Walter Ernest Newell

Walter Ernest was the youngest child of Charles Richard and Julia Monk Newell (née Pearce). His father Charles Richard was born in Peterborough in about 1852, the son of Thomas Newell, a malster. His mother Julia Monk was born in Farringdon, Berkshire, the daughter of Joseph Pearce, a carpenter. Charles and Julia were married at Wantage parish church in August 1875 and had five children, four of whom survived infancy: Rosetta Alberta b. Newark 1875 bap. Newark St Leonard March 1876; Joseph Pearce b. Offord-Cluny Huntingdonshire 1877 bap. Offord-Cluny May 1877; Florence Julia b. Bradford Yorkshire 1880 bap. Newark St Leonard 28 July 1880 and Walter b. Yaxley Huntingdonshire 1891 (reg. J/F/M). Charles and his wife moved frequently with his job as a railway signalman for the Great Northern Railway. In 1876 when Rosetta was baptised her parents were living in Duke's Buildings, Newark, but their son Joseph was born in Offord-Cluny, Huntingdonshire, the following year. The family was living at Beacon Hill, Newark, when the second daughter Florence was baptised in 1880 although they had moved to a railway house in Claypole, Newark, by 1881. The second son Walter was born ten years later at Yaxley, Huntingdonshire, where in 1891 the family was living at 2 Station Cottages. Only Joseph, Florence and Walter were in the home on the night of the census; the eldest daughter, Rosetta (15) was a general servant in the household of Rev. James Gandy and his family at The Rectory, Chesterton, Huntingdonshire. In 1901 Charles, Julia and Walter were living at Dogsthorpe Road, Peterborough. The eldest daughter Rosetta had married George Henry Jolley, a hairdresser and tobacconist, in 1900 and they were living on Eastfield Road, Peterborough. Also in the household was Rosetta's sister Florence. Joseph was working as a railway porter and living with the family of John Rawdon a coal carter, in Stamford, Lincolnshire. Walter, a fitter with GNR, and his parents were still living at 15 Dogsthorpe Road in 1911 and Rosetta Jolley and her husband were also still living in Peterborough. She was widowed in 1913 and married George E Letts in 1914. Joseph had married Emma Elizabeth Halford in Ketton, Rutland, in August 1901 and in 1911 they and their four children were living in Oakham where Joseph was working as a railway signalman. Florence has not yet been traced on the 1911 Census and her name was not included in the list of family mourners at Walter's funeral in 1917. Walter married Elsie Battiste at Worksop St John on 31st Aug 1914. Elsie (b. 1893) was the daughter of William and Harriet Battiste who in 1911 had the Unicorn Hotel, Worksop, where their daughter was assisting in the business. Walter and Elsie had a daughter, Ethel Beryl, on 1 March 1915 who died aged three in 1918. A report of Walter's death in the local paper indicated that his wife continued to live in Worksop after her marriage but that he was still employed at Peterborough station when he enlisted. The later CWGC record gave his widow's address as 59 Welbeck Street, Whitwell, Mansfield. Elsie married Bert H Matthews at Worksop St John in March 1920. She died in 1973. Julia Newell died in 1920 and Charles Richard married Clara Letitia G Read in 1921. They continued to live at 15 Dogsthorpe Road where Charles died in November 1927.