Stockwell War Memorial

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St Michael's War Shrine

Philip Thomas Wilson Grant

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WW1 officer Philip Thomas Wilson Grant
Philip Thomas Wilson Grant

P. T. W. Grant
Second Lieutenant, Wiltshire Regiment, 8th Battalion attd. 5th Battalion
Killed in action, age 18, on 15 October 1915
Born 30 November 1896
Son of Philip and Isabel Emilie Letitia Grant, of 52 Stockwell Park Road, Stockwell, London
Remembered at Green Hill Cemetery, Turkey and on the war shrine at St Michael’s Church, Stockwell Park Road, London SW9 0DA

Information from the 1911 Census

In 1911 the Grant family were living at 52 Stockwell Park Road, where they had 10 rooms. The family consisted of Philip Grant, 41, a butcher born at Withington, Lancashire; his wife Isabel, 35, born at Irvinestown, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland; two children born in Stockwell and still at school – Philip Thomas Wilson, then 14, and Isabel Winifred Jessie, 11. There was also a boarder, Henry Harling Denning, 28, a cashier born in Bristol, and a live-in servant, Lily Ellett, 17, born in Lambeth.

Information from the 1901 Census

Ten years previously, the family were living at 1 Sidney Road, SW9, with George Wilson, 23, and also a butcher, born in Stratford, Essex, who is described as “brother-in-law”, as well as an 18-year-old servant, Jane Ray, born in Fulham.

St Olave’s School

The picture of Grant is taken from a presentation by Peter J. Leonard available on the St Olave’s School website at www.saintolaves.net. When you enter the site, click on ‘Welcome’ then on ‘Chaplaincy’ and scroll to the bottom. There is a thread on St Olave’s at the Great War Forum.

Grant attended the school between May 1908 and December 1912.

George Frederick Geleit

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G. F. Geleit
Service no. B/200790
Rifleman, Rifle Brigade, 13th Battalion
Killed in action age about 33 on 29 May 1917
Remembered at Arras Memorial, Pas de Calais, France and on the war shrine at St Michael’s Church, Stockwell Park Road, London SW9 0DA

Information from the censuses

George Geleit was 3rd generation German, his grandfather, August Geleit, having emigrated to London some time before 1871.

In 1911 George Geleit, who was born in Bermondsey, was 27 and married to Clara, aged 25, from Walworth. They had two young children they had named after themselves: George, 2, and Clara, 1, both born in Brixton. The family lived in 2 rooms at 87 Hackford Road (this address is now Van Gogh House – the artist lodged there from August 1873). George described himself as a “housekeeper”.

The 1891 shows Annie Geleit, a 30-year-old widow from Bermondsey, living with her 3 sons, including George Geleit, 7, at 26, Russell Street, in north Brixton.

The 1871 census shows an August Geleit, 46, a tailor, and Caroline (possibly Christina) Geleit, 32, both born in Germany living with their 5 children at Houghton Street, Westminster. August died in 1887.

Geleit means escort or convoy in German.

Emanuel Feder

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E. Feder
Service no. 354910
Private, London Regiment, 7th Battalion
Also London Regiment, posted to 1st/19th Battalion
Killed in action, aged about 28, on 1 September 1918
Born in Soho, London; lived in Brixton
Remembered at Vis-en-Artois Memorial, France and at the war shrine at St Michael’s Church, Stockwell Park Road, London SW9 0DA

See We Were There Too, which gives his address as 15 Lorne Road and his synagogue as Borough New Synagogue in Heygate Street (Vowler Street), Walworth Road, London SE17.

Manny Feder and Hettie Bicknell

In 1912 Hettie Bicknell (1893-1985) and Manny Feder had a daughter, Gladis Hettie (d. 2018), followed in 1913 by Deborah Frances (d. 1998). Hettie and Manny married in 1914 in Islington. Hettie gave birth to a third daughter, Peggy G. Christey (d. 1934) in 1926. The Brixton and Kennington electoral rolls to 1936 record Hettie Feder as living at 15 Lorn Road with George Christey (d. 1962), after which they appear to have married and moved to Downton Avenue in Streatham.

Information from the censuses

The 1911 Census has a match for a “Manny Feder”, born around 1890, living at that time at 58 Wardour Street, in the borough of Westminster, with his parents, Wolf Feder, 58, a clothes dealer who emigrated from Russia, and Dina Feder (née Herz), 44, who emigrated from “Austria” (then the Austro-Hungarian Empire). Two of their 5 children survived: Manny Feder, 21, and his brother David Feder, 18, both born in west London, assisted in the family business. The family lived in 3 rooms (including kitchen).

Ten years earlier, in 1901, they were living at the same address. The census describes the Feder parents as “naturalised British subjects”.

The 1891 census clarifies the family’s origins, giving Littin, Russia as Wolf’s birthplace and Tardiff, Austria, as Dina’s (she is listed as Dora). David is listed as Esidorf. Sara Prolen, a married 35-year-old domestic servant born in Poland, lived with the family, who were then resident at 33 St James Residences, Little Pulteney Street, Westminster.

Notes
(1) Birth years vary between the censuses, with Manny listed variously as 1890 and 1889. Haziness about Western-style years and varying first names were normal for Jewish families at this time.
(2) Littin (various spellings), Russia, was a Jewish shtetl (village), now in Ukraine. I have been unable to identify Tardiff.

Manny’s brother David served as a driver in the Royal Field Artillery and survived the war. In 1919 he gave his address as 117 Lambeth Walk, S.E.

Information from Wolf Feder’s certification of naturalisation (23 January 1896)

Wolf Feder swore that he was a subject of Russia, born at Taurogen (Tauragė [Lithuanian], Tovrik [Yiddish], Tauroggen [German], Taurogen [Russian], now in Lithuania), the son of Isaac and Janie Feder, that he was a clothier, married with two children, “Many” aged 6 and “Davis” aged 2.

Frederick Thomas Elson

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F. T. Elson
Service no. 62188
Lance Corporal, Royal Fusiliers, 4th Battalion
Died of wounds, age 32 on 11 May 1917
Son of Thomas and Louisa Elson, of London. Husband of Laurel Elson, of 5, Grove Rd., Brixton, London.
Remembered at Etaples Military Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France and on the war shrine at St Michael’s Church, Stockwell Park Road, London 0DA.

Information from the 1911 census

In 1911 Frederick Thomas Elson, 25, was living with his family in 6 rooms at 74 Victoria Avenue, Plashet Lane, East Ham. His mother, Louisa, a 56-year-old widow born in Stepney, had 6 children surviving (of 7). Five of these were on the census.
Frederick Thomas Elson, born in Leyton, Essex
Alice Rosina Elson 23, a draper’s clerk, born in Leyton, Essex
Henry Charles Elson, 22, an invoice clerk, born in Leyton, Essex
Herbert James Elson, 20, a motor mechanic, born in Leytonstone, Essex
Florence May Elson, 18, a shorthand typist, born in Leytonstone, Essex

On 21 November 1915 Frederick married Laurel James at St Michel’s Church, Stockwell. Laurel lived at 5 Grove Road.

Richard Charman

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R. Charman
Service no. L/21002
Driver, Royal Field Artillery, “B” Bty. 156th Bde.
Died of wounds age 17 on 23 July 1916
Enlisted at Camberwell, lived in Brixton
Son of Henry and Mary Charman, of Brixton, London.
Remembered at Heilly Station Cemetery, Mericourt-L’Abbé, Somme, France and on the war shrine at St Michael’s Church, Stockwell Park Road, London 0DA.

Information from the South London Press

The South London Press reported Charman’s death on 25 August 1916:
Killed in action was the young son – he was only 17 – of Mr. and Mrs. Charman, Ingleborough Street, Brixton. He was one of six brothers serving with the colours, all descendants of a fighting race. In a letter to his mother, his company officer says: ‘Your son died nobly, doing his duty and as his section commander I can testify to the fine young soldier whom we mourn. He was, for his age, quite exceptional in his work, and beyond praise in the fearless way in which he carried out his dangerous and arduous duties. In him we have lost one who is irreplaceable and who, by his cheerfulness and courage endeared himself to us all.’

Information from the 1911 census

In 1911 Richard (or Dick) Charman’s family lived in 4 rooms at 13 Ingleborough Street, London SW9 (between Robsart Street and Lorn Road). Henry Charman, 56, a general labourer, was born in “Lambeth Parish” (St Mary’s Parish, north Lambeth). Mary Charman, 54, was born in Clapham. They had had 15 children, of whom 12 were still living in 1911. Those listed on the census for this address were
Henry Charman, 31, a carrier’s carman, born in Clapham
John Charman, 28, a painter’s labourer, born in Brixton
William Charman, 21, a painter’s labourer, born in Brixton
Daisy Charman, 13, born in Brixton
Lilly Charman 13, born in Brixton
Dick Charman, 11, born in Brixton

William Bunyan

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W. Bunyan
Service no. 7848
Serjeant, York and Lancaster Regiment, 2nd Battalion
Killed in action age 34 on 20 July 1915
Son of the late William and Mary Elizabeth Bunyan; husband of Ellen Eliza Bunyan, of 8 Andalus Road, Landor Road, Stockwell, London. Native of Bengeo, Herts.
Remembered at New Irish Farm Cemetery, Ypres, Belgium and on the war shrine at St Michael’s Church, Stockwell Park Road, London 0DA.

British Army WWI Service Records 1914-1920

The file for WIlliam Bunyan is very damaged and therefore difficult to read.

William first joined the York and Lancasters in 1904. He gave his occupation as “groom”. At the time of joining he was about 23 and stood 5 feet 4¼ inches tall, weighed 120 pounds and was 36 inches around the chest (which he could expand by 2 inches). The Regiment carefully noted his progress after six months Army service and a “gymnastic course”. He had grown a triumphant 2/20ths of an inch, gained 3 pounds and increased his chest measurement by an inch. His eyes and hair were noted as brown. He bore a scar on his left wrist and had a “white patch” on his left breast. He was judged to be of “good character” and indeed during this period of service gained a good conduct badge.

After serving over 10 years (with some intervals) Bunyan was killed on 20 July 1915.

Information from the 1911 census

In 1911 William Bunyan, then 27, was working as a miller’s labourer and living with his grandmother and sister in 4 rooms (including kitchen) at 12 Russell Street, Hertford. Mary Bunyan, 73, was a widow born in Wadesmill, Herfordshire. Florence Bunyan, 29, was working as a shop assistant for a confectioner (sweet shop). She, like William, was born in Bengeo, Herfordshire.