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Walter Collins and the Beet family

1911 Census.

Elizabeth Beet head, Widow age 52.
Harry Beet, son single, age 17 Jeweler Letter.
Frank Beet, son age 12.
Tom Beet, married age 20, silver smith.
Louisa Beet, daughter-in-law married under one year, age 18 pearl fancier. (Arn't all women) LOL!!

Court 66/3 Farm street.
 
1911 Census.

Henry Beet, head age 46 Brass polisher.
Eliza Beet, wife age 41. Born Stroud Glouc. Married 20 years.
Lily Beet, single age 19 press worker.
Henry Beet, single age 17 tool maker.
Rose Beet, single age 18.
William Beet, age 13 school.
Ethel Beet, age 11.
Doris Beet, age 8.
Arthur Beet, age 6.
Ernest Beet, age 4.
Frank Beet age 1.

118, Anderton street.
 
Hi Jof, i passed on your thanks to Harry Beet, he said thank you it means a lot to him, and hopes when you visit the grave you will be happy with it, we are still trying to sort out different things but we are going to see another old relation really soon so i will be in touch, lindev
 
Hi Reg,

I saw with interest your 1911 census and saw a walter collins listed. This is where it has got confusing as Walter was supposedly my mothers half brother and none of the others listed seem to be part of my family tree. His mother was believed to be Julia Collins my grandmother and My mother was May Hackett as Julia maried again to Charles Hackett using her maiden name even though she was widowed. I believe julia may have been married previously to a William Pearce. regards JOF
 
Hello Jof. Confusing! yes. I don't know who any of these Beet or Collins family's belong to. I was just trawling!! the Census through Aston and just fell upon them, so I suppose they have to belong to our family somewhere along the family line. I put them on here hoping someone would recognize them. I don't. Regards Reg.
 
Hi Reg, what a mixed up family we are lol, you see we had the collins and attemburys the davis and then the beets i know that great nanny attembury went to america to live and i think the mix up came from her, but dont give up im still visiting old family members,
 
Hiya Chris. My Cousin, Brian Cook Married a Margaret Davis. I'm pretty sure she lived in Windsor Street as a child. XXXX
Hi Reg, what a mixed up family we are lol, you see we had the collins and attemburys the davis and then the beets i know that great nanny attembury went to america to live and i think the mix up came from her, but dont give up im still visiting old family members,
 
Hi Reg, thanks for reply. I wish that people hadn't used the same names then it would have been easier!! i think I am going to go on another track, so does anybody know either my mother May Hackett , grandfather Charles Hackett or my Father Albert Vinning. All from the same area Summer Lane, Cowper Street, asylum road. Fingers crossed if i go from a different starting place something might drop out.
Both my parents are deceased so any info has gone with them !
The Collins family I have been following are Ann nee Finn and John whose daughter Julia may be my grandmother. Walter -Julia's son - was supposedly cousin to the Beet children who died in the fire.
Confused you definately will be ! it's like doing detective work.
Regards JOF
 
I am revisiting the site to see if any info has emerged since last year regarding Walter collins and my mother May Hackett. it seems I had been following the wrong grandmother and thought that Julia Collins parents were called Finn. i now know that she in fact was of the Collins/Atterbury clan. Julia went on to marry my grandfather Charles Hackett and lived in Cowper Street. I am still confused as to why the 1901 census shows that she was born in the USA. I think that Kate first married a Walter Collins as shown on the 1881 C and the after he died had George Atterbury as a lodger in 1891, then after that they all seemed to be called Collins! what a mix up.
Walter who died in 1937 appears to have been Julia's son but who was the father as there is no birth certificate? If any one has had their memory been jogged about all this and remembers my mum May I would love to hear.
many thanks,
JOF
 
These children and a gentleman named Collins are buried next to my grandparents in an old part of Witton Cemetery. I always look at the tombstone as it is so sad.


Can any one help with this request from
Joan Foster.

Hi John,

I am not sure whether you will be able to help me in my quest but here goes!

Do you know where or how I may be able to find anyone who lived in Gt Russell Street in 1937? I am interested to find someone who may remember a tragedy in this street in June of that year.

There was a house fire that killed 3 children of the family Beet and Walter Collins aged 30 who tried to rescue them but they all perished. It was reported in the Times and am sure it would have been in a local paper.

I live in York so have been unable to get down as yet to research it in the Library.

Walter was a relative of mine believed to have been my Mothers half brother; unfortunately no one is around to give me any info.

Walters birth entry apparently is a rogue one so I cannot even find out from that who his parents really were. He is somewhat of a mystery.

If anyone remembers him is there a way to contact through your site? This is a long shot I know.

Thank you, and I have really enjoyed looking at the site as most of my family lived in this area at one time.

Kind Regards,

Joan Foster.
 
Have just come across this. My g grandparents Frederick & Ann Davis lived in Great Russell Street. He was a bicycle maker. Ann´s mother (my g grandmother) was Elizabeth Beet who married a Charles Price.
Have lots of family history on the Beet family as well as the Davises if anyone is interested.
Lots of the Beets were in the jewellery trade.
 
I am revisiting this site after a year or so break. I am still interested in finding anyone who remembers my gt Grandmother Julia Collins who married Charles Hackett.
My uncle Walter died in the house fire along with cousins (Beet). My mother was May Hackett and father Albert Vinning. Grandparents as far as i know lived in Summer Lane.
Gt Grandmother Kate collins lived with George Atterbury.
Walter was stated on previous thread as being in Fire service, he was in Army. The picture of him in uniform is Duke of Cornwalls Light Infantry, and I believe this is how my father Albert met my mother May as my father was also in the D.C.L.I's.
What I am researching now is when did Kate go to America to have Julia born there. Where was Walter born in 1906.
Any help greatly appreciated. When I first started this thread way back with help of John Houghton I was suprised at the number of replies and that Harry at last found his siblings grave. If I never discover anything else I am pleased that the thread has been of help.
Kind regards to all who are probably related to me albeit distant.
JOF.
 
Can any one help with this request from
Joan Foster.

Hi John,

I am not sure whether you will be able to help me in my quest but here goes!

Do you know where or how I may be able to find anyone who lived in Gt Russell Street in 1937? I am interested to find someone who may remember a tragedy in this street in June of that year.

There was a house fire that killed 3 children of the family Beet and Walter Collins aged 30 who tried to rescue them but they all perished. It was reported in the Times and am sure it would have been in a local paper.

I live in York so have been unable to get down as yet to research it in the Library.

Walter was a relative of mine believed to have been my Mothers half brother; unfortunately no one is around to give me any info.

Walters birth entry apparently is a rogue one so I cannot even find out from that who his parents really were. He is somewhat of a mystery.

If anyone remembers him is there a way to contact through your site? This is a long shot I know.

Thank you, and I have really enjoyed looking at the site as most of my family lived in this area at one time.

Kind Regards,

Joan Foster.
Hello Joan,

On Friday 8 March 2019, I accidentally stumbled across your post dated 15 April 2009 concerning Walter Collins & Daisy, Alfred & Tom Beet who died in a house fire in Great Russell street in 1937. My mother, Irene Yeates (nae Beet) is the daughter of Alfred Beet (as shown aged 12 in 1901 census), his brother being Frank Beet the father of the children who died in the fire. My mother is now 98, I told her about your post & it appears she recalls the incident clearly, sadly however she does not recall Walter Collins who was clearly a very brave man. If we can be of any help (10 years later) please let me know.

Best regards
Peter Yeates
 
Hello Joan,

On Friday 8 March 2019, I accidentally stumbled across your post dated 15 April 2009 concerning Walter Collins & Daisy, Alfred & Tom Beet who died in a house fire in Great Russell street in 1937. My mother, Irene Yeates (nae Beet) is the daughter of Alfred Beet (as shown aged 12 in 1901 census), his brother being Frank Beet the father of the children who died in the fire. My mother is now 98, I told her about your post & it appears she recalls the incident clearly, sadly however she does not recall Walter Collins who was clearly a very brave man. If we can be of any help (10 years later) please let me know.

Best regards
Peter Yeates
I have seen the Beet children grave in Witton, it is very close to my grandparents.
 
An account of the tragedy from the Coventry Evening Telegraph 23 June 1937. A report appeared in many newspapers across the country. Viv.


FEA960FA-23F2-4478-A806-57F79B6C55EA.jpeg


And an account of the funeral from the Birmingham Daily Gazette. Utterly devastating. Viv.

30359DDA-26E5-4A70-B9FE-A0E42E85C75B.jpeg
586FA9E7-99AB-481D-8C5A-D223E40FCE96.jpeg
 
Hi thank you to everyone who has replied to my request for info on Walter Collins. Walter as I have previously explained was apparantly my mothers half brother. i have the original photo of him in uniform as priinted in news paper. he was in the Duke of Cornwalls light Infantry. How lovely lt was to see the grave restored however i believe that his mother was Julia Collins and not Julian, as this was my grandmother unless anyone knows different? does anyone know my mother who was May Hackett, her mother was Julia Collins, she had been married to a william Pearce then to Charles hackett. My mother married Albert Vinning.

hi jof i asked mikejee to scour the newspaper archives for the article which contained a photo of walter collins in his uniform but to no avail i believe it was in the birmingham post...if you are still looking in could you please post the photo if you still have it or if any other of our members can find it in the newspaper archives that would be very helpful...thanks for any help

lyn
 
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