I am hoping someone who has access to newspaper clippings/libraries etc in South end on sea can help me out here in Australia. I am helping a friend unravel a family mystery. Her father Ronald Watford was born 24/8/1917 in Rochford South End on sea to a James Watford (born 1892 Iin shoreditch Middlesex) and Ethel Maud Hazell (born 1895 in Hackney )They lived at 54 Hartington Rd according to his birth cert that I have ... They married 26/6/1915 in South Hackney London and lived at that time at 379 Victoria Park Rd The story goes that James who was a staff Sergeant for Army Ordnance Corp (a Vulcanite Turner)A2585 ..Catalogue Reference # WO372/21 DATE 1914-1920...died in the war but I cannot find any death for him .. The mystery is another woman named May Lucy Stein brought up Ronald and he always thought that was his mother ..his grandmother being a Lucy Stein and step father Frederick Foster Garratt..I have Frederick and May's marriage cert 24th June 1912 and they lived at 81 Hartington Road at that time ..Ronald was never adopted as his surname remained Watford but he always thought his birth mother was May Lucy Stein. I cannot find a death for Ethel Maud Watford either so don't know what happened to her or how a neighbour hood friend ended up raising her child keeping it a secret from him. I believe Hartington Rd still exists and wonder if anyone / family or friends may know of the Watfords and Garratts /Steins. Maybe newspaper clippings may shed light on James's death and perhaps May's too. Kind regards Virginia Kinley -- I am using the free version of SPAMfighter for home users. SPAMfighter has removed 682 spam emails to date. Paying users do not have this message in their emails. Get the free SPAMfighter here: http://www.spamfighter.com/len

I don't know is I can help that much Virginia, but I do have a couple of ideas. I live not far from Southend and it sounds as if your James was born in Rochford Hospital. If his father was in the services the Palace Hotel on Southend sea front was used as a hospital : http://www.southendmuseums.co.uk/history/soshist/soshistory3.htm and it is possible that Ronald was/had been treated there and Ethel was living nearby, the houses in Hartington Road were quite large and possible Ethel was lodging there to be near Ronald or that they were both there whilst he was recovering. But as you say that Ronald died during the war I wonder if it was more likely that Ronald died in Southend of his injuries. However if he died on active service I think the best place to search for that would possibly be The National Archives. Maybe Ethel made friends with the Steins as they lived in the same road and perhaps she either died [Spanish 'flu caused an awful lot of deaths around 1919] or remarried and May Lucy informally adopted Ronald, who never the less retained his 'real' surname. Legal adoption was not possible until c1929. This 'informal' adoption is exactly what happened to my 2x grandmother in the 1870s when her mother died and her father remarried and the next door neighbour 'adopted' her. Sorry I can't be of more help. Regards, Gwyn > Her father Ronald Watford was born 24/8/1917 in Rochford South End on sea to a James Watford (born 1892 Iin shoreditch Middlesex) and Ethel Maud Hazell (born 1895 in Hackney )They lived at 54 Hartington Rd according to his birth cert that I have ... -- Gwyn Bailey OPC for Springfield, Essex