Totley Ex Residents

TOTLEY.ORG.UK Website of the Totley Residents' Association	Totley Residents' Association	Events	Local services	Local Information	Totley Open Gardens	Totley Independent
	Photographic Tour of Totley	Totley Festival	Totley Show	Totley Ex Residents	Memories of Totley	Totley History Group

TOTLEY EX RESIDENTS

If you are seeking information about the Cherry Tree Children's Home, the person to contact is:

Marlene Marshall
0114 235 1005
2 Laverdene Avenue
Sheffield S17 4HJ
Email jasper1929@hotmail.co.uk

Can you help (1)??

I am emailing from Perth Western Australia, and I am researching my father's family tree. My father's name was Ronald Latham and he was born in Alfreton in 1924. His maternal grandmother was Hannah Sophia Burgess (b1872) and she married James Burns at Dore Christ Church 4th Sept 1892. In the marriage certificate it shows him as a Railway Tunnel Miner. He most likely came from Lancashire to work on the Totley Tunnel.

Hannah was the daughter of Joseph Burgess and Sarah Ann Robinson.

In the 1861 census Sarah was 10 and her father was listed as a farmer of 10 acres and the address was Hill Foot Totley.

In 1871 the Robinsons were living in Dewry Lane Dore. Sarah's father was William Robinson (b 1824) in Totley he married Ann or Hannah?

Joseph Burgess' father was James and he came from Nassington Northampton. In the 1881 census he is living with his family at Hollin House Totley Dore . He is listed as a farmer of 8 acres. Hannah Sophia Burgess had siblings listed in the 1881 census Fanney aged 7 yrs, John aged 5 yrs, Joseph aged 1 yrs .

They had a James Robinson living with them whom I presume is a brother of Sarah.

My father remembers going to Totley Dore as a child and visiting relatives of his grandmother , they lived at the old Police Station in Totley. My father passed away two years ago, so of course I now cannot ask him any more questions and all his sibling are dead too.

I would to be able to find some relatives on that side of our family, so I hope you can help me.

Sheila Fitch ( nee Latham)

If you have any information that would be of use to Sheila, please contact her through the editor at editor@totley.org.uk

Can you help (2)??

My mother, Susan Chester, used to be a house mother at Cherry Tree Children's Home, probably around 1958 - 1961. The matron in charge when she started was Mrs Mason, followed in that role by Mrs Moore. My mother would love to catch up with any children or staff who were at the Home around the time she worked there. Can you help?

Fiona Howard

email : fionaandandrew@fsmail.net

Can you help (3)??

I would be very interested in finding any details of my ancestors living in Totley from around 1800 onwards - particularly, Effie and Cecil Graham Hill (1887onwards) who were the parents of Eric,Graham,Leslie,and Cecil Hill.

Effie and Cecil Graham died very young and all the boys went to the Cherry Tree Orphanage after which they all went into the Navy - both Royal and Merchant. My Father Graham retired as Captain, and Eric retired as Lieutenant Commander. Cecil was lost at sea during WW2.

I know nothing more about Cecil, so any information would be well received.

Graham Leslie Hill

email : gjhillrydal@tiscali.co.uk

Can you help (4)??

Can you help track down any surviving relatives / decendants of the Webster family who lived in Totley during WWII.

To explain my interest in this family: - My father passed away two years ago and like all sons I had tried to speak with him regarding the war, (I served in the Army for 9 years during the seventies). He was very reluctant to do this and, only once, did I ever get him to talk.

It is only now since his passing that I have done a fair but of digging and found out about his exploits during this time. During my "digging" it became apparent that my Dad (who was a Warront Officer Pilot with 211 Sqd out in India & Burma) had a "best mate". His name was Warrant Officer Pilot 1455066 Ken Webster -- they both flew Beaufighters and just before the end of the war they re-trained on Mosquitos. Sadly Ken was killed in a flying accident on the 2nd July 1945 aged just 22years, an event that I now understand greatly affected my father.

Ken lies in the Commonwealth War Graves Commision Madras War Cemetery, Chennai.

Enquiries with the CWGC reveals the entry that Ken was the son of Kate Webster of Totley in Yorkshire . Further enquiries reveal that Ken had an elder bother Vincent who was also in the RAF with 35 Sqd (Service No 814232). Vincent was aged 35years when he died on the 18th August 1943. He lies in the Berlin 1939 - 1945 War Cemetery. Again the mothers name of Kate is shown in the CWGC entry in respect of Vincent.

Using the telephone directory I have spoken to as many Websters I can contact in the Totley area. The reason for this is that I have a copy of a photograph taken of Ken Webster and my Dad when they were in Tel Aviv, and I am trying to track down any descendants of Ken - but given his age, it's more likely to be descendants of Vincent - to see if they might want a copy of the photograph.

I can't explain why I just feel it's what I should do. During one telephone conversation with an elderly lady - Mrs Webster 82 years (not related to Kate) - she mentioned that she remembered a Webster Family with two bothers, both in the RAF and both killed, but then went on to say that she thought there had also been a sister -- a nurse -- also lost when the hospital ship she was on was lost.

60 odd years have now passed -- back then I would image Totley as a small place where if all three children in the same family were lost it would surely have been recorded somewhere. Maureen at the local studies library has tried to find any entries re the Webster family in the local papers for the times when both Vincent and then Ken died but to no avail.