My great grandmother Susan Caroline Hill had seven siblings, but only four survived beyond their third birthdays. Research into the surviving four reveals stories of further loss and survival, changing circumstances, military and civilian war casualties and emigration. Some of them are told here. Loss and survival My 2xgreat grandparents, Elsted-born Labourer John Hill and … Continue reading My great grandmother’s four surviving siblings
World War I
Susan Caroline Stocking (1896-1971): A move to Tingewick and family tragedies [Updated]
Susan was 15th of 19 children. She was left with three youngsters of her own when her ex-serviceman husband Fred Smith died after ten years of marriage. In the early 1940s, she moved with her second husband Harry Catlow to Tingewick, Bucks, where they ran The White Hart. Tragedy struck when both her daughter and … Continue reading Susan Caroline Stocking (1896-1971): A move to Tingewick and family tragedies [Updated]
Alexander Edward Stocking (1902-1971): A career in the Tank Corps and WW2 PoW
Alexander was the youngest of 19 children, born in the Coronation year of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, after whom he was perhaps named. He joined the regular army aged 16 (lying about his age), married while based in Dorset, later being a Prisoner of War in Germany during WW2. Records of his life … Continue reading Alexander Edward Stocking (1902-1971): A career in the Tank Corps and WW2 PoW
Alfred Edmund Ilott Stocking (1898-1978): Military Medal Holder
Named for his older sister's husband, Alfred was the 17th of my 2xgreat grandparents' children. He followed his brothers into the Army in WW1, and was the second in the family to be awarded the Military Medal. Despite a shotgun wound to the face, and a work accident that damaged his shoulder, he lived a … Continue reading Alfred Edmund Ilott Stocking (1898-1978): Military Medal Holder
Archibald David Stocking (1894-1961): Driver in the Howitzer Brigade [Updated]
It was a letter from Archie’s son Ron that sparked my search for my 2xgreat-grandparents' children. Archie turned out to be the fourteenth of 19. He was a driver in the Howitzer Brigade in WW1 before returning to work on London's trams. Amongst his six grandchildren are a well-known journalist and author, and a mountain … Continue reading Archibald David Stocking (1894-1961): Driver in the Howitzer Brigade [Updated]
Lavinia (Lily) Stocking (1888-1968): Five Monk sons
Known in her early years as Lily, she was a witness to at least two of her sisters' weddings before marrying, in 1909, Frederick James Monk, a stationer's Card Cutter. He suffered ill-health after serving in the Remount Company during WW1, but continued to work. They had five sons between 1910-1919. What records did they … Continue reading Lavinia (Lily) Stocking (1888-1968): Five Monk sons
Aaron Archibald Stocking (1883-1917): Military Medal [Updated]
My great great uncle Aaron Stocking was 34 years old when he was killed in action at Bourlon Wood, France on 1 December 1917. His wife of two years was pregnant with a son he would never see. He was awarded the Military Medal; I hunted for years for a citation but a letter he … Continue reading Aaron Archibald Stocking (1883-1917): Military Medal [Updated]
John Arthur Stocking (1882-1957): Telephone Engineer
Years ago, in conversation with my Dad about his family, he recalled his 'Uncle John' who used to play the piano whenever Dad visited their Beechfield Road home in Catford. 'Uncle John' was actually his father's uncle; it's strange to think that, when I hold Dad's hand, there's a personal connection back to my great … Continue reading John Arthur Stocking (1882-1957): Telephone Engineer
William Henry Stocking (1880-1966): Master Builder
Building trades are very much part of my Stocking ancestry. My Dad worked for his father's firm of J Stocks & Sons in the 1950s. His great uncle William Henry Stocking built up the firm of W Stocks & Sons, creating an earlier dynasty of builders and decorators in the 1900s, one for which several … Continue reading William Henry Stocking (1880-1966): Master Builder
Harriett Elizabeth Stocking (1879-1945): A large family
Harriett was the fourth of my 2xgreat grandparents' 19 children and had her own large family of ten with her husband Alfred Edmund Ilott Bishop. They lived their lives in Camberwell and then Norwood in London, dying in the final throws of WW2. They gave a home to her widowed sister and their ten children … Continue reading Harriett Elizabeth Stocking (1879-1945): A large family
My Stocking Roots 