jeannette smith harrison

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

As a child i remember being with my Godparents on Alberts brother boat we where catching a lift up to West Drayton. On our way up the Hanwell thicket if i remember correct location. I was shouted at to get down in the cabin now this happened when entering a tunnel to keep kids safe from falling in in the dark,or a body in the water . The Boswell's where a lock in front ( bodies where if carrying a load often passed due to the time lost while police where called e.c.t. after all they would be passed help often they where inmates from the sanitorium along the side of the thicket & the Boatman was on a time line & had a family to feed ) a few locks up passed the body a policeman was on the tow path & Cousin John Boswell shouted there's a body down there results= they where held up for many hours & John got a whopping for his action some thing we often laugh about when remembering our child days . Most boat people had a fear of the water due to many old superstitions revolving around water witches & ghosts .a few of my generation did however learn to swim in the locks .Lucky i was one of them & it saved my life when i was around 7 years old

Heartland 2x even 3x cans were common for boaters with large family,s as they needed enough water to get from water point to waterpoint photo's are from my family albums sorry apart from the Longdon ones some where family photo's but have been used in books so have not given credit as to not upset anyone

There are still many around of the born & raised canal working boat ladies who gave birth to their children aboard working boats & ignored the set days of rest after & where back working the next day . my Nan was in labour with the boat stuck in the bottom of Black Jacks lock whilst waiting for the waterways van to arrive & fix the gate .A local midwife off the bank arrived to help with the birth (sent for by the landlady of the pub) Nan shouted if she so much as steps on my boat i will knock her in the cut . Shortly after a lady who was from an old working boat family & living in the lock cottage arrived. You see a lot of the old working folk had very strong superstitions & one was children are only helped into this world by their own sort .

John Brightley a greenie given for the pure cheek but a raspberry also goes with it haha. You would have to build a much higher fence to stop this southerner from my many visits to Warwickshire not just to go to the archives but visiting my ex working boat family there

just dug these out from an old external drive .Sorry do not know who to credit for these photos of the old school & Mayday i took copies of these at a talk many years ago it interested me at the time as to how many where wearing boating bonnets

Photo 382 striking Boatwomen this may also help you with one of your other questions re head covering i suspect though many might be wearing their best Sunday hats for this photo

Several years ago there was a list in the village library of all the boating children who attended the school during the strike e

Kate as i grew up the bonnets had became a distant thing & hat or head scarf was worn . in the main bonnets where to keep the sun off of the neck but another thing that i have always pondered on was being told put your hat on girl to keep the bugs away .As you know up until 1925 ish many of the boats when serviced e.c.t. where fumigated i have often wondered if there was ever a connection. The black bonnets where worn as a mark of respect when victoria died, most boat people had a picture of the king or queen & would & some still do have them hanging in the lounge when they came off the boats i have several in their late 80's 90's who still have a picture in their homes of the late Queen

A Boat Womans childs (large enough for an average adult)bonnets can be brought from the Lichfield & Hatheton canal trust they have an online shop go for the made up one not the one you make yourself as my one took me over 3 years to get right .Rays picture of Anne Stokes who married my G Grandads brother attached is photos of her husband Robert Harrison & one of her sister who married another of g grandads brothers the third is a glass plate slide of my GG Grandparents all to my knowledge are from Wakfields of Brentford last one is my Grandad with my Dad

I am prob wrong but the moment i seen this picture Ron & Lizzy Green sprung to mind

I have the complete set but a mass of info can be gained from these magazines

Could this be one of your connections

This discussion is a add on to a thread on one of the face book sites from a few weeks back. Ray is correct in his facts some of it was told to him by myself = i was contacted & asked if i would help as most of you know i have connections with the Wood's not only on my Grandad's side but also on my Nanny's side as her Brother also married into the Woods. where or how they knew this i never did find out . I was asked to sign a contract i will attempt to add a copy of said before i signed .i was filmed a few times in locations in & around Cowley/West Drayton (when my Grandparents came off the boats they settled along with several other boating family in the Yeiwsley/West Drayton area . )

There are at least 4 closer folks connected to the Wards on here also dean Wallington So i will wait for those with closer links than myself who would have more info & photo's ect . I have 28 connections some close some distant to Wards in my boat people family tree but then almost every boating family had a connection to them .Charles being a name repeated many times in many generations of Wards i do have a funeral card & info on a Charles Henry Ward who died in 1938 his wife although married twice more after his death her last husband who was one of my Harrisons was buried with her First husband

Old working Boatmans pubs are few & far between these days. When most came off the boats they almost all settled in areas where other boating folk also settled. In the Working Men's & British Legion clubs in these area's you will find Working Boat Folk having a good old sing song . These also sadly are venues used after a funeral & Coventry ,Daventry ,Northampton area's have had many this last six months.11 of mine have gone to the great cut in the sky since Christmas. like the pubs they will all soon be history & a thing of the past .

Curlew at the time of photo the steerer was Mark Harrison the young lady is his daughter & my cousin

Our paths must have crossed as small kids in 64/65 era as i spent most of my growing up on the Hanwell thicket had family all retired working boatmen in almost every lock cottage there at the time One of my Family

Google Wolverhampton boat people There are several Hosons listed most are baptism records but the good thing is they also give parents names & often boat names with luck you will match some up with your folk

Sorry not been a lot of help as having roof & floor repairs & most stuff is in storage at the moment but will get back to as soon as i have access to my info . Mary nee Green if my memory is correct is part of my Green links if this is correct also connects with the Boswell

In the 60's big freeze my Grandad managed to gain some work & worked in the sheet store & paint store i never got to see much of them as i was put into a waterways van with a few of the other kids & sent to the special room in a local school set aside for the boat kids we even got sent to school there on a sat & sun as well