Who Do You Think You Are - Lisa Hammond 7th Sep

[kiterunner]

On BBC1 at 8 p.m., and repeated next Wednesday at 11:45 p.m.

[kiterunner]

It seemed to be padded out with a lot of nothing much! They gave the impression that lightermen struggled to make ends meet, but my lighterman ancestor seemed to be pretty well off. I thought it was a shame she didn't get to go to Italy, Germany, and Northern Ireland. Anyway, I'll type the episode summary up tomorrow.

[Guinevere]

I found it very dull.

[Ann from Sussex]

I was very disappointed not to get any discussion about Welsh migration to London at that time. My 4xgt grandfather, also Welsh, was living in Limehouse at around the same time as Lisa's and I have often wondered how that came about. Welsh cattle drovers regularly brought herds from Wales to the London markets but I have no idea if my 4xgt grandfather was one of them who decided to stay. Apart from that aspect which made me prick my ears a bit, I agree, it wasn't all that interesting.

[crawfie]

Her accent drove me mad - I hate the glottal stop, but unfortunately it is very widespread these days. I'm sure a lot of people do it deliberately, as an affectation.

[Olde Crone]

I was so disengaged, I went and did the washing up instead, so missed the Welsh bit.

OC

[kiterunner]

Episode summary:

Lisa Hammond comes from the East End of London. Her mother, Janet Ann, used to take her to visit her aunt Linda in Oxford. Lisa's parents separated when she was 6, and she and her older sister Nichola stayed with their mother. Janet's father died when she (Janet) was 6 too, and her mother when she was 17.

Lisa went to see her father's brother, uncle Chris, with her aunt and cousin, in North London to find out about her paternal grandfather Harry Hammond, real name Henry George Hammond, who she thought had served in the army. Harry and his wife split up when Chris was a child, and Chris stayed with Harry but never learned much about his past. Harry's death certificate showed that he died on the 19th Oct 1995 in Portsmouth, and was born on the 11th Apr 1923. The 1939 Register showed him as a 16 year old wheel builder, living in Shoreditch, London, with his mother Minnie J E Hammond, a widow, born on the 17th Mar 1878.

The online British Army Casualty List had several entries in the name H G Hammond, so Lisa went to the Imperial War Museum in London to find out more from an historian, who showed her that Harry was listed under the 10th Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment, date of casualty 11th Nov 1943 in Italy. His service record showed that he enlisted on the 19th Feb 1942, spent a few months in training and then joined the Royal Berkshire Regiment and was posted to Italy in Aug 1942, landing at Salerno. The historian explained that they were fighting their way towards Rome, and that Harry went missing at the battle of Monte Camino in November 1943.

Lisa met Doug, a 97-year-old veteran of the WW2 Italian campaign. He showed her more of Harry's service record, which stated that he was a prisoner of war until April 1945. Lisa went to the British Red Cross museum in London, which has an archive about British prisoners of war, and met an historian who showed her the questionnaire which Harry had filled in after being freed. This listed three POW camps where he had been held: 7A / Mooseburg, 4B / Muleburg, and 4F / Hartmansdorf, and said that he had worked on the railway and as a plasterer while he was a POW.

Lisa looked back at his service record, which showed that he went to the P/A No 5 Civil Resettlement Unit in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, in Apr 1945. She went to Kneller Hall, Twickenham, which was also used as a Civil Resettlement Unit, and met an historian who explained these were. She also saw a record stating that the Hammonds' home had suffered "major damage" in a bombing, though Minnie was not injured. Harry's medical card from the CRU said that he was physically fit, but suffering from a chronic field anxiety state, i.e. something similar to what is now called PTSD. Lisa read a newspaper article about the Ballymena CRU. She was told that Harry stayed in the army afterwards, and had a good army report in 1946. He married Lilian Reeve in 1947, and Lisa's father Peter was born in 1950, and Chris in 1958.

Lisa then visited Worthing Crematorium, where Harry's ashes were buried.

She then went back to London, to see her mother. Janet's father was Richard Henry Hilditch, born in 1908 in Mile End, and died in 1962 in Shoreditch. Janet had done a family tree showing that Richard's father was Richard Thomas Hilditch born in 1874 in Mile End, a dock labourer, his father was Henry Hilditch born 1836 in Stepney, a corn porter, and his father was William Henry Hilditch born in 1797 in Limehouse. On the 1851 census, William Henry was in Limehouse with his wife Ann and three children, and his occupation was lighterman. Lisa went to the Prospect of Whitby pub in Limehouse and met an historian who told her about what lightermen did. Lisa was shown the petition of William Henry Hilditch, citizen and carman, applying for the office of "Deputy Corn Meter", saying that he was short of money to support his wife and three children, owing to losses in trade. Records showed that he was given the position. He died in 1875.

The will of William's uncle Joseph Hilditch, proved in 1835, left one shilling each to Elizabeth, the widow of Richard Hilditch, and to her stepsons, Joseph's nephews Joseph Hilditch and William Henry Hilditch, as they had behaved "rudely and unfeelingly" to him. The will said that if this had not been the case, he would have left them much more. Lisa went to Grays Inn, and met an historian who showed her a record giving the value of Joseph's estate as £5,000. She was shown records of a court case where Elizabeth and Joseph jr challenged the will. Edward Bridger, who wrote the will, testified that Joseph sr had said that Elizabeth, Joseph jr and William had "decoyed him out of his lodging and taken him to Lambeth poorhouse whence he was sent to the madhouse for several weeks". He had made a will not long before that leaving most of his estate to them, but changed it after he was released from the asylum. Edward Bridger had asked him how he came to be released, and he said that the people in the madhouse let him go as they found that there was nothing wrong with him. Elizabeth and Joseph jr lost the case.

Edward Bridger's testimony also stated that Joseph sr had said he intended to return to his native place in Wales to end his days there. Lisa was shown the baptism dated 1759 of Richard (i.e. William Henry's father), son of Joseph Hilditch, farmer, in the parish registers of Denbigh. She went to St Marcellus' Church in Denbigh and met an historian who showed her the Hilditch family tree, with Joseph described as a yeoman, born 1735, the son of William Hilditch of Kilford Farm, the son of William Hilditch of Whitchurch, i.e. the "White Church" of Denbigh, St Marcellus's. William sr was a church warden and his name was on a board on the wall of the church. The marriage bond from his marriage in 1701 to Jane Lloyd described him as a "gentleman". Jane was "of The Lodge", which still stands, a big house in Denbigh. Lisa went to look at the house, and was told that Jane's mother was Margaret Vaughan, the daughter of Thomas Vaughan, gentleman, of The Lodge, who died in 1691.

[kiterunner]

This is Joseph Hilditch's will proved 1835:

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/interactive/5111/40611_311523-00450/651219?backurl=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.co.uk% 2fcgi-bin%2fsse.dll%3fdb%3dCanturburyPrerogativeCourt%26 gss%3dsfs28_ms_db%26new%3d1%26rank%3d1%26msT%3d1%2 6MS_AdvCB%3d1%26gsfn%3djos*%26gsfn_x%3d1%26gsln%3d hil*d*tch*%26gsln_x%3d1%26MSAV%3d2%26uidh%3dvm5&ssrc=&backlabel=ReturnSearchResults

[Ann from Sussex]

Her accent drove me mad - I hate the glottal stop, but unfortunately it is very widespread these days. I'm sure a lot of people do it deliberately, as an affectation.

I loved her accent!

[anne fraser]

I was so bored I watched the Lego builders instead. Is anyone surprised these days that some soldiers may have suffered from PTSD or that they did not want to talk about the war?