jeannette smith harrison

archie57 i know a few of the Wallingtons went to Australia many years back. I have some contact with a lady who is part of the spoken Wallington folk & was one of them . she is a very proud Mum & Grandmother to a large amount of 3rd generation now all living in Australia

Dedication to the Elsdale at Paddington Iron Gate Wharf 29th Sept 1930 Elsdale in its short time at West Drayton At Bulls Bridge my Dads brother & some family are in this picture so at a guess i would say around 1942 to 45 ish children known to me who attended around this time are Harrison ,Humphries, Lane Carter, Jackson, Sibley, Lapworth, Withey to name a few . 1954 no longer a school as unsafe the children where taken by waterways van to a school in Norwood Green until diminished numbers closed the segregated area for the boat kids i only went there for about 6 months but boat kids where not wanted there we where treated bad our own teacher ,class room ,dinners served in our class room not allowed to have brake time with the others even had to enter via a side gate

The Elsdale was removed from West Drayton & taken to its final place at Bulls Bridge because of lack of space at West Drayton the area was so crowded the children had no area to play & the school boat was alongside boats being loaded & unloaded the teacher who was on the Elsdale lived in Southall & sadly passed away last year . her Family donated many photo's & records to the Museum

Andrew Humphries is part of my family tree. t The girls on the path are the daughters of Edward Powell & his wife Mary Powell who was from the Beechey family who are also related to the Humphries .

Tam & Di Tommy's son Alf from his first wife Harriett Harrison who was another of my Grandads sisters this photo was taken at Charlie Carters funeral sadly all tommy & Harriett's children have now gone but i am still in contact with their Grand daughter & Alf's wife & children . Alf's wife is the daughter of Calif Lane's brother & Calif's second wife is still living close to the canal in the southall area Tommy never went far from the water when he came off the canals & up till the time he died lived on a small island in the middle of the Thames at Walton that was only reached by a rowing boat from the bank Forgot to mention Benny Nixon also mentioned in this married a Harrison Mark Harrison (Grandads brother) daughter from his first wife

Interesting to note that 1 of Daniel's siblings it is said already a working boatmen as this brother had married . also some of Daniels children married into well established boating family's. Another strange fact although the first born on his line to be born on the bank Ronnie Wood came from a long line of boating blood on his dads side going back generations .We share the same GGG grandparents on my Grandads side who where boating folk all their life & my nan's brother married his Aunt . Ronnie went to college at Uxbridge & studied art. A linked family member was a lockie at Cowley around the mid 60's & his living room walls where covered with Ronnie's artwork thinking back as i grew up ( those that could give me answers where no longer around) i could not understand why i could not remember an paintings of working boats but many of the bright gypsy caravans & folk around camp fires

I never tired of hearing some of the tales from David Blagrove. In the pub with the narrowboat crew at Braunston one year where linked to my family like the time he broke down on the Thames at Brentford & Mark Harrison broke the rules by going onto the Thames to tow him out of danger .Mark was called up before the company who had their office in a pub the next morning. David turned up with 4 bottles of good whisky plonked them on the table & said fine paid .

Yes sadly the number of old working boat folk was v low this year .i have lost 11 of mine since last year most are well into their 80's some of mine even 90's still managed a gathering at the beer tent not as many as other years but it makes me happy to meet up with family Harrison,Monk, Lane, Humphries, Dell amongst others & i traveled up from Heathrow term 4/5 area .lots of close family & friends & boats missing for one reason or another lets hope for better a better order for the parade next year So miss these guys part of the history & heritage of the working bot folk

Another taken at a guess around the same era

James you refer to Alan Stevens is this the one also known as Caggy Stevens as he was part of my family tree also

James Wollcock sorry for delay in reply i do not often get time to come on here at the moment . The Man in the middle on the top photo is Fred Bunn senior who is the dad of the man in the bottom picture a freddy Bunn Junior the family had many boats in their time as both where working canal boatmen. The boat models in the other pictures are of the ones made by Fred junior by memory . I was told many years back that Sally was named so in around 1943/42 ish by Joe Holloway who had a younger sister called Sally so could have been named after her it then went back to Marquis then back again to Sally it app is said to have had another name for a time prior to the work on her by M Brain . I Was in the hand of the Bunn family i think around 1940/41 ish. Sorry for being vague but many of my notes where told to me in stories by family that that had no education myself being one of the first in 6 generations of Working boat folk as grandad would boast to be schollared .I was encouraged by my Grandad to write these stories down from the age of around 6/7 & so wish i had the knowledge & patience at the time to have asked so many other questions .regards Jeannette from the Harrison & many more connecting line of working boat folk

Hello Anna Sorry i can not give you much info on the history of boat spain but i do know she was once steered by the Bunn family the pictures are of myself with Freddy Bunn junior who made this replica himself . The doubled up picture the top section in middle fred's dad sadly both have now gone a boating to the great cut in the sky .fred was a fantastic person v polite with a lot of knowledge .there are some of his boating day friends still around who might come forward with more info .i have some copies of old family photos given to me by Fred but would first as common manners ask the permission of the Gentleman who is custodian of the boats & family info .oh added info he also had a replica of another family boat Portugal Just dug this photo out also made by Freddy & part of his family boating History the Gentleman with him is also part of my family Boating folk as added intrest his family had England (seen in Ray T picture) when it was Germany then changed in the war era to England

Ann Stokes marries a Robert Harrison who was my G Grandads brother she had a sister Harriett a few years younger who married another Brother Mark Harrison att is photo of Joe & Myself taken some years ago with his mothers picture behind us Ann's picture is a glass frame taken by Wakefields of Brentford who was well known for selling pictures made into postcards of the boat folk will look out a sim photo of her sister aken the same time Harriett Stokes

The piling competition as per bottom of the Hanwell thicket was won by two members of my boating family Tommy Humphries who 1st wife was Grandads sister he was also known in his boating days for doing the Lime juice run & Tommy Osborne who was my Nan's half brother .both where ex long term boatmen from several generations of Boating folk. Who when they retired from the boats went to work for the company (waterways) & at the time both lived in cottages on the thicket .I was only a baby when this happened but remember the stories told for many years after of the week long celebrations in the fox

My folk never tied up under the tree's cos under the spinny is one of the places where the Canal ghosts & nasty's live . the only time spent under the trees for a short time was late evening with the light shone up into the tree's this blinded the pheasants long enough for us to wack their legs with the boat pole down they would come breaking their neck as they landed in the hold. all except the one when i did not move quick enough & it landed on me knocking me down & out Many of the Ward children attended that School if i remember right Narrow boat some time back did a bit with some pictures on the boat children's life there I miss Mike & the Sunday afternoon chats he left a big hole that will never be filled