JUDITH - Key Persons
Sadly I do not know a great deal about George William as he and Florence died when I was just 7 years old. I do remember going up to see them on my own once. It was not a long walk up the Vale to their house but I remember feeling very grown up going alone.
Florence and George must have had a very worrying time during the war. Having given birth to nine sons they had lost one son as a baby and a second in WW1 and then in WW2 they had the two older sons in the Navy. The fifth son, Frank, was a prisoner of war for 4 years in Poland after his ship had sunk off Buenos Aires and they did not know for 9 months if he was alive or dead and then my father was away, fighting in the desert for nearly five years. Fortunately, both Frank and my father came back safely after the war.
Alice Florence nee Pysden and always known as Florence, was born at the end of 1872 in Thanet. I cannot be positive but think she was born in Ramsgate as her parents were married at St Lawrence Church Ramsgate, and she was baptised at St Georges Church in Ramsgate. Alice never really knew how old she was as, from a letter written by her in 1933, she says her mother never really told her. She was guessing then that she was aged 65 or 66.
I only seem to have the three photos of Florence, the one above, the one with her seven surviving sons and one with Wilfred and Alfred. I have already added the family photo in the posts about her husband George William and her son, Norman so will not do so again
Bertie William was born in 1897. Sadly he died in June 1898 and Teddy used to say that it was because the nanny let the pram fall over the sea wall but I have no proof of this at all.
Walter Richard followed the following year in 1899. Sadly he died of injuries in WW1 sustained when the ship Agamemnon came under fire in the Dardanelles. Walter was injured and died a few days later. Hugh has a book about that war and it mentions Walter in it. I have found this site about the war memorial at St Georges Church, Deal, with Walter's name on it. http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Kent/DealStGeorge.html
Ellen Mockett born 1864 . Ellen married William Allen at the old parish church of Walmer in 1859 and George William was a witness at her wedding.
George William and Alice Florence Pysden married on 10th September 1892. I have a copy of their marriage certificate and it states that his father Thomas is a labourer and Alice's father - Thomas Pysden - is a blacksmith from Upper Deal. The witnesses were George's brother Stephen and Alice's sister, Emma Kate Pysden.
George and Florence wasted no time in having children as the first of nine sons was born the following year.
The firm enlarged and at one point, Nicholas had purchased a property in Cattle Market and taken another in the Butchery, so he had staff in three properties. However, the depression in the 80's & early 90's meant that house purchase etc was very poor and solicitors were hit badly, so he moved staff back into Cattle Market above.
Nicholas loved sport and music. He played a lot of tennis, squash and cricket and later some golf. On a Sunday morning he would play tennis at the tennis courts in Birchington with friends, who included John Peddle and Teddy Moylan.
Richard Mockett was born in 1873. Other than in the 1881 census when he was a student aged 7. I cannot be sure what happened to Richard but have found one working in Gloucester as a servant which could just be him as I cannot find a death certificate
Thomas Mockett born in 1866. Thomas married Elizabeth Groombridge in Dover in 1894. He died in Folkestone in 1943
Nicholas on left, Richard Palmer second from the left Nicholas - middle row on the right & Richard Palmer standing second from the right at Wellington House 1953
I have just found this article about Wellington House: http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kent/news/canings-and-compulsory-daily-runs-welcome-a104348/
In this article, it talks about having to go out for a bare foot run every morning. Nicholas often used to mention this, and also the fact that the boys, on the first day of term, had to go out to pick birch twigs to make the birch that they might later be caned with. When on our honeymoon, Nicholas got very brown and fine white lines showed up on the top of his legs which he said was where he was caned for not learning his latin verbs!
Nicholas made friends with Richard Palmer at Wellington House and they went on to Kings School together at the age of 14. Nicholas won a scholarship to the school. They were close friends, with Nicholas being Best Man at Richard's wedding. Sadly, Richard died in a farming accident on 12th August 1974.