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]
St Philips Avondale Square
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
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
Emma Mary Ann Stocking (1877-1939): A corset machinist and young widow
The third of my 2xgreat grandparents' 19 children was Emma Mary Ann, born in 1877. Her occupation, over several decades, as a Corset Machinist, is well referenced. She had an illegitimate daughter who died in infancy. After being widowed in her early 30s, she lived with her sister Harriett and family. With no surviving children … Continue reading Emma Mary Ann Stocking (1877-1939): A corset machinist and young widow
Alice Caroline Stocking (1874-1928): A tragic end
Alice was the eldest of my 2xgreat grandparents' children and appears to have had a steady childhood, albeit one of 19 children. After leaving school, she worked as a needlewoman, making shirts and hat trimmings. Her home life after she married was also straightforward, although she only had two children, a small family for the … Continue reading Alice Caroline Stocking (1874-1928): A tragic end
Building Stocking heritage: A 20th century family business
My paternal grandfather James Aaron Stocking was born just after the turn of the 20th century into a family where most of the menfolk worked in the building trades, as brickies, builders, house decorators, plumbers, gas fitters, foremen and so on. He himself did many of these jobs through the housing booms of the 1920s-1930s, … Continue reading Building Stocking heritage: A 20th century family business
My Stocking Roots 