The Willis Tree

Born in South Devon in 1870, by the time my great grandfather William was 10 years old hehad already spent most of his life in India, where his father was in the Royal Artillery.

William Nicholls was born on Friday 4th February 1870 in East Allington in South Devon. He was the second of 4 children born to William and Ellen Nicholls (nee Pyne).

William Nicholls, c1916

In the 1871 Census the Nicholls family (including William, aged 1, and his sister Elizabeth who was 3 years old) were living 1 Earth Pit Avenue in South Shoebury, Essex. William Snr had joinedthe Royal Artillery as a Gunner during the previous few months and was posted at the Gunning School there.

In September 1872 William Snr returned to South Devon to obtain written verification from thevicar of Blackawton Church of his daughter Elizabeth’s birth and baptism (basically an ad-hoc baptism certificate).

Not long after this William Snr was posted to Fort St George, Madras in India. On 13th April 1874, William’s brother Charles was born, and baptised on 7th May that year at St Thomas’ Church, St Thomas’ Mount, Madras. However,  he died on 9th March the following year.

Another son – Henry James – was born on 2nd March 1876 and baptised three weeks later at St Mary’s Church, Fort St George.   Sadly Henry died on 19 December the same year.

William Snr died on 27 January 1877, aged about 32.   The following year his widow, Ellen, married John Gorman, an Irishman who was also a Gunner in the Royal Artillery. John was born in St Marys, Dublin, Ireland in about 1840. According to the Bengal Marriage Indexes they were married in 1878 in the Bengal Province of India.

It appears that William’s new step-father, John, was posted to Rangoon in Burma, for it was there -in 1880 – that William’s half-brother, John was born. Three years later John and Ellen and family were back in Britain, stationed in the barracks at Dover Castle. We know this from the birthcertificate of William’s other half-brother, named Patrick, who was born on 10 November 1883. By now William was just 13!

On 21st January1884 William joined the regular Army at the age of 14 and was stationed at the Western Heights in Dover, as a member of the Royal Artillery, Cinque Ports Division. The young Gunner was discharged 5 years later on 30th July 1889 through ill-health and was awarded apension of sixpence per day. Records show he had attained the rank of ‘Trumpeter’.

By the time of the 1891 Census William, then aged 21, was living in Dover as a Boarder at 8 Clarendon Place, and was listed as a scholar. His mother, step-father and siblings were living in Joss Street, Dartmouth in Devon. John had been pensioned out of the Royal Artillery some time before – he and Ellen were both aged about 45.

[As an aside, there exists a mystifying telegram addressed to William Nicholls at 135 Clarendon Street, Dover and is dated May 3rd either 1893 or 1898 (the date stamp is not quite clear). It was sent from Dartmouth and simply reads: ' Had letter this morning your brother George is dead.' What is intriguing is that there is no record of William having a brother named George!]

On February 1st 1892 – three days before his 22nd birthday – William joined the 1st (Dover) Cinque Ports Volunteer Artillery. The Volunteer Movement was created out of a concern for home defence in the early 19th century. The Duke of Wellington was concerned about the country’s defences and in a letter of 1847, to Sir John Burgoyne, suggested a force be set up. There was some general opposition to the idea of a force of ‘amateur soldiers’, but on 12 May 1859 the War Office gave sanction to form a volunteer corps. The main concern for the volunteer artillery corps was to man the batteries of coastal towns. The 1st Admin. Brigade of Cinque Ports Artillery Volunteers wasformed at Dover in 1862. This was made up of 9 Corps, formed around the towns of the Cinque Ports. The Volunteer movement eventually became the Territorial Army as it is today.

On Sunday, 30th October 1895 William married Susannah Kingsnorth at the Wesleyan Chapel in Faversham, Kent. Susannah was born to Alfred and Mary Ann Kingsnorth (nee Alefounder) in 1872. At the time William was living at 11 Winchelsea Terrace, Dover and was employed as a labourer in the Ordnance Stores in Dover.

Wedding of William and Susannah, Faversham - 1895

A photograph taken after the ceremony exists, showing William’s mother, Ellen (seated far left) and his step-father John (standing behind William to his right).

In 1897 William and Susannah had their first child – a daughter whom they named Elizabeth. Just over 2 years later – in February 1900 – a second daughter, Bertha Helen, was born.

In the 1901 Census William and Susannah (aged 31 and 29) and their two daughters were living at 26 Vale View Road in Dover. William’s occupation was ‘Harbour Contractors Diver’s Attendant’.  Working in Dover Harbour, it was William’s job – as attendant – to look after the diver he was engaged by, to assist him with the putting on of his elaborate equipment, watch him go down below the surface of the water in the diving bell, and then to stand by in readiness to deal with any signal made to him by the man who had vanished from his sight. Sometimes the diver made his descent from an anchored vessel, generally a ketch known as a ‘diver’s boat’, and sometimes from the edge of a pier, or other structure overlooking the spot where work was being taken in hand.

William’s mother Ellen and step-father, John, and their sons were living at 17 Winchelsea Terrace in Dover.  John, like his step-son, was also employed as a ‘Harbour Contractor’s Diver’s Attendant’.

On 25th February 1904 William was awarded a certificate showing he ‘passed a Very Good examination in Telephony’ and was ‘…qualified to act as a Telephonist’.

On 9th June 1905, William retired from the 1st (Dover) Cinque Ports Volunteer Artillery, having reached the rank of Company Sergeant Major.

By the time of the 1911 Census William was 41, Susannah was 39, and they had six children:Elizabeth, Bertha, Dorothy (my grandmother, born in 1901), Kathleen (b1903), Alice (b1904) and William Alfred Patrick (b1910). They were still at 26 Vale View Road.

The youngest child in the family, Alfred (known as ‘Alfie‘) was born in June 1911.

During the First World War, William – now with seven children to support – worked in the Western Heights in the Army and Navy Canteen as Canteen Manager. In 1915 William’s National Registration card states that his address is 19 Castlemount Road, Dover.

Alfie Nicholls

In early 1916 William and Susannah’s youngest child, Alfie became seriously ill. A letter written atthe time from Susannah to one of her daughters (its not clear which one) gives some idea of the worry and consternation the whole family were going through:

19 Castle Mount [Dover]

My Dearest Girl

I’m sorry you have not had a line before, but it has been such a worrying time as you will understand. I was of course very disappointed about that house but I suppose there is some good reason although it is hard to think so at the time. Dad is just going now to Shephard’s Well to look at a place, will let you [know] how it turns out.

Dad and I was going yesterday afternoon but Dad did not feel equal to it and I’m sure he did not and it was a good thing we did not go for dear little Alfred was taken worse. He went off into a nice sleep but now is unconscious. We sent for the Doctor but he could not do anything; he says there is no hope for him so long as he is here because, as he says, [...] goes on and three nights running we had that wretched syren Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and he is worse each time. Tuesday and last night he never ceased to shout, even Mrs Holiday heard him.

You will not forget to pray that our Darling may be spared will you. I have been thinking about you. I expect you are very busy, it seems such a time since we saw you. Poor Dad terribly worried and far from well but he must go back to Canterbury to day because his mate is knocked up. Now there seems nothing but trouble all round, but we must try and trust and hope for better times to come.

Lizzie is disgusted at the idea of going to Sheppard’s Well. Little Willie Youden is feeling the effects of it now. He was out in it all last Monday and he has screamed fearfully for several nights and Mr Youden told him if he screamed again last night he would shake him, think of it.

Good bye old dear, cheer up, you must have been dreadfully disappointed but never mind you did your best.

Alfie finally passed away from tuberculosis and exhaustion on 4th May 1916. He was just 4 years old.

In November 1916 – at the age of 46 – William was required to carry a permit book [No 134113] when travelling in and out of Dover as part of the Defense of the Realm Regulations Act 1912. This granted William ‘permission to enter and leave for the purpose of business within the Dover area’. The Permit Book (stamped with the date 14 November 1916) reveals that William was living at Box Cottage, Cox Hill, Sheperdswell, near Dover. He was 6 feet 1 inches tall, tall, medium build, whitehair and brown eyes. He had a tattoo of two small dots on his left arm. In the permit book is a section (Page 4, Sec 11) which asks: ‘State if you have or have had any male relatives (father, husband, daughter’s husband, sons, or brothers only) in arms for or against His Majesty and Allies during the present war?’ To this William responds ‘Yes’ and gives the nameof his half-brother, Patrick Gorman [aged 33], who was fighting for His Majesty.

After the war William took a job as a shopkeeper in Trevannion Street.

In 1925 William and Susannah’s eldest child, Elizabeth, developed kidney problems and passed away on September 2nd. The causes of death were chronic nephritis (an inflamation of the kidneytissue) and pernicious anaemia (caused by a Vitamin B12 deficiency). She was just 27 years of age.

The Nicholls family - c1920

In the later years of life William worked as an Insurance Agent for the Co-Operative Society. He died on October 9th 1932, aged 62, from ‘Infective Endocarditis’. His estate – which went to hiswidow Susannah – amounted to £259, 5 shillings and 9 pence (when adjusted to today’s values(2009), this amounts to = £47,600, based on average earnings).