Sidney & May Witts (General)
I recently bought 2 postcards off e bay of Sidney J and May Witts (nee Leighton). The first one is of their wedding day on 30th May 1917 and the second one is a studio picture taken in Aug 1918. Sidney is pictured in WW1 Royal Field Artillery Uniform. Both pictures are embossed with the photographers' name...Martyn Bros, Cheltenham. Further research (courtesy of Cheltenham Reference Library) has revealed that Sidney was the son of Mr & Mrs Witts, from Taynton, Glos whilst May was the third daughter of Mr & Mrs John Leighton, from Pool Hill, Newent. These details were obtained from 'The Cheltenham Chronical and Glo'shire Graphic' dated Sat 7th July 1917. The photographers were based in Oriel Villas, Oriel Road, Cheltenham. Their wedding took place at St Philip's Church, Cheltenham.
Both postcards were sent to a gentleman called 'Frank' and the e bay seller came from Calne, Wiltshire.
I would love to be able to supply copies of these pictures to any surviving relative(s)
Wayne Finch, Cheltenham
May (nee LEIGHTON) WITTS - (mother's maiden name BEALE)
by m p griffiths 
, Monday, August 27, 2012, 14:05 (4466 days ago) @ unknown
1901 Census, Glos. Pauntley
Pool Hill
LEIGHTON
John - 48 - Farm Labourer, General, born Glos. Pauntley
Harriet - 45 - born Newent
Eva - 14 - born Pauntley
Annie - 12 - born Canterbury, Kent
May - 7 - born Glos. Pauntley
Emily - 4
Frank - 8 months (assume to whom the Postcards had been posted) - who is the only one at home with his parents on the 1911 census (Pool Hill, Newent)
----
1891 Census, Newent, Culvert Street
Mary BEALE - Widow - 67 - born Oxenhall
Harriet LEIGHTON - daughter, married - 36 - born Newent
Eva G - grand-daughter - born Newent (baptism on FOD records at Pauntley - 4 July 1886 - Eva Gertrude)
Ellen A - 2 - born Canterbury, Kent
---
Again Cheltenham connections....
1881
Harriet BEALE age 25, is a Parlour Maid at Alston Court, in Cheltenham to Elizabeth ROBINSON, School Mistress.
----
1871 Census, East Dean Lydbrook
BEAL
Thomas - 63 - Labourer, born Clearwell
Mary - 58 - Home Duties - born East Dean
George - 28 - Collier
Sarah Ann - 26 - Laundress
Harriet - 18 - unemployed
John - 13 Collier
Tom - Grandson - 4
May (nee LEIGHTON) WITTS - 1901 census
Amazing Info.....many thanks MPG,
Wayne
Frank Herbert John LEIGHTON/Kathleen WILLIAMS
by m p griffiths , Monday, August 27, 2012, 15:39 (4466 days ago) @ unknown
FOD records
Baptism at Pauntley - 28 October 1900
Frank Herbert John LEIGHTON
parents: John (labourer) & Harriet
residence: Pool Hill Pauntley
memoranda: born July 31st 1900
----
Ancestry
National Probate Calendar
LEIGHTON, Frank Herbert John otherwise Frank Herbert of 76 Keynsham Road, Cheltenham died 1 December 1959 at The General Hospital Cheltenham.
Administration: Gloucester 31 December to Kathleen Muriel LEIGHTON widow. Effects £879 15s 4d.
-----
Gloucestershirebdm
Marriage at St Luke's Cheltenham 1932
Frank LEIGHTON/Kathleen WILLIAMS
----
Gloucestershirebdm
LEIGHTON - mother's maiden name WILLIAMS - (Cheltenham)
John M H LEIGHTON - 1934 - Ancestry - married Sheila M BEAL - 1959 Cheltenham
Mark P C LEIGHTON 1939 - Ancestry - married Mary E PENFOLD - 1971 - Plympton, Devon
Ancestry - Phone Books: 1974
Gloucester-Swindon
M P C LEIGHTON
16 Lavington Drive
LongLevens
Bellegate
Sidney J WITTS
by m p griffiths , Monday, August 27, 2012, 14:14 (4466 days ago) @ unknown
?
British Army WW1 Medal Rolls Index Cards 1914-1920
Sidney J WITTS
Royal Field Artillery
Reg. No: 59176
Gnr.
Theatre of War: France
Date of entry therein : 28 July 1915
MEDAL
Victory: RFA/190B - Page 18014
British : ditto
15 Star - RFA/5 A & B - page 4486
----
1901 Census, Newent
Anthony Cross
WITTS
Thomas - 31 - Stockman on Farm - born Castlemorton, Worcs
Ellen - 47 - born Eldersfield
Sidney J - 9 - born Longdon, Worcs
--
1911 Census, Rents Green, Taynton, Glos (married 21 years)
Tom WITTS - 41
Ellen WITTS -56
Sidney J WITTS
Wow, this is great info. Did he survive the war? I truly hope so as the 2nd postcard is dated Aug 1918, only 3 months before the end of hostilities.
Sidney J WITTS (daughter PHYLLIS M - 1920)
by m p griffiths , Monday, August 27, 2012, 14:25 (4466 days ago) @ unknown
Still 'delving'- got the correct parents for Sidney, as they are living in Taynton 1911 - married 21 years - put the info on the other message.
'If they received the Victory Medal - wouldn't they have survived?' not good on military history
Looking at the births on Ancestry - it would 'seem' is middle name if John
???
England & Wales, Death Index
Name: Sidney John WITTS
Birth Date: 1891
Date of Registration: J-F-M 1975
age at death: 83
Inferred County - East Glamorgan
Inferred County: Mid Glamorgan
---
?
Name: May WITTS
birth date: abt 1893
age at death: 52
Registration District: Gloucester Rural
Inferred County: Gloucestershire
---
Looking at FreeBDM - for WITTS births - mother's maiden name: LEIGHTON
Phyllis M WITTS- 1920 - Newent District
FOD records
Baptism at Newent - 5 September 1920
Phyllis May WITTS
parents: Sydney John (farm labourer) and May
residence: Arthay (?) Cross Newent
----
???
Ancestry Death Index
Phyllis May WITTS
birth date: 14 April 1920
age 66
Plymouth District
WW1 War Medals
by Jefff , West London, Middlesex, Tuesday, August 28, 2012, 05:44 (4466 days ago) @ m p griffiths
"'If they received the Victory Medal - wouldn't they have survived?' not good on military history"
NO, not necessarily. The main six Campaign medals such as this were actually awarded from 1919 onwards, in some cases to men "no longer living" #.
Some of these Medals referred to different time periods/parts of the War, whereas some such as the "Victory Medal 1914-1919" were more all-encompassing, essentially everyone who "served on a military unit in an operational theatre" earned the Victory Medal, usually alongside the "British War Medal 1914-1920" that could also be earned by civilians. Again the LLT site has it all including colour medal photos.
http://1914-1918.net/grandad/themedals.htm
Dependant on the individual's length of Service the Medal Card can be quite brief or an overcrowded "mess" of various handwritten entries, notes, symbols etc, almost a secret code in places !. However it's usually easy to see whether the man was wounded or even killed, as the righthand "remarks" box would have "K.I.A" for Killed in Action, for example.
http://1914-1918.net/grandad/mic.htm
# Sadly many serving men died after the War, some many years later, such as from major wounds that never healed properly(no plastic surgery or antibiotics then), or lungs damaged from gas poisoning, and so on. Many more died from the Spanish flu pandemic in 1919. http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/FWWinfluenzia.htm
Hope this helps, if not the Long Long Trail site will probably tell us.
Sidney J WITTS (daughter PHYLLIS M - 1920)
Am I reading this correctly.....Sidney and May's daughter died as a spinster and didn't have any children?
Phyllis May Witts born Newent 1920
by Jefff , West London, Middlesex, Thursday, August 30, 2012, 00:59 (4464 days ago) @ unknown
Hi Wayne,
yes you're right she may have died a spinster although this lady may still have mothered children.
However, wthout wanting to doubt MPG, I think this may be the wrong Phyllis. This possible error is understandable as using the free Ancestry search page I see there are a surprisingly (to me) high number of ladies named XXX May Witts. I see there are some in Wiltshire, I wonder if this was why the cards' seller in Calne had them ?
Wayne, was the seller a Witts too, I'm sure they wouldn't mind you asking if they owned the cards while researching their Family History ?
The Ancestry search shows some quite recent Death Records for various ladies named XXX May Witts in Glostershire, could they be descendants ??
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?gl=ROOT_CATEGORY&rank=1&new=1&...
Of course having a subscription MPG may know from the full details these people are not relevant to us. However it seems to me the name May could be a traditional "family" name in the Witts lines ?
Eitherway moving on;
From FreeBMD http://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/search.pl
I find this marriage in Gloster Rural district(includes Newent etc) which may be our Phyllis ?
Surname First name(s) Mother/Spouse/Age District Vol Page
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Marriages Sep 1948 (>99%)
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Mansell Frederick Witts Gloucester R. 7b 1299
Witts Phyllis M Mansell Gloucester R. 7b 1299
Happily GlosBMD http://ww3.gloucestershire.gov.uk/bmd/MainMenu.aspx
confirms this and with added detail, she is a May AND from Newent !
Marriage Details
Groom Surname Groom Forename Bride Surname Bride Forename District Parish Building Year Register Entry
MANSELL Frederick WITTS Phyllis May Gloucester Newent St Mary the Virgin 1948 54 No 5 20
So seems promising....searching Fred on FreeBMD throughout UK gives several possible hits from 1948 back, Frederick's a popular Mansell name, but the majority are in the Midlands. This is a standout tho', right locality and age
Surname Given Name Mother District Volume Page Transcriber
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Births Jun 1922
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mansell Frederick Booker Ross 6a 815 OurSmallCapital
Now of course no proof as such, but I think reasonable evidence to suggest Phyliss did marry and there may be decendants alive now still. Sadly I cannot find any subsequent births on this FoDFH site, FreeBMD or GlosBMD, not surprisingly as these sites rarely help post 1950 due to the confidentiality rulings etc re searching possibly living people.
Searching Ancestry may help, or I suggest a good start would be the Phone Books (altho they're so thin these days), or maybe best a letter to the local Newent newspapers, someone may know something or someone.
Please read http://www.forum.forest-of-dean.net/index.php?mode=thread&id=10668
I must say Wayne I think it grand you wanting to reunite these photos with the family, it always upsets me when I see old photos for sale apparently unwanted by the descendants; well done sir !
Phyllis May WITTS born Newent 1920 -2005
by m p griffiths , Thursday, August 30, 2012, 21:36 (4463 days ago) @ Jefff
???
England & Wales Death Index
Phyllis May MANSELL
birth date: 13 July 1920 (ties up with Phyllis May WITTS birth 1920)
Date of Registration: Apr 2005
age at death: 84
Registration District: Rhondda
Register Number 14A
District and Subdistrict 864/1A
Mansell / Witts marriage reported Gloster Journal 1948
by Jefff , West London, Middlesex, Friday, August 31, 2012, 02:42 (4463 days ago) @ m p griffiths
Thanks a lot M, you're a star !
and there was me worried about knocking your suggestion she'd died in Plymouth.
What a shame she only died a few years ago...
I've tried Googling her name for more clues as to where she was buried but no luck yet.....but I see their marriage was reported in the Gloster Journal, according to the BNA site;
"Miss Phyllis May Witts, only daughter of Mr S. J. Witts and the late Mrs. Witts, Crown House. High-street. Newent, and Mr. Frederick ......only son Mr and Mrs. W ”
Sat 24 Jul 1948, Gloucester Journal, Gloucestershire, England
http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/search/results?region=south%20west%2c%20englan...
Mansell / Witts marriage reported Gloster Journal 1948
Hi All,
So a chance phone call to a Mrs Mansell in the Rhonda (the only one in the phonebook),
brought some more info. This very helpful lady owns a book, listing all the Mansells in the vicinity. It turns out that Phyllis was living in Mountain Ash in 1996 (the publication date of the book).
Actually, make that 6 Llanwonno Road, Mountain Ash, CF45 3LW
V/R
Wayne
Mansell / Witts marriage reported Gloster Journal 1948
by Jefff , West London, Middlesex, Wednesday, September 05, 2012, 03:30 (4458 days ago) @ unknown
Hi Wayne
thanks so much for the follow-up post, and what excellent news !
How lucky/inspired re your making the phonecall, thank goodness it wasn't a Jones or Williams etc you were searching ;-). Hopefully you're nearer finding a living relative, I'm sure they'll be thrilled to see the photos.