GENERATION 4:
Surname: BODENHAM
For Antecedent(s) For Descendant(s)
see Page Ref. No(s) listed below:-
Parent(s):- Children:-
Husband’s Name: Bertie Ivor BODENHAM
(His P. R. No: BOD 3/3)
b. 1890
at Abertillery
d. 1960 Arthur Stanley BODENHAM
at Glos. b. 1915 at Barnwood
married 1914 d. 1915 (infant) bur. Gloucester Cemetery
at Gloucester Register Office
Wife 1 Laura Lavinia LANE
(Her P. R. No: ?)
b. 1895
at
d. 1916
at Barnwood. bur. Gloucester Cemetery
Barbara BODENHAM (P. R. No. LAN 5/1)
b. 1922 at Barnwood
and married 1918 d.
at Barnwood, Glos.
Wife 2 Elizabeth Ellen Clara GREEN
(Her P. R. No. GRE 3/2)
b. 1894
at Barnwood
d. 1979 John BODENHAM (P. R. No. BOD 5/1)
at Kingsand, Cornwall. (Ashes at Maker Church) b. 1929 at Ivy Cottage, Armscroft Road, Barnwood
d. ?
NOTES:-
Bertie Ivor Bodenham for many many years thought he had been christened ‘Bert Ira’, and only a visit to then Somerset House produced the evidence to the contrary. After serving in the First World War in the Royal Engineers, (284408) he joined (re-joined?) the London, Midland & Scottish Railway, personally based at Barnwood Sheds (Depot)(now extinct) where he worked up through the ranks to become a driver, travelling between Gloucester and Bristol, Bath, Birmingham, & Derby. He married Elizabeth E.C. Green in 1918 at Barnwood Church. (She knew full well his previous involvement with Laura Lavinia, and kept her and Arthur Stanley’s memorial cards. But, she said nothing about his having to get married the first time). Their first home in Barnwood was ‘Lawn Cottage’ on the main road; second home Ivy Cottage, next to the old Co-Op Store in Armscroft Road, and lastly 5 Ermine Terrace (= 61 Barnwood Road) from 5 November 1931. As remarked on the antecedent sheet, Bert had become the black sheep of his family in the eyes of his father Enoch. In turn, he called Enoch the biggest hypocrite he knew. During his married life, Bert did not enjoy particularly good health. He had reputedly been gassed in the war, and, along with earlier smoking, his chest was suspect, even though he gave up the habit in 1937. He was great fun to be with. One of his acts of nonsense was, if we were walking in the country lanes, to climb on to a wayside milk churn stand and perform an impromptu tap-dance. Many is the time that a lady visitor would try to go home with more in her handbag than she arrived with, it suddenly weighing a ton as it was lifted. His tales of hair-raising experiences on the railway were memorable. Very seldom did he speak about the war and his memories thereof. Although he received all the campaign medals, they are, to this day, still in the little box in which they arrived, ribbons never attached. Such were his feelings about war, and any pseudo ‘glory’ attached. Mum, ‘Bessie’, was a Methodist, attending Lonsdale Road Church, and for most of her life was a Member of their Women’s Meeting. She tried to organise the ‘entertainment’ side, and many were the ‘practices’ of forthcoming musical numbers held in the middle room of 61 Barnwood Road, with (self-taught) Bertie on his American Organ and a disorganised dirge of voices (Bessie attempting alto) to various old favourites, or semi-religious themes. One of Bessie’s pleasures was to sit in the chair next to the window in the front room of ’61’ ostensibly reading her book, but also noting well who passed by, either to catch the bus, or to drop in to the ‘Cross Keys’ pub (3 doors away) for a ‘quick one’. All my early life, Granny Green (nee Hannah Wadley) lived with us, until she died in 1944, buried Barnwood. Barbara & John both attended Barnwood School, passing their Scholarships at ages 11, Barbara to Denmark Road High School for Girls, and John to Sir Thomas Rich’s School (1941-1946), in Gloucester. Whilst intelligent enough, lack of application was the downfall. I, John, was far too interested in girls to make any great success. Barbara became a tracer in drawing office(s). Much of her employment was at Gloster Aircraft Co. working on Gladiator, Hurricane, Typhoon, etc. including the A.W.Albemarle. Her early amorous connection was John Axford from Ebor Road in Barnwood, (see his obituary following this sheet) but she eventually married airman Arthur Frederick Lancaster from Kent, a Metropolitan Policeman prior to joining the R.A.F. He was awarded the DFC for operations from North Africa.I, John, went grey early (starting at 14) and became an apprentice at Gloster Aircraft Co., in the design office, working on Meteor & Javelin. In 1951 I joined the R.A.F. (3511406) and did pilot training, some of which was at Claresholm Alberta. Just before this overseas posting, I married in 1952 Margaret Wellington Deavin, daughter of Walter Edwin Deavin, of the locally well-known Gloucester musical family. Bertie died in Standish Hospital in 1960. Bessie, though lonely, stayed in Barnwood until forced to move by advancing years. By this time, both Barbara and John were living in/near Kingsand, Cornwall, so Bessie was persuaded to join them in about 1976. She died there in 1979, cremated, ashes interred at Maker Church. (J.B. March, 2008)
This Page Ref No. BOD 4/1