George William Chamberlain

George William Chamberlain was born in Nottingham on 22 May 1894, the son of George Chamberlain and his wife Alice (formerly Spencer). George and Alice, a widow, were married at Nottingham St Paul in June 1893. Alice Spencer's first name was given as Euprisa on the marriage record and although similar names occurred on other records - 'Euptina' on the 1881 Census and 'Emparise' on the 1901 Census - she was more commonly known as Alice and this was the name given on the death registration. Alice married first Charles Spencer (b. Retford Notts. abt. 1851), although the record of marriage has not yet been traced, and they had at least three children: Arthur b. Beverley Yorkshire 1880 (reg. J/F/M), Frederick b. Nottingham 1885 and Eliza Ann b. Nottingham 1888 bap. Nottingham St John September 1888 d. 1888. Two of the birth registrations gave the mother's maiden name as 'Case'. The Spencers were living in Beverley in 1881 but had moved to Nottingham by the time of Frederick's birth in 1885. They were living at 2 Fleet Place, Narrow Marsh, when their daughter, Eliza, was born in 1888. Charles died in 1890 and in 1891 his widow Alice (37), a deputy of a lodging house, and her two sons, Arthur (11) and Frederick (5), were living at 105 Narrow Marsh. Also in the household was a woman whose occupation was given as domestic servant although she was probably a lodger. This was an area of dense, overcrowded dwellings, many of which were lodging houses including, for example, 107 Narrow Marsh which had ten lodgers. Alice married George Chamberlain (b. Nottingham abt. 1853) two years later and in 1901 she and her husband, a lace warper, their son George William and her son Frederick, were living at the Lodging House, 4 Fleet Place. The Chamberlains were described as lodgers, and the household included nine male lodgers, all but one unmarried. Frederick Spencer made two applications to join the Militia (4th Bn Notts & Derby Regiment), the first in February 1901 (No. 8893) when he was 17 years 4 months old and a collier at Clifton Colliery. He was then living at 4 Fleet Place. His application was unsuccessful and he reapplied on 7 July the following year by which time he was employed as a labourer by a rope maker on Leen Side, Nottingham. Arthur was living at 32 Nelson's Yard, Poplar, Sneinton, in 1902 and named his mother Alice, of the same address, and brother Arthur of Foundry Yard, Leen Side, as his next of kin. This application was probably also unsuccessful. Alice died in Nottingham in 1909 aged about 56. George William joined the Royal Navy as a Boy Seaman the following year and and at the time of the 1911 census was still under training at HMS Ganges, Suffolk. His father George, a warper (lace trade), was recorded on the census as an inmate at the Nottingham Workhouse, Bagthorpe, Bulwell. George snr. died in Nottingham in 1915 aged about 65. The notice in the local paper of George William's death at Jutland in 1916 gave his address as 31 Woodland Street, Sneinton. The RN record shows that the name of the person to be informed of George William's death was his fiancee (described as a friend), May Swift, of 6 Drake Street, off Platt Street, Nottingham. May (b.1896) was the daughter of John and Elizabeth Swift, and was living at 6 Drake Street in 1911; she was working as a laundress. Another Naval record named a 'Mrs Higgs' to be notified of his death in addition to a 'friend' [May Swift].