Leonard and Ellen Mills

My maternal great-grandparents

Leonard, known as Len, was born Charles Leonard Mills on 29 July 1905 at 8 Cobham Buildings in Southwark, London. Len was my Grandma’s father (my mother’s grandfather). His parent’s were William James Alfred and Ruth Eliza Mills, née Gage. William’s occupation was a gas meter reader. Len was baptised on 22 August at St. Alphege Church in Southwark.

Ellen Smith was born on St. Valentine’s Day in 1906 at 31 Tarver Road in Newington, London. Her parent’s were Alfred Charles and Catherine Smith, née Ferridge. Ellen was my Grandma’s mother. Alfred’s occupation was a carman. Ellen was baptised on 18 March.

At the time of the 1911 Census, Len, aged 5, was living with his family at the address where he was born. The Census shows that they had three rooms and that the building belonged to LCC (London County Council?). Len’s father William was 33 years old and a gas fitters assistant; his mother Ruth was 35. William and Ruth had been married for 15 years and had had six children together, all of whom were living at the time of the Census. Len had two older brothers: William Ernest George, born in 1897; and George Edwin, born in 1900. Both born in St. Saviour Southwark. Len also had one younger brother and two younger sisters: Florence Grace was born in 1903; Frederick Charles was born in 1907; and Agnes Lilian was born in 1910. All three were born in Southwark.

Ellen, aged 5, was living with her parents and her two older sisters at 5 Victoria Place in Southwark. Her father Alfred was 34 years old and a carter; Catherine (recorded as Katherine) was also 34. Alfred and Catherine had been married for 14 years and had had four children, three of whom were living at the time of the Census. Their eldest child was Annie Elizabeth, born in 1899. They had a second daughter, Matilda Florence, in 1901 but she sadly died at only a few weeks old. Their third child was Catherine (also recorded as Katherine), was born in 1903. All three surviving children were recorded as being at school.

Despite much searching (and frustration!), I only found Len and his family on the 1921 Census when I received a copy of Len’s father’s death certificate. This allowed me to search the Census on the same address (49 Pocock Street in Southwark) that was recorded on the death certificate, and as luck would have it, they were at the same address in 1921 as they were when William died in 1926. The genealogy website had transcribed their surname as Walls which was an added barrier to finding them!

Len, aged 15, was working as an ‘office lad’ for an engineers on Southwark Street. His father William was 48 years old and was a gas meter reader for Gas Light & Coke Company on Horseferry Road. His mother Ruth was 46 years old. Len’s older sister Florence was 18 and working as a blouse machinist, while his younger siblings Frederick, aged 13; Agnes, aged 11; and Doris, aged 8, were all at school.

Ellen, aged 15, was living with her parents and brother Alfred (born in 1912) at 2 Red Cross Cottages, Red Cross Street in Southwark. She is recorded as being out of work at the time of the Census. Her father Alfred, aged 45, was a carman, and her mother Catherine (recorded as Katherine), aged 44, was a canteen worker. Her younger brother Alfred, aged 8, was at school.

Len and Ellen married on 31 October 1926 at All Hallows Church, Southwark. Herein lies a story. On the day that they married, Len’s father William (my 2nd great-grandfather), died. It seems that my great-grandmother Ellen was already expecting my granduncle Len and William was so unhappy at the shame brought upon his family that he is said to have committed suicide. I cannot begin to imagine how Len and Ellen must have felt on what should have been one of the happiest days of their lives.

All Hallows was built by George Gilbert Scott Junior in 1879-80, but it was hit by a bomb during WWII. Most of the site was cleared in the mid-1950s; the crucifix in the above photo is where the altar was. There is also a small garden there, managed by volunteers.

Len and Ellen had their son Leonard Frederick on 15 May 1927 and my grandmother Jean Iris on 30 July 1932. Both were born in Southwark.

When the 1939 Register was taken, Len and Ellen were recorded as living at 30 St. George’s Court in Southwark. Len’s occupation was heating engineer sales clerk. There is one closed record which may or may not be at the same address, it is difficult to tell. My Grandma tells me that she (aged 7) and her brother (aged 12) had already been evacuated to Broadclyst in Devon the day before war was declared (via Len’s school), which explains why they are not recorded with their parents. I haven’t had any success tracking them on the Register in Devon. They stayed in Broadcylst with the Long family for around six months and then moved to Newton Abbot to live with the Harper family for a further two years.

My great-grandmother died on 20 July 1988, aged 82, at Kingston Hospital. The certificate shows that an inquest was held into the cause of her death; the cause was decided as ischaemic heart disease and fractured left femoral neck due to osteoporosis (natural causes). I take from this that she was found, most likely, at home having fallen, and then taken to hospital where she sadly passed away as a result of her injuries.

My great-grandfather died the following year on 12 September 1989, aged 84, at Surbiton Hospital. He had maintained the same career for his whole working life, a heating engineers clerk, and was living at 26a Chestnut Grove in New Malden. He died of uraemia (which I think it a build up of toxins in the blood due to decreased kidney function) and prostrate cancer.

I was seven and eight when my great-grandparents died and I do have some memories of them, particularly of the living room at their flat. My mum knew them as Grandad and Nanny Mills. She told me that when she was a child, Christmas Day and Boxing Day were spent alternately between Bodley Road with the Bedford’s and the Mill’s family, either at Groveland Way which is whether my Grandma and Grandpa lived for many years, or in Mitcham where Len lived with his wife Mary and their two children Sue and Ian. Grandad and Nanny Mills flat on Chestnut Grove was simply not big enough to accommodate everyone. Mum remembers that her Grandad and her uncle would always set up games to play, and that Nanny Mills would always do what she called ‘dips’ for the children which consisted of a large tub with strings hanging out. The strings would have knots on them – 4 for my mum, 3 for David, 2 for Sue and 1 for Ian (I assume that Jackie may have had one too when she arrived in 1970). The children were allowed to have a dip every so often during the day. There were fun little gifts, like stocking fillers.

Mum, David and Jackie spent less time with Grandad and Nanny Mills as they grew up (compared to with my Grandpa’s parents) as they were both working. Mum remembers Nanny Mills working as a cleaner in a large house on South Lane, which was round the corner from Groveland Way (no longer there). The owner’s name was Mrs Summerfield, and over the garage was a large room housing a billiard table and a tiger rug which a large head at one end!

I finish with copies of the eulogies written by my uncle David which he read at my great-grandparent’s funerals.