Gilpin Grove, Edmonton - Feedback4
Feedback (continued)
Hi Jeff
I was very happy to come upon your website.
I am the daughter of Percy Brown. My grandfather and grandmother, Elizabeth and James Brown, lived at #32 Gilpin Grove. In fact, I was born there in 1950!!! My father, Percy, my mother, Nata, and I, Eugenie, moved to Canada around 1952. We then immigrated to the US. We now live in California.
My father, Percy Brown, is still alive. He will be ninety in February. He was soooo happy to read all the information from your web page. It stirred fond memories of his childhood.
He remembers you - in fact, he remembers serving in the British Army during WWII and running into one of your relatives! They recognized each other from Gilpin Grove.
Your shared memories have made my dad so happy. I would really appreciate it if you would give my contact information to Jan Neale, Albert (Shotbolt) Sanders, and Andrew Scott, if possible. I would love to hear from my cousins. My name is Eugenie Belcher. I go by the nickname, Jenny.
Sincerely,
Eugenie (Jenny) Belcher (nee Brown)
Thanks for your email, Jenny; it was great to hear from you. It’s always rewarding to hear that people get pleasure from finding my website and it’s interesting how some of the people of Gilpin Grove are now dispersed around the world.
My aunt and uncle, Emmie and Fred Williams lived next door to me at 54 Gilpin Grove and so perhaps Fred was the person that your father met in the army. I remember Fred had a full-size billiard table in his downstairs front room - with some very short cues!
Does your father have any photos of Gilpin Grove? Does he have any memories of Gilpin Grove that I might be able to add to my website? If Fred Williams was the person he met in the army, does he have any memories of him to relate?
May I add your email (but not the email address) to my website?
I will forward your email to Jan Neale, Albert (Shotbolt) Sanders, and Andrew Scott so, hopefully, you will hear from them.
Merry Christmas to you and your family. I look forward to hearing from you again.
….Jeff
Dec 2014 - Jenny Belcher:
Yes, you may add my email to the site. I will be seeing my dad, Percy, tomorrow for dinner. I will see what memories he has come up with.
Jenny
I have forwarded your original email to Jan Neale, Albert (Shotbolt) Sanders, and Andrew Scott.
I came up with a photo of Fred and Emmie Williams who lived at 54 Gilpin Grove. The photo is dated 1950 so it’s taken not long after the war. Perhaps your father will recognize Fred. The girl in the photo is my sister Wendy.
Hi Jeff
Had dinner with my dad, Percy Brown, last night. He was so happy to see all the information about Gilpin Grove. He was born in 1925 and will be 90 in February. After leaving in 1951 or 52, he only returned to Gilpin Grove once, to say good-by to his mum when she was very ill. By the time we went to visit England in 1996, everything was long gone.
On the back it says, "The Grove, Sunday 9am, #32 is just beyond the lorry." Unfortunately there is no year.
My dad remembers climbing the wall that is mentioned. He said that when he was a kid, they would take a short cut through the fence of the back yard of number #68. The owner did not appreciate the foot traffic - but they would sneak through anyway!
He is also very adamant that he met an Avery while overseas in Europe in WWII. He says that the soldier was looking at him and then came over and asked him if he was from Gilpin Grove. The soldier said that he had family there (Avery) and recognized my dad from his visits there. My dad insists that he then recognized an Avery family resemblance. Unfortunately, he doesn't recall the name.
I made a hardcopy of the Gilpin Grove information so that my dad can read through it. He was very happy to read about the games that were played and remembered them fondly. Next time I see him, I will see if he has some other memories to share.
Also, two of my cousins have already reached out to me. After all this time, I am able to reconnect with my Dad's family. I want to thank you for making this possible.
Jenny Belcher
Hi Jeff,
It IS possible that Jenny's father met an Avery in WWII, but not one that we ever knew.
Nanny Avery's husband Henry, who died in 1918, had seven brothers, and they all lived in the Edmonton and Tottenham area. They were born between 1880 and 1908 so may not all have been in the war.
In 1925 Nanny married Henry's brother Horatio.
It is likely that some of these brothers visited Gilpin Grove with their families, and that if not one of these brothers then one of their children was the soldier Jenny's father met.
At the start of WWII men could be conscripted up to age 41, but by 1942 men up to the age of 51 were called up. This narrows the Avery brothers who could have been serving soldiers to those born 1890-1908, providing that they hadn't been killed in WWI, namely:
Frederick (1891)
William (1893)
Robert (1897)
Alfred (1900)
It is possible that the first three brothers had sons old enough to enlist in that period, but unlikely that Alfred had.
My best bet is that if Jenny's dad met someone his own age it was probably one of their sons. If it were someone quite a bit older it would have been one of the brothers.
Wendy Crawley (Avery)
Hi Jeff
Thank you so much for putting me in touch with my cousin Jenny(Eugenie). I have sent her a brief message to say that I will be in touch again once the mayhem of Christmas is over. I was so pleased to hear that her dad, my dad's younger brother, is still alive and happy to have read our news.
Thank you once again Jeff.
Regards
Jan Neale
