[168 : XIX] I may here indicate some of the burial places of some of my relatives. My Grandpa and Grandma Swan were interred in Nunhead cemetery. My father, mother, and sisters Emily and Annie in Upper Tooting, the Lambeth cemetery. Our little Beatrice at Norwood, Southall, and Auntie Rose and one of her boys in the same grave.
My dear son Eustace Walter was killed in the 1914-18 war, and was buried on Flanders Fields; the trench in which he died was enfiladed by a bomb and buried 22 of them – some of them got out alive, some maimed, and he was one of the killed. Bert Morphew my nephew was buried in South Africa; he was wireless operator on board a ship, and was taken ashore to have his appendix removed; he died under the operation. Also his father Charles Morphew died in South Africa and was buried there near Cape Town.
Mr John Birch senior, my wife’s grandfather, died at Southsea and was buried [169 : XX] at Highland Road cemetery, Eastney Portsmouth (footnote 1), as also was his son John Birch and wife Ellen Birch, my wife’s parents. My uncle Sam Swan, who was an engineer in the Navy, also lies in the aforementioned cemetery; also Tattie, wife of Frederick Lissolo Birch, my wife’s youngest brother, in Highland Road cemetery Eastney. Captain Warder, father of the above Tattie Warder, sailed over many seas for many years, and was eventually drowned in his home harbour of Cowes, Isle of Wight (footnote 2). And I must not omit the dear Aunt Lissolo, who died at Southsea and was buried in the above-mentioned burial ground; also many friends in connexion with Elm Grove church at Southsea – memory is too dim at this writing to remember them all.
[170 : XXI] There have been several sudden deaths of relatives, some of which I here record. Of my father’s brothers, James retired from business in Manchester and when to live at Aylesbury; the friends there noticed he was dragging his feet and walked along at a shuffle, and in 2 weeks he died, over 70. Robert the baker had done his bread round, and put his horse and cart away; he went into his house and expired, over 70. My mother’s brother, my uncle Sam, came into my shop at Castle Road Southsea, and showed me an ounce bottle of liquid, and I asked him what it was, and he said “laudanum”; I asked what he was going to do with it, and he said he could not sleep and night now, on account of pain, and could not afford [171 : XXII] a bottle of whiskey each night to send him to sleep, so he was going to take a dose to induce sleep. The next day his wife sent down to say he was dead; there was an inquest, but his doctor gave evidence that he died of Bright’s disease.
My wife’s father at 84 was asked to go for a doctor, but on his return sat down and expired. My brother Percy, who had been manager of a Cooperative store in Birmingham, had retired on account of age, but when world war 2 broke out, they asked him to go and help, as they were short-handed (footnote 3); he did, and one day he had just reached the bus stop and fell down – he was dead when picked up; he was 72 or 73.
Here the book abruptly ends (footnote 4). Father passed away on October 28th
1943, aged 87, and is buried at Lethbridge Alberta. It was his wedding
anniversary!
Transcriber’s footnotes:
1. I had lodgings in Kimberley Road during my first year at college, which backs onto the cemetery, little knowing whose grave my window looked over.
2. T W Moores is in error here. Captain James Webb Warder was drowned off his yacht “Mayfly” with three others; his yacht had been rammed by a steam trawler “Valhalla” off Dungeness, Kent, on July 22nd 1882. Reports of the incident are online. AT the inquest the crew of Valhalla were censured for not keeping a sufficient watch.
3. This was common, all younger men having been drafted into the forces and essential services.
4. Note in the handwriting of E N Churchill, who also transcribed the poem that follows. T W Moores had filled the book, all except the final page, on which the poem is recorded. HOWEVER, I recall my father having been shown three such books – this one was left with him (perhaps because it dealt with life in England) and the other two (dealing with his life in Canada) were taken back – probably it was Aunts Olive and Nora who had them.
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