Field Cyrus and Mary

[Del-boy]

I am trying to trace the relatives of people who knew my grandparents - Cyrus and Mary Field. They lived at 42 Serpentine Road, Harborne between 1920 and 1952. They had 5 children:- James, Doris, Edna, Barbara and Diamond. Neighbours names that I can recall are Harry & Isobel Minchin, Reginald & Anne Brett, William & Sarah Lester, Abert & Isabel Dutton. In particular, I was hoping someone who was friendly with the family might recall what happened to Barbara. The story goes that she had a nervous breakdown and ended up in Rubery Hill Hospital after her fiancé was killed in WW2. This was probably about 1945.

 

[pjmburns]

There is a tree on Ancestry (not that I always believe them) but it seems to indicate that Barbara died in Rubery Hill in 1993. If that is the case her death certificate should indicate that as her place of death or, if she died in hospital, her usual address.

Name	Barbara Margaret Field
Death Age	73
Birth Date	28 Aug 1920
Registration Date	Aug 1993
Registration district	Birmingham
Inferred County	West Midlands
Register Number	P53A
District and Subdistrict	0611P
Entry Number	22

 

[pjmburns]

Barbara is listed on the 1945 eroll as being at home with Cyrus and Mary but is not on the 1950 eroll.

 

[pjmburns]

I think that is her death - the dob on the 1939 reg is actually the 20th August 1920 not the 28th but I have seem errors in dates before.

 

[pjmburns]

Did you know she was in the land army in WW2?

Name	Miss Barbara Margaret Field
Employment Start Age	20
Birth Date	Abt 1921
Employment Start Date	24 Apr 1941
Employment End Date	5 Jan 1942
Street Address	42. Serpentive Rd, Harborne, Birmingham.
Employment Place	Warwickshire, United Kingdom
Occupation	Home Duties

 

[Del-boy]

Wow overwhelmed with your replies master brummie. I had found the land army card and as can be seen it says transferred to bombs 20 April 1941. Later it looks like she was placed into reserved bombs 5 Jan 1942. I couldn't help but wonder if the note below is meant to say "Doctors certificate produced" and therefore wondered if this was the start of her mental problems and as you say she was on the electoral roll in 1945, but not 1950? There was a history in the female line of the Fields of mental illness, which was usually triggered by some sort of stress or personal catastrophe and can well imagine that her parents would have tried to deal with on their own initially.

 

[pjmburns]

The writing is not clear but I thought that said "Trans Cambs" meaning she was sent to work on the farms in Cambridgeshire. A lot of land army girls ended up there.
Then the second entry is "Resd" - resigned?
I don't see why a land girls would have anything to do with bombs.
Have you obtained her death cert to see where she died?

 

[Del-boy]

Yes that was my initial thoughts as well, but then the writing is none too clear and I began to wonder if it was bombs!! I know she died in Rubery Hill Hospital in 1993. I haven't as got the death certificate. I will try and see if there is anymore information perhaps in Cambridgeshire as you say.

 

[pjmburns]

Part way down this page it explains what is on the Land Army Index Cards

Interpreting WLA Record Cards - Women's Land Army.co.uk

...

www.womenslandarmy.co.uk

 

[Vivienne14]

I've moved this thread to the surname interests section and altered the title of the thread, so that interested members will be able to more easily find it.