All genealogists have a fantasy list of the ancestors they would most like to have a conversation with, usually in the hope of unearthing some vital piece of missing information. Although there are several such people on my own list, my maternal grandfather, William Jack Cullingford, would be at the top as the stories I… Continue reading Wartime
Tag: Portsmouth
Off to School
My father, Norman Albert Harry Maitland, was 15 years old when he won a coveted place at the Royal Naval Dockyard School in Portsmouth. The Dockyard Schools were established in 1843 to bolster the quality of Royal Navy ship design and construction, and provided high quality technical training for academically gifted apprentices. They offered an… Continue reading Off to School
Religious Traditions
My paternal grandfather, Frederick Maitland, was born in Portsmouth on 1 June 1886. Employment records show that in 1902 he became an apprentice in the Royal Dockyard, aged 14, and that he was still employed there as an engine fitter when he died in 1951 at the age of 64. My father recalled that he… Continue reading Religious Traditions
Cousins
I have mentioned a couple of times that James Maitland and Letitia Baker are my 3x and also 4x great grandparents, and the reason for this is that on 1 September 1879 their grandson, George Thomas Maitland, married Emily Ann Dowding, who was the daughter of his cousin, Charlotte Maitland. Emily was born in Blandford… Continue reading Cousins
Wedding Bells
My maternal grandparents, Mildred Howe and William Jack Cullingford (always known as Jack) were married at St Peter’s Church, Yoxford in Suffolk on 22 October 1925. No one in the family knows how or when they met, but the hospital where Mildred worked as a nurse from 1919 – 1925 was in Woodbridge, just a… Continue reading Wedding Bells
Institutions
In the only photograph that I have of my paternal grandmother, Flora Clark, she is dressed in a nurse’s “walking out” uniform – I have already included the image in an earlier post [see Challenge] but am re-posting it here for ease of reference. A Service Register held by the Hampshire Records Office reveals that… Continue reading Institutions
Home Sweet Home
When I look at all the places my ancestors have called home, one address stands out: Harley Street in Portsmouth, where four generations of the Maitland family lived for almost 80 years. The street was in the Landport area, which now forms the commercial centre of the city but was originally a residential neighbourhood housing… Continue reading Home Sweet Home
Surprise
An early surprise was the discovery that I have double Maitland DNA as I am descended from two sons of James Maitland and Letitia Baker, somewhat confusingly making them my 3x and also my 4x great grandparents. James Maitland, my 2x great grandfather, was baptised in Blandford Forum, Dorset on 7 September 1799. He became… Continue reading Surprise
Challenge
Working out how my paternal grandmother, Flora Clark, ended up in Portsmouth, hundreds of miles from her family in Scotland, was one of the biggest challenges I faced when I began researching. This photograph, taken around 1919, is the only image I have of her. I knew that she had been born in Glasgow in… Continue reading Challenge
Favourite Photo
This photograph was taken in August 1947 at a party to celebrate the 21st birthday of my mother, Ruth Betty Ada Cullingford. She is pictured in the centre holding the cake, with my father, Norman Maitland, behind her – they were engaged to be married the following year. Jack Cullingford, my maternal grandfather, is standing on… Continue reading Favourite Photo
Sleuthing Notes 