Hello to the group. I have only one photo of my father which i thought was taken c1930 in Epsom Surrey as he was born and orphaned there in 1920. I have recently discovered that he spent time at St Peters Home for children in Malvern from 1928. I now think this photo may have been taken at the Worcester Beacon. I live in Australia so i cannot visit the area. It shows scouts and orphans plus adults the night before the lighting of the bonfire. In the background is what looks like people standing at the beacon. Would anyone be able to advise if it looks like Worcester Beacon keeping in mind the landscape has probably changed. Thank you to anyone who had the time to read this post.
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Worcester beacon
- Thread starter ocker
- Start date
I can't answer your question I'm sorry, but I've taken the liberty to clean up your photo. I hope that you don't mind
Pedrocut
Master Barmmie
Hidden Lives Revealed - St Peter's Children's Home, Malvern
Thank you very much for improving the photo. I appreciate your help. Regards Carl.
My Father's name was Cecil Lawrence Goddard. Born in Epsom Workhouse 06.04.1920. His Mother died a few days after the birth. His Father unknown. Many thanks. Regards Carl.
Yes i have had a look at this without any luck.Hidden Lives Revealed - St Peter's Children's Home, Malvern
www.hiddenlives.org.uk
Brummie a long time ago
master brummie
Definitely Worcester beacon. We lived in Malvern for a number of years, and went up there often. Incidentally, St Peters was in Cowleigh Road, Malvern if you want to use your favourite map program to get some localisation context.
Julie was walking our dog up there, (a long time ago now), and met and had a long interesting chat with Nigel Kennedy, the violinist, who was out for a stroll.
Andrew.
Julie was walking our dog up there, (a long time ago now), and met and had a long interesting chat with Nigel Kennedy, the violinist, who was out for a stroll.
Andrew.
Brummie a long time ago
master brummie
Just to stitch up the references for you, so any map should find it.
52,12327° N, 2,33883° W is the old St Peter's Children's Home, Malvern.
52,10500° N, 2,33903° W is the Worcester Beacon.
Andrew.
52,12327° N, 2,33883° W is the old St Peter's Children's Home, Malvern.
52,10500° N, 2,33903° W is the Worcester Beacon.
Andrew.
brondrange
HOCKLEY BORN
Worcestershire Beacon, Worcester Beacon is the 'popular' name.
hi carl you most likely know this but at the age of 1 year and 2 months your dad was still in the workhouse at epsom union workhouse dorking road epsom..the record says both parents dead..info is from the 1921 census..again not sure if you have your dad on the 1939 eve of war register but if you dont he was working in service as a kitchen boy in chantonbury sussex
lyn
lyn
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Malvernian
master brummie
Hello Ocker! - I haven't said that for a few years now. I don't think we are related and I can't help much more with your enquiry here but I'm interested in your user name. I was born in a back-to-back house in Irving St, Brum in 1949 and brought up in Icknield Port Road, Brum, but have lived and worked in Malvern for the past fifty-odd years - and haven't climbed the Beacon since Friday! - it's just up the road from here. My cousin John Sewell, also from Irving St, emigrated to Oz (Perth) after he retired. He was always known as Ocker - we never knew why - we just accepted it. Sadly he went down with dementia but died from a heart attack last August. In his fading years the family tried to get the bottom of the story of his nickname - he'd forgotten too. Another Oz distant cousin of mine in NSW knows it only as a slightly derogatory Oz term for a man who lived a rough, outdoor life. My own research here could only find it as a possible nickname for someone who worked for the big Midlands canal company called Fellows Morton & Clayton - perhaps because their main operating depot was at Ocker Hill canal basin over Tipton/Wednesbury way, west of Brum. John's grandfather and father were canal workers. Carl - if you do need any more Malvern input/research/photos etc - just ask - Bill
Ladywood 2
master brummie
As a child I often climbed up to Worcester Beacon, with my sister, we had an aunt who lived in Gordon Terrace on the southern end of the Malverns, Aunt Minnie lived in a two up two down house and had a huge mountain ash tree in her garden.
On climbing the nearest hill we could see the beacon, just a little further on, and If you looked down, you could watch the steam trains puffing clouds of white smoke as they made their way from Malvern Station, past Malvern Wells Station and disappear under the hills on the way to Ledbury. From the top of the hills the countryside in Worcestershire was a sort of yellow green, but if you turned towards Herefordshire it was a blue green.
On climbing the nearest hill we could see the beacon, just a little further on, and If you looked down, you could watch the steam trains puffing clouds of white smoke as they made their way from Malvern Station, past Malvern Wells Station and disappear under the hills on the way to Ledbury. From the top of the hills the countryside in Worcestershire was a sort of yellow green, but if you turned towards Herefordshire it was a blue green.
Ladywood 2
master brummie
As soon as I seer the hills, I get Elgar's Allegro for Strings in my head. Possibly linked to Ken Russell's film on Elgar which you can get on YouTube.
Thanks, who knows, it could be my Father. Is there a way i could access those archives please.
G'day Bill. I came out to Australia in 1964. My sister and brother in law came out in 1977. He started calling me Ocker in a friendly way similar to cobber, mate etc Aussie terms.
Malvernian
master brummie
Ocker - if it's ok to call you that....nice to know that it's become a term of endearment - cousin John would have been pleased. I'll let cousin Trev in Murwillumbah know too. Looks like St Peter's Home has morphed into a block of apartments now called Cowleigh Court. They come up for sale occasionally and generally include photos. Here's one on the uk website Rightmove - hope you can view it from Oz - 11 photos to study - https://www.rightmove.co.uk/house-prices/details/33606900-fc44-4dd7-943c-7069f583d119 - there you go - Bill
Yes lyn i have read both now. The newspaper mention of him is my Father. The 1939 register i obtained recently and it named all of the household including him. He enlisted in the British Army in 1940, married my Mom in 1943. It is his childhood i am trying to piece together. He grew up never knowing that his Mother died just after his birth. He died in 1977 at only 57 years old. Long after his death and with the internet i have obtained his full birth certificate which he never obtained and which shows his Mothers name but no father mentioned. Basically from birth to 14 months old he shows up at the Epsom Workhouse. Some years ago i was told no discharge papers could be located. Just in the last few weeks i discovered he was sent to St Peters Home in Malvern at 8 years of age. So between 8 and 19 years old is blank. His entry into Australia in 1964 he wrote that he came Kingston upon Thames so this is a mystery to me. I keep scratching away and hopefully more details will come to light. Thank you so much for your help and input. It is appreciated the time you have taken to help with my Father's jigsaw. Kindest regards,Carl.
What beautiful memories.
