Joe and Sarah - Coming Home.. and another War

Joe joined Sarah back in Liverpool in 1932. They were to remain there for the rest of their lives. Three years previously, Joe's father had sent a glowing reference to McDougall-Butler "Makers of Fine Varnishes, Enamels and Paints". Now, in a reversal of this, they sent a reference back to "To Whom It May Concern" in England. The words used in both the reference and the letter to Joe show how respected and liked Joe was, both professionally and at a personal level. 

 

 "He was industrious, energetic, well liked [  ] of excellent habits

and character [  ]

I would recommend highly for any position to which he might aspire."

 

 

In the covering letter, there is also a hint that the real reason for their return was the love of Liverpool and family - homesickness.

 

"knowing full well that the surroundings in the old homeland would be more congenial for you, as well as other members of your family"

 

Joe did not rejoin his father's business. Had he enjoyed his independence too much? Instead he joined Goodlass Walls Co of Liverpool. I believe he remained there for the rest of his life.

I don't know too much about his life after this, certainly not until 1939. But of course, I have lots of photos!

Joe and Sarah (left) with two of her sisters

Audrey and friend

Sarah and Audrey on a windy day! Love that coat!

Joe and Audrey - just before the war. She absolutely loved him

"He was such a lovely man"

I think I agree! I love this photo.

Then came the War.

Joe and the family were living in Hightor Road at the time, as the government carried out a register in 1939 of everyone's details including date of birth, marital status, occupation etc. and I have found the family there. 

On the evening of 15th September 1940, in the Liverpool Blitz, their home was destroyed. And of course, they photographed the damage. Incredible! But totally unsuprising!

 

 

Audrey told me that Edgar was about to go back into the house to get his fire fighting equipment and uniform when Sarah told him to wait for 10 minutes. The bomb dropped within minutes - when he would have been in the house. He went on to live to be 97! 

This photo seems to me to be very much like those

posed for proganda and to boost morale during the war

I wonder who took it! Joe is left and his brother in law is adjusting the dial.

The family took so many unusual photos. A treasure!

I am not sure what the family's next move was after the bombing but I know that Audrey went to stay in Bury with Sarah's sister's family.  At least in this war, the family were spared to loss of life that affected both Joe and Sarah's family in the Great War - Joe losing a brother at sea and Sarah her brother at Gallipoli. Of course Joe was also seriously injured in that war.

After the war there were weddings, christenings and deaths - as in all families. Edgar married and moved to the Midlands - he carried on in Joe's tradition and worked in paints and varnishing. Audrey married and settled down on the Wirral. She had two sons. Both she and Edgar lived well into their 90s.

Audrey's wedding day

Joe, Audrey and Edgar standing

Sarah seated left, Edgar's wife seated right.

Joe died in 1957 while on holiday with the family in Wales. He was 64. Sarah went to live with Audrey and her husband and two sons in Wallasey. She died in 1975 aged 83. 

There I will leave Joe and Sarah - but only for a while. They left autograph books, sketches and many postcards and many more photographs, so we'll meet them again.

In my next blog I will look at Sarah's three sisters. One lived to be a supercentenarian (someone who lived past the age of 110!)

Which one was it.....?

 

 This photo shows Sarah and her three sisters

Sarah is holding Edgar, next to her is Doris. Next to her

(I'm sure she is giggling!) is Lillie ("Nin)

seated left with the long hair  is their much younger sister, Kathleen ("Gracie")

LOTS more lovely photos of the sisters and entries in Sarah's autograph books next...

 

Joe and Sarah - Across the Sea to America!

At some time in the late 1920s, like so many people from Liverpool before them, Sarah and Joe decided to emigrate to the USA. I don't know the reasoning behind this move; Joe had a very secure position in his father's succcessful company in a trade that was essential to the 100s of ships that used the Port of Liverpool at that time.Their son Edgar was 8 and settled in school. The family continued to be close knit - judging by the number of photos from those post War years in the 1920s! Here are a few of the 100s I am lucky enough to have.

Edgar at school, 1920s

3rd row, extreme left

 

 Another day out! Ed's head can be seen poking

above the seat. He is in between Joe and Sarah's dad, Henry

Sarah and her sisters are there too. It must be about 1925

Audrey aged about 4? This would be just before they left

for the US. This is not a digitially colourised photo; it must

have been hand-tinted at the time.

Audrey and Edgar circa 1926.

Sarah and two of her sisters.

 

 

A lovely wedding photo! 

The bride is Sarah's sister, Lilian marrying Tom Percy.

To the right of Joe (holding Ed and next to Sarah) is Joe's father, Joseph 

(an interesting man who I will write about later)

Next to Joseph is Sarah's dad, Henry, the shipwright

seated second left is her sister Kathleen Grace, who lived to be 112!

 

Although obviously a very happy and close knit family, Joe and Sarah decided to make the trip across the Atlantic in 1929. Joe had two brothers who had made the move to America before the Great War - Duncan and Haward. They must have had some input in the decision. And so, in 1929, the family obtained their visas and headed for their New World!

They travelled on the Laconia. How do we know this? They took a photo of course!

Ed on board! 

Audrey remembered roller skating on deck!

We have lots of documentation around their stay in the States

Sarah kept everything - thankfully - passing it down to her

daughter, Audrey, who also saved it for us to find.

I love these with their details of eye and hair colour, dates of birth etc.

We don't have one for Joe, oddly!

 

Joe and Sarah settled in Buffalo, New York and (of course) we have many photos from their time there. We have a really good idea of the work that Joe was doing - his father kindly wrote him a reference that gave an incredible amount of detail about the training and work experience he had in England, as well as an excellent character reference

"He is a non-smoker, total abstainer, and leaves this country an honourable reliable man in every sense" Indeed he was.

 

 

Joe was engaged by McDougall-Butler Co as a Foreman Varnish Maker and later became Assistant Superintendant. 

Joe, Sarah and their children stayed in America for three years. Sarah and the children returned home in 1931 because Sarah's father was seriously ill However apparently Sarah desperately missed Liverpool and decided not to leave it to return to the States! And so the family settled back England.I think Joe packed up and came home on his own after Sarah refused to budge! However, Audrey and Edgar really enjoyed their adventure and often spoke of it in later years.

Here are some photos of their life in America

 

 

 

Haward and family. This looks a very American scene!

We have a Christmas Telegram, sent from "dad" 

I am not sure whether it was Sarah or Joe's dad and there is no date, 

I would guess it is from Sarah's dad as it is "from us all" 

All three brothers in Joe's family were in the US and only his father remained in

Liverpool.

Sarah, Audrey and Edgar looking happy

                                                 Audrey in a decidedly more chilly scene!

Am pretty sure this is one of Joe's brothers'  houses in New York

Sarah kept the paperwork from her return to the UK with Edgar and Audrey. She was given permission to stay in the UK for up to a year, from 17th Feb 1931 to 17th Feb 1932.

As can be seen from the reverse, there was no record of re-entry to the US

Sarah's father died in May 1932 and it would seem likely that she wanted to remain with him until then; however this meant that her permit would have expired. I have a letter from Joe's company that gives the date of his final return to the UK as July 1932. In a few short months, the family had left behind their dreams in America and returned to Liverpool. Audrey and Edgar had a very happy life with their parents and in their own married lives; there were no regrets.

 Joe and Sarah were home.

The family thrived. The children did well at school and once again, they had many happy family occasions (as evidenced by yet more photos!). However, as the 1930s progressed, their lives, like millions of others, were once again about to be changed by a World War...The Liverpool blitz would affect them directly.....

Joe and Sarah - Building a Life Together (Part I - The Post War Years)

Joe left the army in early 1919 and he and Sarah for the first time since their marriage in 1915, were able to start their life together. Sadly, tragedy was not far away in their early marriage. Sarah gave birth to a son, Kenneth on 26th August 1919. Kenneth lived just 13 days and died on 7th September 1919. There is a very poignant note of his birth in her family bible; his death is noted in different coloured ink - what pain she must have felt when returning to the bible to write that date in it. I know she spent some time in hospital because I have her autograph book which has a lot of signatures from nurses. (I intend the research some of those names)

 

 

Kenneth is buried in Kirkdale Cemetery, Liverpool.

 

 

After the war, Sarah and Joe settled back in Walton, Liverpool where in 1921 they had a son, Edgar. My mother in law Audrey was born in 1924. Their family was complete. And what a family. I have never seen so many family photos - there are 100s! They were incredibly close knit. Sarah had three sisters and her father remaining alive; Joe had a father and two brothers. The two brothers were in the States at this time, where Joe and Sarah were soon destined to emigrate to (coming up in Part II!)

 

 Edgar and Audrey c1926

Audrey c1926

 

After the War, Joe returned to his father's business  - he owned a varnish making company that was based around the docks of Liverpool - of course a thriving area at this time.  

 

 Joe (right). His father Joseph is centre. 

His family are very interesting too!

  

Sorting through the huge archive of documents my mother in law left us when she died I discovered that Joe and his father  worked on the building of The Kop in 1927. Joseph's father owned the company but  I’m sure Joe would have done much of the hard graft! I discovered the name of the Company because I found a letter on headed paper giving a reference to Joe when he headed for America..

 

From the Liverpool Echo March 1927

“If you inquire of George Patterson, the secretary to the club, he will tell you that the “Spion Kop” at Anfield has, since its inception, been particularly devoid of comfort on a wet day."

And so, it was decided to add a roof..

 "With the exception of the roof trusses and the four stanchions in the terracing, all of which will, however, be painted with selected local bitumastic rust-proof paint from the Mersey Varnish Company, Bootle, the remainder of the steel is completely buried in the concrete casings.”

My husband has been a Liverpool fan for decades and for all those years, standing and seated on the Kop, my husband stood beneath the very roof his grandad worked on!

Joe and his family at some time during the late 1920s decided to try their fortune in America - both his brothers were successful over there.  I have a lot of documents and photos of their time in the States (of course I do! ) - which I will share in Part II! However, the rest of this blog will feature some of the wonderful photos of the family at the time of their post-war life in Liverpool. They are pretty stunning! This family loved a photoshoot!

 This family loved their photos!

I don't know who they all are!Sarah is holding Edgar. 

Two of he rsisters and brother in law are at the back 

Bottom left is her younder sister, Grace who lived to be 112. More about her later!

 

 Another holiday! Joe at the back next to his father in law, Henry. 

Sarah is holding either Edgar or Audrey. Two of her sisters are also there.

 

 

I love this photo! It's not long after the War and they all look so happy!

Sarah and Joe are standing left, next to her sister Lilian and future 

brother in law Tom Percy. Sarah's dad Henry, is seated with Edgar, he was

a shipwright in Liverpool. I have photos and union badges of his. I will follow 

the family back from Sarah and Joe, so we will meet him again soon!

Onward next to 1931............and America!

Joe and Sarah - A WW1 Romance for Valentine's Day

I have been sharing the story of my husband's grandparents, Joe and Sarah, with a lot of references to Sarah's postcard album, through which I have traced the story of the early days of their romance and marriage. I thought that sharing some of the wonderfully romantic cards that Joe sent to Sarah would be an ideal blog for Valentine's Day!

 

As we've seen, Joe sent 100s of postcards to his wife over the years, as he knew Sarah collected them. I have a wonderful album of 200 of them. Here are just a few that I've chosen, to demonstrate his deep love and affection for her. I've set them against the timeline of their lives at that time.

 

Joe enlisted on 19th January 1915, in the King's Liverpool Regiment.  Here is a postcard he sent on 2st May 1915, from his posting on the home front, in Blackpool

Joe simply echoed the message

"With love to my dear girl"

The next card is dated 4th June 1916, this time from Oswestry, another home front posting. Joe was to escape the carnage of the Somme on 1st July 1916. Sarah and Joe married on 20th July 1915, so he was now writing to his dear wife. 

With fondest love from your affectionate husband.

On the 17th March 1917, Joe was finally in France, where he sent this postcard from. He had left for the Front on 15th September 1916.  Six months later he was seriously injured and lay critically ill for and in hospital in Chester for many months.

To Sarah, with the very truest and fondest of love 

from your devoted hubby

xxxxxxxxx

It is now 11th April 1918 and Joe is finally back home and out of hospital, where he spent several months recurperating.  He is in Manchester - not too far from his family in Liverpool. In fact Sarah was with him in January of that year (she sent a postcard from there to her family). However she must have returned by April, as Joe sent her this card...He seems concerned about her health, which he does mention a few times in his cards.

My darling Sarah

Hope this card finds you feeling very much better

Take care of yourself and keep your heart up. 

With the fondest of love

I remain, yours, ever

Joe xxxxxxx

 

This card is dated 13th April, just two days after the previous one he sent! He is at Heaton Park, where he was stationed when he joined the Military Foot Police in May. He has just been presented with the Military Medal which he was awarded for gallantry in the battle where he received "serious" wounds.

 

 My own darling,

Just a little card to remind you of the great love I have for you.

Hope you are making good progress.

With Fondest Love

I remain, you ever

Joe xxxxxxx

My final postcard for Valentine's Day is dated 15th November 1918. It was to be one of the last postcards he sent her from his service in the army - he was demobbed in February 1919.  They would never be parted again. 

 

 

Their story will take them to the US (and back!) and they had a very happy married life - which I will explore in the future. They had a son and a daughter. Here are two  lovely photos - one  taken in c1926, in Liverpool and one taken on their US adventure just a few years later!

Joe Vernon Smith and Sarah Banks Rich - a love match that like millions, endured the pain and sacrifce of war, but who so very happily came through it to become a devoted couple and parents. 

New readers of the blog can read about their earlier life and their family in my previous posts.