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Information contained in these pages is intended for genealogical research only,
and I ask that you respect the privacy of those mentioned.
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Henry Edward Ainsworth and Annie Clark © Henry Edward, the third son of William Ainsworth & Jane Pamela (nee Lambert), was born on the 29th April, 18831. At the time of his birth Henry's parents were living at 15 South Place, Wimbledon, Surrey and his father's occupation given as Bricklayers Assistant. Henry was Baptised on the 20th November 1884 at St Mary's Wimbledon. When the 1891 census2 was taken, Henry's occupation was shown as Scholar, and the family was still living at 15 South Place. He is listed as 'Harry' on the 1901 census2, living with his parents, now recorded as at 5 South Place, North Wimbledon, his occupation given as Light Porter, possibly with the railway or for a local retailer, small business or hotel. South Place was originally a small development of 21 cottages and a Beer Shop, it is recorded that the area has been re-developed and is now known as Thornton Road in Wimbledon11. Records Indicate Henry enlisted in the Royal Field Artillery on the 3rd February 190312. The Attestation Record indicates he was 19years old and his occupation was a Carman. Standing 5ft 7½inches tall, he weighed 129lbs, had a fair complexion, fair hair and blue eyes. The term of enlistment is recorded as being for 12years, however it would also appear he paid for his discharge on 3rd April the same year. No further information has been located, but it has been suggested that this was a regular occurrence for young men trying to better themselves. A Carman was employed in driving or taking charge of vehicles which carry merchandise, the hours were long and the pay minimal16, so I assume Henry was looking to improve his life style.
The next we hear of Henry is when he married Annie Clark on the 27th
May, 19083 at the Register Office Kingston Surrey England. Henry was
a 25 year old bachelor who gave his place of residence as 28 Goodenough Road,
Wimbledon, which may have been the home of his brother George. Henry's
occupation was recorded as General Laborer3, but at the time of his
death his occupation was recorded as being a House Painter (Builders)5.
Maybe he started working as a labourer for a tradesman, and gained an
apprenticeship to become a tradesman in his own right. It is known his brothers
John & Albert were also Painters2. Annie Clark was a 24year old
spinster, with no occupation listed, and her residence was given as 3 Rayleigh
Road, Wimbledon, just a short stroll away from Goodenough Road, across a small
park.
Family story also indicates that Annie left home quite young, because she didn't
like having to get up early to work in the fields. How true this may be is not
known, but Annie has been found on the 1901 census2 as a servant at
the Manor House, Bretforton, so it is possible she still continued to have to
rise early to commence her household duties, but maybe the living conditions
were a little better even for a servant. The Manor house is situated behind the
street where Annie lived, but is now a private residence. It is thought Annie
left the Bretforton area around 1905, possibly going into service in Wimbledon
in a house owned by a Mr & Mrs Mott. Family story again gives a clue as to why
she left her employment at the Manor. Annie is said to have told her daughter
Barbara that she left her first employment because she was repeatedly visited by
an apparition of a Monk standing over her bed. According to the history of
Bretforton Manor, it was built in the mid-1500s on the site of a ruined
monastery, and is reputedly haunted10. Henry and Annie's first child, Florence Kate was born soon after their marriage, and they were to have six more children1, 2 & 6: Annie Phillis born in 1910, who sadly died in 1911 just a few months after her first birthday; William Henry 1911-1964; John Denis 1913-2007; Raymond 1919-2005; Barbara Helen 1924-2012; and Ronald Peter 1926, he married Joan Victoria Fuller 19473. The 191111 Census tells us Henry and Annie, along with daughters Florrie and Phillis were living at 21 Goodenough Road, Wimbledon, a few doors away from his residence at the time of his marriage. Age 27, his occupation is given as General Labourer of Wimbledon in the Building industry. It appears Henry and his family lived in two rooms and that they shared the house with a Charles White, his wife Rhoda and their three children, who had three rooms. There doesn't appear to be any family connection between the Ainsworth and the White families, however, Henry, Charles and his wife were all born in Wimbledon, so maybe Henry and Charles were friends. In 1913, when John Denis was born, the residence was given as 85 Russell Road Wimbledon1, and the family moved to 39 Sydney Road, Raynes Park shortly after the birth of Ronald in 19261. Wimbledon is believed to have been inhabited since at least the Iron Age when the hill fort on Wimbledon Common is thought to have been constructed. Originally the centre of Wimbledon was at the top of the hill close to the common: the area now known locally as ‘the village’. The village is referred to as ‘Wimbedounyng’ in a charter signed by King Edgar the Peaceful in 967, by 1086 when the Domesday Book was compiled, Wimbledon was part of the manor of Mortlake, and it is shown on a 1786 map of the London area as ‘Wimbleton’. Ownership of the manor of Wimbledon has changed hands many times during its history. It was held by the church until 1398, but when Thomas Arundel, Archbishop of Canterbury fell out of favour with Richard II and was exiled, the manor was confiscated and became crown property. The name Wimbledon means ‘Wynnman's hill’, the final element of the name being the Old English ‘dun’, meaning hill. The current spelling appears to have been settled on in the early 19th century. Originally part of the county of Surrey, Wimbledon is today part of the London Borough of Merton and is located 11.3km south west of Central London17. Records indicate Henry served overseas in the Armed Forces during WWI, and a record in the Surrey Recruitment Registers show Henry enlisted in the Royal Fusiliers in 191413. WWI Service Medal and Award Rolls show Henry was a Private in the Royal Fusiliers, was awarded the Victory, British War, and 15 Star Medals, and that at some point he had transferred to the Labour Corp20 & 21. A book by Ray Westlake14, which list when & where the Royal Fusiliers served, indicates Henry must have been in the 1st or 4th Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers. While to date no other information has been located, it has been said he told his children that 'he had been tied to a gun for 4days for insubordination' and that he 'suffered frostbitten feet from time he spent in the trenches'. He also told his children that as his injuries were not considered severe, he was one of the number of soldiers left behind in France to bury the dead at the end of the war7. However, at the end of WW1, the people who took care of burials and re-burials and cemeteries were known as the Imperial War Graves Commission and that the IWGC actively recruited suitable ex-soldiers to help with the huge task of finding, re-burying bodies, and laying out the cemeteries, along with all and any other necessary work, the kind of which is not too difficult to imagine in the immediate aftermath of war. Henry's military record suggested he may have been discharged to the Army Reserves, a photo of Henry taken around 1917 indicate he may have been one of those men recruited by the IWGC, but official records are yet to be located to prove or disprove this theory. It is not known what employment, if any, Henry was engaged in after he returned from the war, but as he got older it is reported by family members that Henry was not a well man. It is said he suffered greatly from the effects of Mustard Gas7, became unable to work very much, and spent a great deal of his time in a chair in the sitting room. To-date no record of any military or government pension has been found, so it is unclear how the family was supported. Family story tells us that things were always tough. Annie would carefully work out just what would be needed to keep the family fed, first writing a wish list then paring it down to what could be afforded. Henry is said to have liked the occasional light ale, while Annie enjoyed dark stout. Annie was also a very keen movie fan and regularly attended a local cinema when funds allowed. Henry died in St Helier’s Surrey County Hospital, Carshalton, from Pulmonary Tuberculosis, on the 1st May, 19495. He was 66years old, and his occupation was given as ‘Formerly House Painter (Builders)’, the Informant was his wife Annie. Pulmonary Tuberculosis is caused by a bacteria that attacks the lungs. Tuberculosis, along with other nasty diseases like Trench Mouth (a form of Gingivitis) and Trench Foot (rotting of flesh due to prolonged exposure to damp, cold and unsanitary conditions in the trenches), thrived in the dirty and cramped conditions of trench life during WWI, and many soldiers became ill and some did recover. But in a few who were infected with the bacteria, the disease remained dormant, only to appear years later18. Could this have been the case with Henry, did he contract Tuberculosis during the war, recover, then suffer from a relapse later in life? It is thought that Henry’s description of ‘frostbite’, was also probably Trench Foot, but we will never know details of his illnesses or injuries, as many of the WWI Records were burnt in WWII raids and no records other than the Medal Card have been found for Henry. The family obviously had little money at the time of Henry’s death and were unable to pay for funeral expenses, as records19 show Henry was buried in a Public Grave (K103) at the Merton & Sutton Cemetery on the 5th May, 1949. His occupation is given as Carman, and he is buried with seven other unrelated people, and there is no marker identifying his final resting place. After her husband's death, Annie was to stay in the house in Sydney Road until early 1961 when, due to ill health and advancing age, she moved into a nursing home in Epsom. The name of the home is not known, but it was possibly attached to the Horten Hospital. Annie died on the 7th June, 19665, in the Horten Hospital, Epsom, Surrey, from Hypertensive Heart Disease. She was 81years old, and the widow of Henry Ainsworth, a Painter and Decorator. The Informant was her son Raymond, who erroneously put his father’s name as John. Hypertensive heart disease is not in itself a single disease, but one that generally refers to several heart conditions mainly caused by high blood pressure. High blood pressure causes the arteries to narrow, making the heart to work under increased pressure, eventually causing the heart to stop18. Annie was cremated at the North Eastern Surrey Crematorium on the 13th June, 1966, and her ashes were scattered over a Crocus Bed within the grounds of the Crematorium9. Henry died while I was still very small so I have no memory of him at all, but I have some very fond memories of Annie, my Grandmother. We spent quite a lot of time visiting her and at various times lived with her in her house in Sydney Road, it is amazing how certain sights and sounds can bring Annie rushing back to mind. I can still see her working away at the boiler and scrub board in the outhouse on laundry days, the smell of lye-soap and bleach are powerful memory stimulators. Annie was a fairly strict, but equally fair lady, I can also clearly remember her cooking in a tiny kitchen, on an equally tiny stove, but most of all I can remember her tiny, but loving arms as she gave us her unconditional love.
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