Friday 5th October 2018

Friday 5th October 2018 - Number 3267

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Dear Ancestor

Your tombstone stands amongst the rest, neglected and alone,

The names and dates are chiseled out on polished, marble stone.

It reaches out to all who care, it is too late to mourn.

You did not know that I exist, you died and I was born.

Yet each of us, are cells of you, in flesh, in blood, in bone.

Our blood contracts and beats a pulse not entirely our own.

Dear Ancestor

The place you filled one hundred years ago,

Spreads out amongst the ones you left, who would have loved you so.

I wonder if you lived and loved, I wonder if you knew.

That someday,

I would find this spot and come to visit you.

One Man’s War – A bit about the RAF

John Robert Laws

1921-2008

Part 5

One Man’s War – A bit more about the RAF

Now the squadron was to go on Transport and by 2^nd July I had done a course at Bramcote on using radio beacons for navigation, with just ten hours flying in Oxfords. On 3^rd July the crew and I had two and a half hours instruction on converting to the Short Stirling; we then had another four hours on our own getting used to them and doing circuits and bumps including three engine landings and flapless landings. Next day we had an hour and a half night flying, again landing on three engines.

Presumably, we were now reckoned to be competent on Stirlings as our next flight a few days later was to Brackla where we picked up twenty-three passengers and brought them back to base.

The Stirling Mark V was an odd beast, sitting on a tall under-carriage, it had been lengthened by about five feet to give more load space. This had not improved the stability on take-off and landing and at touch down the pilot’s line of vision was fifteen feet or more above the ground making a good three-point landing more difficult.

We no longer carried parachutes on transport work, which felt a bit strange at first. However, I got an unexpected bonus as I had been using an experimental backpack parachute in the Halifax. No one realised that this moved you forward about three inches in the seat thus impending the final three-point landing movement and resulting in too many poor landings. Now I was able to get the column right back and land a few times that you didn’t feel the touchdown. We had not yet moved into the era of tricycle under-carriages so keeping off the deck until the point of the stall, was essential.

The squadron was being used to fly freight and troops out to India and back. Our normal Route was via Castel Benito Libya, in North Africa; Lydda (Palestine) and Shaiba at the top of the Persian Gulf to Mauripur (Karachi).

We had to do a freight run before we could be trusted with passengers, this was a bit more leisurely than the passenger trips, and we found time to visit Jerusalem and see the sights. We engaged a guide who was standing by looking for tourists even in those days, and he took us around all the bits you are supposed to see. It was all very ancient but the tales and myths are strictly for believers and the guide finished up by taking us into a souvenir shop.

Here they offered us little cups of sweet tea, locked the door behind us and showed us their wares. Cliff bought a little bible bound in olive wood to send to Louis in the States, but we were not very good customers and went on our way.

In Karachi, we had a day mostly to do a bit of shopping for a few things that were unobtainable in the UK. This, of course, included carpets. The exotic world of India was a revelation to us. Sacred cows wandered in the streets and lay down in the middle of the road if so inclined. They scarcely impeded the traffic, the few carts were drawn by oxen and there were very few motor vehicles.

On a building site, women in colourful saris were carrying blocks on their heads to the bricklayers, whereas the hod carriers in the UK, carried the bricks in a hod on his shoulder.

One time we had to land at Cairo West, instead of Lydda, and visited the Pyramids and the Sphinx at Giza, though Cairo was out of bounds. Dave our flight engineer, climbed about half way up the great pyramid but Cliff and I were content to stay at the bottom and watch. We entered into the spirit of the thing enough to have our photos taken sitting on a camel but that was our lot.

On the hot airfields in the Middle East, the longitudinal instability of the lengthened Stirling came into its own, and it was said that you could find your way to India by following the trail of burnt out Stirlings.

I knew one pilot who’d crashed two and got away with it. The heat also reduced their engine power, and take-offs from Shaiba had to be done before dawn, even then power was reduced. I remember getting to the end of the flare path on the oiled and sanded runway with barely enough speed to pull the undercarriage up and hold off the deck, let alone climb until the reduced drag let us lift a little.

We got away with all these hazards except a little 'contretemps’ when we were diverted to Brussels on our way home, here the marshaller guiding us to a hard standing led us into an unlit barrel of tar which bent our tail wheel doors. There was no one here to repair this but there was a derelict Stirling standing at the edge of the airfield so we set to and acquired its tail wheel doors and replaced our damaged ones with them.

This must have impressed the local CO as a congratulatory message was received back at the squadron. We managed to find time for a quick look at Brussels and the most impressive thing was the magnificent fruit on sale in the shops. It was less pleasing to see the profusion of harlots on display everywhere even four playing cards at a little table in a shop window.

Our trips to the east came to an end when the squadron came down from Stradishall and converted to Avro Yorks. We brought the old Stirlings down, loaded up to the eyebrows with furniture and other squadron equipment and of course our old kite decided to lose an engine as soon as we got off the deck, We crawled around the circuit, and everyone turned out to watch us come in on three engines with our load of junk. All the practice we had done on three engines paid off however and I got her down gently in one piece.

Only those who were prepared to sign on again, when their turn for demobilisation came up were allowed to convert onto Yorks, and this was really only for those who hoped to make flying their career. It seemed to me to have too many snags, and I opted to get out as soon as possible.

Till then I had become, a sort of officers mess treasurer, based on my alleged accounting know-how. It was quite nice at Stradishall and it was within cycling distance of Southgate so I got home frequently.

In due course, I collected my demob suit at Wembley and was back in Civvy Street.

The End

To be continued tomorrow

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LAWS FAMILY TREE

(maybe we already have)

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Hi everyone, our database has

48,868 Folks - an increase of 20 this week

16,054 Families - an increase of 5,

116,594 Events - an increase of over 64,

All in 10,980 Places

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We have excluded records of living people to protect their Privacy. We only show births before 1920 and marriages before 1940. If you are interested in anyone listed here, email us with the name, dates and reference number, and we will happily do a lookup. We are happy to help you with your, Laws or Lawes research, and in certain instances, we may be willing to undertake private research on your behalf. We will be happy to publish in this blog the stories of your Laws or Lawes research, and also to list members of the Laws or Lawes family you are searching for. (Subject to the rule above.)

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EXTRACTS FROM OUR DATABASE FOR TODAY 5th OCTOBER

(Please note all spelling is British English)

Please also note we have several hundred LAWS & LAWES who were alive 29 September 1939
so mail us with your inquiries registrar@lawsfamilyregister.org.uk

Family Events

BIRTHS and BAPTISMS

1764 - Birth: Thomas LAWES-785, Drayton Norfolk England
1810 - Birth: Robert LAWS-32500, Newcastle upon Tyne Northumberland England

1823 - Baptism: John LAWS-21063, (Coal Miner) Gateshead Durham England
1825 - Christen: Henry LAWES-1669, Gosport Hampshire England
1825 - Birth: Henry (Government Clerk) LAWES-1012, Portsmouth Hampshire England
1847 - Birth: William James LAWS-5495, (Traveller/ Zinc Worker / Innkeeper) Portsmouth Hampshire England

1856 - Baptism: William John Munday LAWS-19599,
1872 - Birth: Albert H (Royal Navy 143765) LAWS-5497, Portsmouth Hampshire England
1872 - Birth: Thomas William LAWES-2644, Felthorpe Norfolk England

1882 - Birth: William James LAWS-40866, (Retired Railway Clerk)
1893 - Birth: Henry John LAWES-35743, (Carpenter) Reading Berkshire England
1897 - Birth: Thomas LAWS-44567, (Labourer)
1901 - Birth: Florence May LAWS-4492,
1905 - Baptism: John (Twin with Elizabeth) LAWS-24376, Ryhope Durham England
1906 - Birth: Lillian Jane LAWS-3266,
1910 - Birth: Margaret Annie LAWES-47305, Soberton Hampshire England
1910 - Birth: David John B LAWS-16503, (Retired as Captain Of Mersey Ferries) Great Yarmouth Norfolk England
1915 - Birth: Nancy Margaret LAWES-28774, Guildford Surrey England

(This building in Guildford was formerly the Royal & Imperial Arms (Temperance) Hotel, owned by my paternal G Grandmother 1918-1925)

MARRIAGES

1662 - Marriage: Edward LAWES-1567 and Mary RAM-1568, Norwich Norfolk England

1724 - Marriage: George LAWES-11952 and Barbara DAWSON-11953, Ryton Durham England
1879 - Marriage: Benjamin Lincoln LAWS-40946 and Eliza SYRETT-40947, Great Yarmouth Norfolk England
1881 - Marriage: Daniel Jutson LAWS-49772 and Azele Alice Abigail Keturah HOLCOMB-49773, Welland Ontario Canada
1895 - Marriage: Daniel LAWS-21343 (Furnace Stoker at Brewery) and Maria Fiske SADLER 21344, (Domestic Servant)
1901 - Marriage: Albert John LAWS-4203(Gas Works Turner/Engineer) and Gertrude Mary Ann TILLEY-4204, Little Ilford Essex England
1903 - Marriage: Herbert Sydney LAWS-11087 (Baker) and Edith Middleton JOY 11088, (Spinster) Folkestone Kent England

1926 - Marriage: Randolph Hearst LAWS-12614 and Ola STRANGE-22991, Santa Anna, Texas United States
1930 - Marriage: Edward Albert CLARRICOATS-30449 and Barbara LAWS-20103, West Ham Essex England

DEATHS and BURIALS

1877 - Death: Joanna Hendrina LAWS-19588,
1877 - Death: C LAWS-3014, (Spinster) Prudhoe Northumberland England

1875 - Death: William LAWS-9238, HMS "Cambrian"
1889 - Death: Jarrett E LAWS-40835,
1898 - Death: Bettie Bryan LAWS-41804,
1917 - Death: Sarah Elizabeth LAWS-22467, Surrey England
1921 - Death: James Alfred LAWS-4727, (Excavator Chalk) Plucks Gutter, Stourmouth Kent England
1939 - Death: Eliza LAWS-20081, Welling Kent England
1969 - Death: Alfred Ernest LAWS-4303, (Blacksmith) Nottingham, Nottinghamshire England
1979 - Death: William Hall LAWS-36614, (Lt Cmdr Royal Navy) Gloucestershire England
1982 - Death: Leonard LAWES-40265, Hillingdon Middlesex England
1982 - Residence: Leonard LAWES-40265, Maida Vale Middlesex England
1985 - Death: David John B LAWS-16503, (Retired Captain Of Mersey Ferries) Wallasey Cheshire England
(See also above)
1989 - Death: Caroline Fiona Thurlow LAWS-42959, San Francisco California United States
1995 - Burial: Albert John LAWS-23081, Mt Gravatt Cemetery, 582 Mains Road, MacGregor Brisbane Queensland
1999 - Death: Edna Dulcie LAWS-16528, Coonabarabran, New South Wales, Australia
2001 - Burial: Lewis Lee LAWS-16635, (MM3 US Navy) Santa Fe National Cemetery, New Mexico United States
2003 - Death: Thelma Darlene LAWS-38400, Mahomet Illinois United States
2008 - Birth: Theodore Frederick Brookhammer LAWS-37872, Auckland New Zealand
2011 - Death: Stanley Francis LAWES-46761, Surbiton Surrey England
2013 - Death: Ike Allen (Attorney) LAWS-39417, Russellville Arkansas United States

MISCELLANEOUS

1916 - Occupation: Harry James LAWS-7520, (Architect)

OTHER BIRTHS and BAPTISMS

1754 - Baptism: John CHARTERS-7136, Torpenhow Cumberland England

1815 - Baptism: Elizabeth Margaret GILHAM-10728, (Dressmaker) Great Yarmouth Norfolk England

1851 - Baptism: Walter Ezra BUNN-3439, Horsford Norfolk England
1854 - Birth: Ann HOY-1621, South Shields, Durham, England
1857 - Birth: James KNIBBS-30859,
1902 - Baptism: Doris Alice BOHLING-44135, Wandsworth Surrey England

OTHER MARRIAGES

1817 - Marriage: Robert MOONEY-31556 (Publican) and Martha Rowouth PARKER-33174, Bloomsbury Middlesex England

(My maternal G G G Grandfather)

1856 - Marriage: Daniel SAMUELS-16581 (Private in Royal Marines) and Sarah OXLEY-41251, Gillingham Kent England

OTHER DEATHS and BURIALS

1886 - Death: Jemima GREENWELL-33694, Johnson City, Washington County Tennessee United States
1891 - Death: Samuel ORAM-9215,
1953 - Death: Pollie BROWNE-19452, St Albans Hertfordshire England

1984- Death: Alice Mabel TRIMMER-27878, Worthing Sussex England
1993 - Death: Georgina Phyllis HUXLEY-14561, The Entrance New South Wales & Burial at Palmdale New South Wales Australia
2003 - Death: Kathleen R BOWEY-45729,

Did you find anyone?

whether it's yes or no, we'd still love to hear from you.

Mail us at

registrar@lawsfamilyregister.org.uk

-----------'HMS Trincomalee' ---------

Lord, help me dig into the past and sift the sands of time.

That I might find the roots that made this family tree of mine.

Lord, help me trace the ancient roads, on which our fathers trod.

Which led them through so many lands, to find our present sod.

that missing link between some name that ends the same as mine

Lord help me find an ancient book or dusty manuscript,

that's safely hidden now away, in some forgotten crypt.

Lord, let it bridge the gap that haunts my soul when I can't find,

that missing link between some name, that ends the same as mine.

Sharon Nicola LAWS

2008 Olympics Cyclist

Environmental adviser for Rio Tinto Zinc

1974-2017

R I P

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