HMS Cressey - sunk September 1914

[JoyceGwendoline]

I am looking for information on my grandfather - George Henry Perry K/1425. On the military records that I have there is no home address shown on his signing up and on his marriage certificate merely HMS Aeolus. He was on Implacable when first signing up and died when HMS Cressey was sunk. He married Margaret Lovett. He signed up on 5th August 1908 for 12 years.
If anyone has any knowledge of him I should be glad to have it. Thank you.

[Lesley Robertson]

Commonwealth War Graves shows an address for his wife - I assume that you have it?

[JoyceGwendoline]

Thank you. I have an address of 17 Vicarage, Road Stratford for my grandmother Margaret (nee Lovett) which appears to have been her birth family's home. The Gordon Road address was following her re-marriage. My father was an only child and when my grandmother remarried there was hardly any communication with my father's family which makes it difficult to know where to start. Many thanks for your message. Joyce

[Pam Downes]

Hello JoyceGwendoline,

Welcome to British-Genealogy.

Most seamen were given their records when they left the navy, but obviously your grandfather's case was slightly different.

The National Archives hold 'a' record for him. How much information it will hold I don't know, and it may be the one you already have, because the one I downloaded from TNA for my grandfather had his place and date of birth, personal description and the ships he served on, but no home address.
https://discovery.nationalarchives.go...ils/r/D6911752

If you mean that you want to trace his family history (parents, siblings, where he lived, etc) then just ask. If you have his marriage certificate (which should confirm his father's name and occupation) it would be helpful as what seems to be his birth registration doesn't fit with a birth date of 1889.

George was on Implacable, stationed at Gibraltar, in the 1911 census.

Pam

[Lesley Robertson]

I see on FreeBMD that George H Perry married Margaret Lovett in 1913 in West Ham.

The Navy record for him on FMP gives his number as K 1245, not 1425 as mentioned in message 1. DOB 18 Oct 1889 in Bow, London.
The 1901 census has 29 George Perrys, but only 1 was born in Bow. He's 14, living with his parents, Ephraim & Harriett in St Mary Stratford Bow, London. Dad's a fish monger. There's 6 kids. You can see the census data on Ancestry - ask your library if they have access, or which other library in your area has it. FMP has transcripts.

The George & Margaret marriage certificate should confirm (or not) that Ephraim was his father.

[JoyceGwendoline]

Thank you Pam. Yes the paperwork for my grandfather seems to be the same as your own - no home address. Yes, I do want to trace his family and I see from the marriage certificate that he is giving his age as 22 in 1913 which does seem a little different from the Navy records. They were married in the Parish Church of West Ham October 11th 1913 - entry number 270. His father's name was William and he is noted as a labourer. I will continue looking - many thanks once again. Joyce

[JoyceGwendoline]

Thank you Lesley - the marriage certificate gives his father as William - thank you for your interest. Joyce

[Pam Downes]

The Navy record for him on FMP gives his number as K 1245, not 1425 as mentioned in message 1. DOB 18 Oct 1889 in Bow, London.

Trust me not to notice that 'small' detail.
Joyce - did you make a mistake when you typed the number, or does the record you have definitely say 1425?

The water gets even murkier if you try and trace George with a birth date of 18 Oct 1889.
There is no birth registration local to the London area for a George/George Henry in December quarter 1889. The only George Henry is registered in Newport Sh. which covers the counties of Shropshire and Staffordshire.

There is however a George Henry registered in Poplar in December quarter 1890. Places in that district are Bow, Bromley (aka Bromley-by-Bow), and Poplar.
Based on George's marriage certificate which says his father is William, in the 1891 census (taken on the night of 5/6 April) there's a William, with wife Jane, son William aged 2, and baby George aged 5 months. The two children said to have been born in Bromley.
Living in the civil parish of Bromley St Leonard. Census ref: RG12/322 folio 88 page 6

Ancestry's London baptisms have the following at St Leonard, Bromley, all on 29 Nov 1894.
Parents William and Jane, address Bromley, father a labourer.

George Henry, born 23 Oct 1890
Bridget Matilda, born 17 Dec 1892
James, born 12 Nov 1894

I was lead a merry dance trying to find the family in 1901. Think I've found them by searching for Bridget.
Living in Shepperd Street (where the Perrys were living in 1891 though that enumerator spelt it Shepherd) Bromley -
W Perry, with wife J, son W aged 11, George 10, daur B aged 8, and sons J, R, and J, aged 6, 4, and 2 respectively.
Census ref: RG13/349 folio 91 page 44.
Mother born Essex (which is correct for Stratford), dad and kids born London.

1911 census ref:RG14/1705 SN307 living 22 Shepperd Street, civil parish of Poplar Borough
By 1911 poor Jane (still only 42) has had twelve children, three of whom have died.
James, Richard, and John, aged 16, 14, and 12, match the J, R, and J in the 1901 census.
To which are added Nathan, Milia J, Christopher, Caroline, and then Mary Dorothy and Joseph who both have red lines through their names as if they'd died. But I can't find a death registration for Mary Dorothy.
Mary Dorothy also has 'twin' written by her name, but there's no birth registration with the same or next page number so the other child may have been stillborn.
There's a birth registration for an Amelia Jane in Dec quarter 1901, and a death registration (aged 1) December quarter 1902, both Poplar registration district. I think she's the 'Milia Jane' allegedly aged 9.

Baptism St Leonard 29 Sep 1901 for Minnie Jane, born 13 Sep 1901. Address Shepherd Street.
No birth registration even trying to match Minnie Jane; the only one is Amelia Jane.

Christopher, born 21 Jun 1903, baptised 8 July 1903
Caroline, born 3 July 1905, baptised 19 July 1905
Both at Bromley St Leonard.
Ancestry's online baptisms stop at 1906.

Pam
(I love Steve Perry, but these Perrys are doing my head in! )

[JoyceGwendoline]

Pam, thank you so much for all this information - I obviously have a long way to go before I am able to 'search' as well as this.... I just wanted to acknowledge and thank you. Regrettably at the moment I cannot spend any more time other than to confirm that I made a mistake in the number and it is 1245. I look forward to being able to get back to it (perhaps later in the day) - many thanks. Joyce

[Pam Downes]

Joyce - I'm not saying for definite that the family I've found is yours. Only that they seem to 'fit' a George Henry Perry born October 1890. Not 1889, as the naval record says.
They also fit a George Henry Perry, aged 22 in 1913, with father William who is basically a labourer.

If you come to the conclusion that the George I found is highly likely/definitely yours, then buying the birth certificate should state a more accurate date than one told to the vicar four years later.

Pam
who still vividly remembers the time she said she was 22 - 2 months after her 23rd birthday!