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Researching My Grandfather

Richard Canter

Brummie babby
I am wondering if any members can help me with my family history research.
My grandfather (whom I never knew) was killed during an air raid 9/10th April 1941 aged 50.
His name is Walter Canter (listed on The tree of Life Memorial). Understandably my father,an evacuee at the time of his fathers death, never discussed the matter. I have visited the grave in Yardley Cemetery, which has no headstone and only identifiable from counting up and down from the numbered plots either side.
I have a letter he wrote to my father on the 8th which shows an address of 71 Ludlow Road. The story is that he went back into the house from the shelter for his slippers and unfortunately picked the wrong time.
I am interested to know if anyone has, or can point me in the direction of any information regarding the damage to Ludlow Road. I believe another bomb dropped on number 85 the same night killing several members of the same family.
Any information will be most welcome.
 
85 Ludlow Road saw the death of Doris Peake daughter of William and Elizabeth Peake who also died . She is listed as a civilian death on the CWGC site. A search for deaths of civilians on 9th April gave 355 names.

If you go here https://www.swanshurst.org/barra/results.asp there are other names for the same address.
Janice
 
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85 Ludlow Road saw the death of Doris Peake daughter of William and Elizabeth Peake who also died . She is listed as a civilian death on the CWGC site. A search for deaths of civilians on 9th April gave 355 names.

If you go here https://www.swanshurst.org/barra/results.asp there are other names for the same address.
Janice
Hi Janice, Thank you for the info and link. Much appreciated. Apologies for not replying sooner. Do you know of any other sources for the Birmingham Blitz that might have more detailed information of the damage in that area ?
 
Not really - there are lots of photos on the internet of the bomb damage from that night but many are not identified. I assume because of the chaos that night. If you google bomb raids Birmingham April 1941 lots of general info comes up. Not sure where you are based but Birmingham archives would have the newspapers from that date which might have more information but they are not online (I assume 100 year rule). You have to search manually by date.
Janice
 
On the 1939 mini census Walter is living at 71 Ludlow Road. He is a railway loader, goods, heavy worker. It shows there is an Ada Canter living with him. Ada's profession is entered as unpaid domestic. Ada's surname of Canter has been crossed out and Burton written in its place. This means Ada Married a Mr Burton.

There is a marriage of an Ada Canter to a Christopher Burton in Weymouth in the December quarter 1943. 5a 729

Date's of birth are:-
Walter - 2nd January 1891
Ada - 17th March 1901

There is one other in the household, but it is not showing who it is. It says 'This record is officially closed' This either means that the other person in the house at the time is either still living or they have no proof that the person has died.

Birmingham Mail 21 April 1941
THE WIFE, and SONS of the late WALTER CANTER wish to convey heartfelt Thanks to many friends, neighbours, employees of L.M.S. railway, B.S.A. shop 80, and G.E.C. for kind help and floral tributes in their tragic bereavement.

?
Was Ada the wife of Walter?
Did Walter marry Ada Aiken in Weymouth in 1919?
If so, that may be why Ada returned to Weymouth to marry Christopher Burton in 1943.
 
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Walter Canter married Ada Aiken in 1919 Weymouth their sons Richard W 1921 and Terence B 1927 were born in Birmingham.
Walter Canter b Minchampton Glos

A interesting family tree.
Reuben Canter first married Elizabeth Lewis in 1863 they had
William 1863,Joseph 1865,Patience 1867,George 1869,Harriet 1872,Albert 1875
Thomas 1876, Mabel 1878,
Elizabeth died in 1889
Reuben married Mary Ann Harman in 1890 she was formerly Mary Ann Harman nee Silk
her husband Mark Harman who she married in 1883 died in 1889
1891 census High street, Stroud
Reuben Canter age 48
Mary ann age 32
Thomas Canter age 14 son
Edwin Silk age 11 stepson
Hester Harman age 6 stepdaughter
Walter Canter age 3 months son
Mabel Canter ,Reubens youngest child was in a Girls Home.
 
Passertby, Thank you so much for the information. It is a great help in my research and having Ada's date of birth is brilliant. Ada was Walters wife. I was unaware that they married in Weymouth. (see Albertas post).I believe she met and married Mr Burton in Weymouth. He worked for the Water board. His son, my late fathers stepbrother is still alive. I suspect the other person listed is my father (Terence Canter)as his older brother (Richard Canter) would have been 18 and I believe had already left home and was in a GEC apprenticeship hence the thanks in the newspaper to GEC.
The information provided by Alberta is also of immense help as whilst my brother has produced a family tree some of the information provided by Alberta is new and very interesting. I knew my Grandmother had worked for BSA at some point and assume as the census showed her as unpaid domestic 1939 and in 1941 thanks were given to GEC she started there at some point after the outbreak of war. I vaguely remember her telling me about working with no roof on the factory - is that likely ?
A major part of my research is to build up a picture of Walter Canters life as neither my father or his brother really discussed him. I am investigating his army career but it is the time after he left the army and how if he married Ada in Weymouth they ended up in Birmingham. I can't express how grateful i am to everyone who has responded to my post. Its like a jigsaw puzzle and every bit of information slots in somewhere. I just have to keep finding the right pieces.
 
Alberta, Thank you for the very interesting info. Please see my reply to Passertby. As i said in the reply all this information is helping me build a picture of Walters life.
if anyone has any info on the fatal bombing raid and in particular the damage to Ludlow road then I will be most interested.
 
It may be a little hard to find anything specific on the bombing of Ludlow Road.

From Wiki
'As with most provincial cities bombed during the Blitz, reports of the bombing were kept low key. Wartime censorship meant that Birmingham was not mentioned by name in contemporary news reports about the bombing, being referred to instead as a "Midland Town". This was done in order to keep the Germans from knowing the outcome of their raids'
 
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