My grandmother, Ethel Cartwright, was born in 1888 to William and Hannah Cartwright.
She had two sisters and two brothers: Gertrude, Rhoda, Abel and Dyson. Sadly, Dyson died in 1918, having fought and survived the First World War, by drowning in a whirlpool at the age of 29. He never married. Brother Abel married Eveline and they had a daughter, Sylvia. Rhoda married Joe and they adopted a daughter Jessie, who was born in 1905. Gertrude, born in 1879 married Jim Hannon, but Jim died at an early age and they had no children. Gertrude was quite wealthy, though, compared to her sister, Ethel, my grandmother, and she was very influential with a strong personality. She did not get on with Rhoda and they did not speak to each other. She died in her eighties, gassing herself having turned her gas cooker on without igniting it properly and presumably forgetting about it as she sat in her living room. The house was full of the smell of gas when she was discovered.
Back to Ethel, my grandmother. When she was 18, she had a tiny figure, boasting an 18inch waist! She married my grandfather, Ernest, and had eight children, as mentioned in my previous entry. She must have been a very strong person who had to endure a lot, with a very drunken husband and eight children to care for, living in their tiny two up-two down house. When my mother was still very young, she was persuaded by her sister, Gertrude, to leave Ernest because of his extremely drunken behaviour. She took her advice and left home for about 9-12 months. In the end, she returned to Ernest, not before she had become friends with Harold Lockwood, the blacksmith. It is a mystery why she returned to Ernest. Joyce put it down to the fact that she still loved Ernest, despite all. But with Harold, she had her youngest daughter, Joyce.
Sadly, Ethel died one year after Ernest, from cancer of the womb. In that last year, she was in great pain before the cancer was discovered. Unfortunately, there was no National Health then and she could not afford to go to the doctor's. Eventually, however, the family paid for her to see a doctor but by then it was too late. Joyce, her youngest daughter, went to live with my parents and Melvyn went to live with another of the siblings.
She had two sisters and two brothers: Gertrude, Rhoda, Abel and Dyson. Sadly, Dyson died in 1918, having fought and survived the First World War, by drowning in a whirlpool at the age of 29. He never married. Brother Abel married Eveline and they had a daughter, Sylvia. Rhoda married Joe and they adopted a daughter Jessie, who was born in 1905. Gertrude, born in 1879 married Jim Hannon, but Jim died at an early age and they had no children. Gertrude was quite wealthy, though, compared to her sister, Ethel, my grandmother, and she was very influential with a strong personality. She did not get on with Rhoda and they did not speak to each other. She died in her eighties, gassing herself having turned her gas cooker on without igniting it properly and presumably forgetting about it as she sat in her living room. The house was full of the smell of gas when she was discovered.
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| Ethel at 18 with her 18 inch waist. |
Sadly, Ethel died one year after Ernest, from cancer of the womb. In that last year, she was in great pain before the cancer was discovered. Unfortunately, there was no National Health then and she could not afford to go to the doctor's. Eventually, however, the family paid for her to see a doctor but by then it was too late. Joyce, her youngest daughter, went to live with my parents and Melvyn went to live with another of the siblings.
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