his mobility for the rest of his life. As to the air raid itself, it was carried out by 15 'Gotha' airplanes (picture right) which were made from a wooden frame made of ash which was bound with wire and covered with plywood and linen fabric. It had a machine gun mounted on a turntable on the front and could carry 14 bombs. Unfortunately the bombing run did most of it's damage before it reached the station. In all 104 people died and 154 were seriously injured but the worst part was that it hit a school killing 16 children between the ages of four and six and injuring over 100 more. In all Arthur and Maud had four children:-
(5.2) Marie CHRISTOPHER (1918-2005). Born at Station Avenue, Prittlewell on 3rd Mar 1918 Marie lived with her parents until she married, working in her youth as a shorthand typist. She married John Oswald ELLIS (1918-1990) at Brentwood on 18th March 1944 . John was the son of Ernest John Ellis (b.1874) by his wife Rose Lilian Drake (1893-1945) and had been baptised at Christ Church, Great Warley in Essex on 26th May 1918. In September 1939 when WWII was declared, his father was the Innkeeper at the Railway Tavern on King's Road in Brentwood Essex and John was already a qualified Electrician installing telephone wiring. Marie was very interested in family history and in the 1970's helped me interview some more distant members of the family to collect information. They had no children and in 1992 moved from 25 Maywin Drive in Hornchurch where they lived for many years to 63a Ongar Road in Brentwood. Her husband John died in 1990 but Marie lived until she was 87 passing away in Nov 2005. (5.3) Stella CHRISTOPHER (b.1922) Born at Station Avenue in Prittlewell on 1st June 1922 Stella married Frederick William CLAPHAM at Brentwood on 21st Oct 1951. They had three children Ralph C (born 1953); Clive C (born 1955) and Kim Christopher (born 1960). (5.4) Olive CHRISTOPHER (b.1923) Born at Station Road Prittlewell on 3rd Oct 1923 she married Eric TOWNSEND at Brentwood on 1st June 1945. He died on 16th July 1960 leaving his estate to his widow Olive. (6). Frederick Joseph CHRISTOPHER (1891-1958)   Born at Wickford Railway Cottages on 27th Aug 1891, at the age of 19 he was working in Wickford as a contractors carman but still living with his parents. On the 22nd July 1916 be married Violet Rose STEER (1893-1924) the daughter Harry Adams Steer a tailors cutter by trade and his wife Frances Mary nee Waller. Although Violet had been born in Canning Town in West Ham her parents had moved to live in Wickford in Wick Lane prior to 1901 where she met Frederick. Although she moved to live at Crays Hill in Billericay with her parents prior to 1911 they remained in contact and married in Wickford on 22nd July 1916.They had two children (1) Beryl Frances C Christopher (1917-2003) who later married Edward Smith in 1943 and lived on a farm near Hanningfield just off the Rettenden roundabout in Essex. They had two children Gillian Margaret Smith in 1952 and Paul Edward Smith in 1955. (2) Kenneth William Harry Frederick Christopher (1921-1999). He married Margaret Dinah Woodward in the Rother Valley of West Riding in Yorkshire in the 1st quarter of 1948. They had a son Stephen D Christopher born in Sheffield in last qtr 1956 who married Trudy G Cooper in Sheffield in 3rd qtr 1984, and adopted a daughter Ailene Christopher circa 1965 who moved to Basingstoke circa 1985. Kenneth died in Sheffield in 1999. Violet unfortunately died on 15th April 1924 as a result of an epileptic fit, falling into the fire and dying from the resulting burns. After the death of his first wife Frederick went to live for many years with a schoolteacher called Elsie Wooten, but she would not get married as she would have lost her pension. At the outbreak of WWII he was living in Chelmsford working as a locomotive wheel turner. Elsie died and he eventually married a neighbour named Sarah Ann MAYBANK (1898-1996) in 3rd qtr of 1943. Frederick died at St Andrews Hospital in Billericay at the age of 66, whilst living at Gladwell Church End Lane in Runwell Wickford in Essex and was buried at St Mary's Churchyard in Runwell. He left his estate of £658:17s:5d to Sarah Ann who lived to the ripe old age of 98 passing away in Aug 1996. (7). Male CHRISTOPHER (1893-1893) - Born prematurely at 8 months on 11th March 1893 and only lived for 2 hours. (Certificates placed on Ancestry.com). (8). Minnie Amelia CHRISTOPHER (1894-1972)   Born at Wickford Railway Cottages in Essex on 28th February 1894 she was raised as a strict Methodist by her parents with whom she lived in Wickford until her fathers death in 1916. The photograph far right was taken in 1905 and shows her standing with her elder sister Emily Bertha Christopher (my maternal grandmother). Emily was then 17 and Minnie just 11 years old. Her passport confirms that she reached the height of 5 feet 4 inches and had blue eyes and brown hair. The war years were particularly hard on Minnie as in 1915 her boyfriend Maurice was killed in France, something she never seems to have recovered from as she remained a spinster for the rest of her life. Maurice sent her a Sweetheart Card (follow link) shortly before he died.
As a result she was determined to help with the war effort and was soon working in a munitions factory making artillery shells. She is shown in the picture below sitting in the center of the front row. The picture was taken by 'Curzon Photographic Studios' probably in 1916 or 1917. They had studios in Kilburn and Richmond but also at Stratford in Essex where her father was born. The photographer however no doubt traveled to where the factory was to take the picture.   The work overalls and caps worn by the ladies in the picture are almost identical to those used at the Cunard Shell Works at Bootle Liverpool - Follow this link for a tour of the munitions factory during the first world war taking particular note of the picture of 53 female workers in their overalls and caps. Whilst Minnie may have worked at a different factory, I think this gives a good idea of the work undertaken by the predominately female workforce which must have been a revelation for a young lady from such a rural background. As the youngest girl her father on his deathbed in Sep 1916 made her promise not to leave her mother which she honored. His death meant they had to leave the Railway Cottages in Wickford and by 1917 Minnie with her mother were living at 69 Fleetwood Avenue, Westcliff-on-Sea. Her mother died there in 1935 when Minnie inherited all the family memorabilia and was still there when the War Census in Sep 1939 was taken but also had a domestic servant Agnes Walker to look after the house. 
I am not sure how Minnie first met John Gordon Bowling L.D.S. R.C.S. (1888-1944). John had enlisted into the Army on 22nd May 1916 and states that he has his own business in the trade of Dentistry and is already living at 647 London Road Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex. He serves over 2 years in France in the Royal Army Medical Core gaining an injury to his right shoulder on 9th June 1917 from an accident whist in action. Unlike her boyfriend he survives the war being discharged in 1919 and returned to his home and business in Westcliff-on-Sea. The dental register (available on ancestry.com) shows that he first registered under the Dentists Act of 1921 on 15th Feb 1922 and was credited with having obtained his full qualifications by 1927. From the outset in 1922 his address is still his private house at 647 London Road Westcliff-on-Sea and I know Minnie was working for him more or less from the start of his business, probably in the 1920's. She had much in common with John, and they became close friends . He either gave her his Victory and British War medals in memory of her deceased boyfriend, or they went to her on his death in 1944. I recently (Nov 2023) passed these medals to a living member of the Bowling Family for safe keeping. John's dental practice was taken over by another dental surgeon called Mr Copeland and continued operating from the same address along with aunt Minnie until she retired in the 1960's. Minnie remained throughout in close contact with all her siblings regularly visiting my grandmother Emily Bertha McNally at 53 West Road in Shoeburyness and was therefore well known to my mother. Minnie was responsible for keeping all the family photographs that I have made available here and on my Family Tree on Ancestry.com. After retirement she traveled widely for example holidaying with Mr Copeland and his wife and friends in France and Switzerland in 1950; Belgium and Germany 1952; Spain 1954; Salzburg Algeria and the US in 1955; Germany in 1956; Belgium 1957; France, Austria Liechtenstein in 1958. In her old age she fell and broke her hip and in those days convalescence took a long time. My mother and I visited her in hospital every week and later at an old people’s home in Westcliff-on-Sea, she would tell me stories about the families time in Turkey which had been related to her during her childhood by her father Arthur William Christopher. Arthur of course had actually been there, although only 7 years old when they left. I was not the only one beguiled by Aunt Minnie. Her niece Christine (Joy) Christopher recently commented " I loved Dad's sister Aunt Flo but I adored Auntie Minnie. She was such a romantic figure with an air of mystery about her and so many tales to tell and so different to anyone I knew". I visited her house again in my twenties with my fiancee, but by then Aunt Minnie only occupaied the top half of the house and I thought it was the dentist that lived downstairs . On this visit, she gave me a little silver thimble trimmed with corals from her travels, Istanbul I think, which I still treasure and use regularly. I also have two mementos from her. The marble chipping brought home from Turkey in 1865, and the dentists brass clock (picture right) from where she worked which I have had serviced and still works. It originally had several more pins which were inserted in the holes round the clock face to trigger the alarm for the next appointment. My wife won't let me wind it up as the tick is so loud and the bell when it goes off can be heard next door, so I am sure patients got the message that their time was up! Minnie died in Westcliff Hospital at the age of 78 leaving her few possessions and family photographs to my mother. (9). Robert George James CHRISTOPHER (1899-1984) 
Robert George James CHRISTOPHER (known as Jim or Jimmy) was born at Wickford Railway Cottages on 19th Oct 1899. He came into the world just late enough to avoid conscription for the 1st World War. My mother thought the picture of him as a young boy (shown left) was probably taken around the year 1909. He trained to become an electrician and as a young man moved to Plaistow which was at that time a ward within the borough of West Ham in Essex (5) . He lived at 129 Sutton Court Road, with his 1st cousin once removed George Robert CHRISTOPHER (1870-1940). [Note:- George Robert was the grandson of Henry CHRISTOPHER Senior (1814-1865) via his son George CHRISTOPHER (1845-1881)]. Background:- George Robert Christopher (1870-1940) and his wife Harriet nee Morgan (1864-1954) had two daughters of their own but also adopted an orphaned baby girl shortly after her birth who was named Florence May NEAL (1900-1944). She is shown in the picture in Section 6 above taken at Wickford Railway Cottages when she was still only about 16 years old which illustrates how closely in touch the families remained throughout this period. As an aside they also fostered children for a while. Although all official documentation refers to her as Florence May (which is also how she was known to my mother) Robert and his immediate family simply referred to her as 'Chris' a nickname which may have survived from her childhood. Robert married Florence May CHRISTOPHER on 17th Nov 1923 which was when we think the picture of them together shown below was taken. Although they had no children my mother said they always seemed very happy together.    
Elizabeth Draper comments:- "The house at 129 Sutton Court Road itself doesn't seem to have changed much - the sash windows have been replaced with double glazing and the roof retiled some time in the last 30 years, but otherwise it's pretty much a three up, two down as it would have been, although it is more likely that one of the bedrooms is now a bathroom. It faces south and has a small back garden, but it backs onto a small park so gets plenty of light in the north facing garden. The whole estate seems to have been built at the turn of the century. St Martin's Church, Boundary Road, was built on the very edge of the Diocese of London, in 1894, when all around it was rhubarb fields and a market garden. It held 5 services on Sundays, starting at 6.00am for those working on the docks or in the Spitalfield and Billingsgate markets. In 1896 there was still very few buildings in the vicinity". After marriage in 1923 Robert and Florence May (alias Chris) lived nearby in an upstairs flat at 14 Kirton Road, Upton Park. The ground floor flat was occupied by Francis John Drake (b.1868) and his wife Emma nee Alder (1876-1953) with their two daughters Alma Frances Louise Drake (1911-1990) and Eva Isabel Drake (1913-2013). Eva had been born at the house in Kirton Road in Upton Park on 8th Sep 1913 and was baptised at St Stephen's Church on the corner of Green & Plashet Streets in East Ham on 5th October the same year. Their father Francis had already been an engine driver by the time he signed up as a seaman (No.149468) for 12 years service on 25th April 1889, an occupation he had returned to by the time he married their mother in 1903. For many years (over 30) he worked at a refrigeration plant responsible for maintenance of the engines that ran the refrigeration machinery.
 According to my mother, Florence May (alias Chris) suffered from Epilepsy and unfortunately during one particularly severe attack she fell onto the open coal fire and was severely burned. Joy Christopher explained that "Eva came to stay at Cavendish gardens to support her friends when Chris collapsed in the garden with a stroke and helped her dad to care for Chris until she died (on 6th July 1944) and then to support him through his bereavement. Dad became dependant on that support and they married on the 19th Jan 1945, which also prevented Mum having to return to Chelmsford to continue with the war work that all single women of the time were constrained to do."
Robert and Eva had two daughters as shown below. The picture right (c1956) was among the personal items belonging to Minnie Amelia CHRISTOPHER (1894-1972) .
Susan Catherine CHRISTOPHER also born at Ilford on 14th Nov 1950 and married in 2nd qtr 1973 to David J Theisinger the brother of her brother-in-law. . Genealogical Notes:- (1). Source British History Victoria County History of Essex Vol6/ pp123-141 (2). Source:- Chelmsford Chronicle Friday 4th Jan 1889 (3). Source:- Essex Newsman Saturday 2nd July 1887 page 3 (4). The family is recorded in the War Census taken on 29 Sep 1939 when they were resident at 10 Hubert Rd, East Ham. Eva DRAKE is recorded as living there with her parents and sibling and described as being born on September 13th 1913, single and a dressmaker by trade. Although the Census was recorded because of the war it was later updated and used for National Health Records so her date of Marriage has also been added and her surname changed to CHRISTOPHER. (5). In 1965 Plaistow became a part of the new London Borough of Newham formed when West Ham joined with the County Borough of East Ham and small parts of Barking and Woolwich. (6). I am grateful to Joy Christopher & Sue Theisinger for making contact which has enabled me to correct earlier information given about their family and particularly about their mother. |