Thomas Whiston MM
Early Life
Thomas Whiston was born on Thursday 2nd November 1882 in No.1, Tibbatts Road, Bromley, Poplar. He was the first child of Alfred Whiston and Harriet Ann (nee Johnson) who had married in May 1881. They had only moved down to London from Leicester just before they married. In Leicester Alfred had been a shoe mechanic. By 1891 he had become an engine fitter and found himself sharing a house with not not only his Mother-in-Law but with an Irish family of 6 who appeared to have rented one room. Today Tibbatts Road is a modern development of starter homes and flats.
By the time Thomas was 12 years old he had two brothers, Alfred James Johnson and Henry Charles as well as with three sisters, Harriet Ann, Florence Mary and Elizabeth. Six years later, in 1901 Thomas had started a trade as a printer compositor’s assistant. They had moved again and had just one boarder living in the house with them this time. The 1911 census shows Thomas as a married man and living in 10, Mill Road, Rosherville, Northfleet, Kent with just his family.
Thomas Whiston was born on Thursday 2nd November 1882 in No.1, Tibbatts Road, Bromley, Poplar. He was the first child of Alfred Whiston and Harriet Ann (nee Johnson) who had married in May 1881. They had only moved down to London from Leicester just before they married. In Leicester Alfred had been a shoe mechanic. By 1891 he had become an engine fitter and found himself sharing a house with not not only his Mother-in-Law but with an Irish family of 6 who appeared to have rented one room. Today Tibbatts Road is a modern development of starter homes and flats.
By the time Thomas was 12 years old he had two brothers, Alfred James Johnson and Henry Charles as well as with three sisters, Harriet Ann, Florence Mary and Elizabeth. Six years later, in 1901 Thomas had started a trade as a printer compositor’s assistant. They had moved again and had just one boarder living in the house with them this time. The 1911 census shows Thomas as a married man and living in 10, Mill Road, Rosherville, Northfleet, Kent with just his family.
Census Records listing Thomas Whiston
Left: Swanton Road today This photograph shows No.197 and is the 3rd from last house in the street on the 'odd' side. In 1891 No.99 was the 3rd last house in the street. At the lower end of the street are modern 3 storey flats that would account for a doubling of the house number along the roads. It isn't unusual for houses to have their door numbers changed, especially when there has been redevelopment. I believe this was No.99 back in 1891. 1891 Swanton Rd
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_ At the outbreak of the Great War Thomas and his family were still
living in Northfleet, Kent. Thomas had married
Catherine Raymond, 2 years 8 months his senior (born Friday 5th March 1880), on Sunday 23rd December 1906. They had
started their own family whilst living in London, with the arrival of Harriet
in 1907, but needed to move to Kent for Thomas's work. He had by now become a journeyman^ printer.
Their home in Mill Road, saw two additions to the family, Alfred Thomas William (Alf) in October 1911 and then Ivy Elizabeth Florence in January 1915. Later that year, with a young family and aged 33 years old, Thomas went off to serve his Country. By this time both his brothers had enlisted. ^ Acording to Alf's birth certificate. |
Printing, the life and death of Thomas
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During the war Catherine worked in a munitions factory. It isn’t clear where the family were living whilst Thomas was in France. The records show that their next child, Kathleen, was born in West Ham in March 1918. Two possible sites were either the Hoo Peninsula near Cliff or the Brunner - Mond Munitions factory next to Tate and Lyle in Silvertown. The latter was the scene of a huge explosion on 17th January 1917 when 73 people died after a fire ignited 50 tons of TNT. The Silvertown Munitions Factory Explosion on 19th January 1917 was heard as far away as Sandringham. If Catherine wasn't working at this factory she would still have heard it.
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Catherine Whiston, centre back, in munitions uniform
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Waiting for Daddy?
Alf, Ivy and Harriet, judging by their ages this photograph would have been taken around 1916/17.
Could it have been taken for Thomas to have on the Front?
Alf, Ivy and Harriet, judging by their ages this photograph would have been taken around 1916/17.
Could it have been taken for Thomas to have on the Front?
After The War
Thomas returned to his peacetime job working in the print. By now he was working for The Daily Chronical (incorporating The Clarkenwell News and Evening Chronicle), this was later merged with the Daily News in June 1930 to become the News Chronicle which in turn closed in October 1960 when it was absorbed by The Daily Mail. As a printer Thomas was quiet well paid and it is thought he could have lived in a slightly better area than the one he chose. Mortlake Road, Custom House was mainly terraced maisonette housing with small back yards and the upper dwelling having just a raised porch to the open.
Thomas returned to his peacetime job working in the print. By now he was working for The Daily Chronical (incorporating The Clarkenwell News and Evening Chronicle), this was later merged with the Daily News in June 1930 to become the News Chronicle which in turn closed in October 1960 when it was absorbed by The Daily Mail. As a printer Thomas was quiet well paid and it is thought he could have lived in a slightly better area than the one he chose. Mortlake Road, Custom House was mainly terraced maisonette housing with small back yards and the upper dwelling having just a raised porch to the open.
Daddy's Home...
This photograph, taken by Thomas, shows his oldest four children, Alf, Harriet, baby Kathleen and Ivy. Kathleen was born in March 1918. Sadly Ivy died in October 1919 which dates this picture to a period of just 20 months. It is likely to have been taken in the back yard of their house in Mortlake Road.
This photograph, taken by Thomas, shows his oldest four children, Alf, Harriet, baby Kathleen and Ivy. Kathleen was born in March 1918. Sadly Ivy died in October 1919 which dates this picture to a period of just 20 months. It is likely to have been taken in the back yard of their house in Mortlake Road.
Could Thomas have printed this June 1919 edition of The Daily Chronical?
_The sad loss of his daughter, Ivy, must have been a trerrific blow to the family. Having been away at war for most of her short life Thomas must have felt another life had been stolen from him. He had lost his brother, Alfred, to the war in early 1918 and the family needed to come to terms with the death of Alfred's wife, Elizabeth and their one year old daughter, Grace to Spanish Flu in January 1919. After seeing so much death and destruction during the war he must have thought it would never end.
In 1925 the family had two new arrivals, twins James and Alma. Early complications meant James required an operation that made him just like his father. This is better explained with a quote from the memoirs of their daughter, Kathleen as written down by her son Mark:
"Around 1918, during the Great War he had got wounded, probably by shrapnel. He
had 36 stitches across his stomach. As a consequence, he lost his navel. When
Jimmie was born, he was born with a double ruptured navel and needed an operation.
At the time, at only 6 weeks of age, he was the youngest person ever to have been
operated on in that hospital.
Like his dad, the consequence of the operation meant he also had no navel, so both
father and son coincidentally ended up the same. They both had the same scar, right
across their stomachs and no navel."
In 1925 the family had two new arrivals, twins James and Alma. Early complications meant James required an operation that made him just like his father. This is better explained with a quote from the memoirs of their daughter, Kathleen as written down by her son Mark:
"Around 1918, during the Great War he had got wounded, probably by shrapnel. He
had 36 stitches across his stomach. As a consequence, he lost his navel. When
Jimmie was born, he was born with a double ruptured navel and needed an operation.
At the time, at only 6 weeks of age, he was the youngest person ever to have been
operated on in that hospital.
Like his dad, the consequence of the operation meant he also had no navel, so both
father and son coincidentally ended up the same. They both had the same scar, right
across their stomachs and no navel."
New Arrivals
Catherine with baby twins, James (Jimmie) and Alma born in May 1925
Catherine with baby twins, James (Jimmie) and Alma born in May 1925
Thomas earnt enough money to take the family away on holidays, something few in the East End could do. Kathleen recalls a trip to Ireland when the twins where only two years old. Again as written my her son Mark:
"On their Irish trip they took an all night ferry across from Liverpool, then took a
coach to Portrush or Port Stewart on the far north coast of Ireland. They visited
different places in Ireland, staying at boarding houses. On the trip they visited
Blarney castle and kissed the Blarney stone, saw the Giants Causeway and took
in the other various sights."
An Irish Holiday
Catherine, with twins Alma and Jimmie, and Kathleen whilst on holiday in Ireland.
This was taken outside the Montagu Arms Hotel, The Promenade, Portstewart.
Catherine, with twins Alma and Jimmie, and Kathleen whilst on holiday in Ireland.
This was taken outside the Montagu Arms Hotel, The Promenade, Portstewart.
Then and Now
This Google Maps Street Scene shows the disused Montagu Arms Hotel c.2011.
It was due to be demolished to make way for new flats and shops. It is on the Portstewart promenade overlooking the sea. The pony and trap is outside the bar which was to the left of the main hotel and is seen in the photo as the Stone Boutique. The bar can be located in the modern photo by looking at the 1st floor windows. Their positions and the drain pipe have remained the same. |
Here we can see the upper floor windows are the same although modern shop fronts have been added
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Other trips included Blackpool, twice, Great Yarmouth and Clacton-on-Sea on the Essex coast. The picture below is of the family on a charabanc in Great Yarmouth about to have a day at the Newmarket races as advertised by the sign in the front.
A Day at the Races
Catherine is behind the lady with the hat, then there's Kathleen, Thomas, Alf in a stripey jacket and Alma squeezed on at the end. The building behind the family still stands today and is used as the Tourest Information Office, as compared in the images below.
Then and Now
Thomas's job as a printer started to take its toll on his health. Mark recalls his mother's memories of his last days:
"Thomas eventually got ill with printers ink poisoning, which was a form of blood
poisoning caused by the ink getting absorbed through the skin into the body and
blood. This was an unfortunate occupational hazard of the printing industry in those
days. He particularly had very bad painful hands, permanently stained with ink.
Mum remembers one Saturday he got a bowl of boiling water and deliberately
plunged his hands into it, hoping to somehow remove the ink and the pain. Mum says
he of course immediately jumped and danced and screamed with scalded hands.
In 1930, the family had gone away for a holiday in July to Blackpool. When they got
back his hands got much more painful and he got very sick. Her mother wanted him
to go into hospital but he refused. Eventually and finally he did get himself admitted
into hospital. He went in on a Saturday and the next morning when the family visited
him he was really happy because somehow the hospital had managed to completely
clean up his hands. However, by the following Wednesday he was dead. He was
only 47."
Thomas Whiston MM
Proudly wearing his 1915 Star and Military Medal shortly before he died.
Proudly wearing his 1915 Star and Military Medal shortly before he died.
Thomas was a quiet, caring man who loved his family. He'd think of nothing of 'dressing up' and playing with the kids. He would bring back comics from work to share with the kids in the street and he contiuned to help those around him with minor medical problems and injuries. I was told he even resuced someone who had fallen into a canal and then quietly left without a fuss. Apparently the local papers never learnt who the hero was. Every weekend he would spread out a paper across the table, take out his medals and polish them, no doubt remembering those missing years.
I'm proud Thomas Whiston was my Great Grandfather.
© Alan Graham 2021