Albert Gillyon, born 24th May 1894, Dyer Lane,
Beverley
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Albert, circa 1940 |
Dyer Lane, Beverley, 2006 |
Albert’s father
is not named on his birth certificate.
His mother was the widow of Henry Park Gillyon who had died of hepatitis
7 years earlier leaving her to raise 8 children in poverty. His mother died of a weak heart and
bronchitis in Hull at her eldest daughter’s home three days before Albert’s 3rd
birthday. After this Albert was raised
by his brother, Henry, at 11 Brighton Terrace, Brighton Street, Hull. This was his address during the 1901 census
and again on his marriage certificate in 1920.
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Albert’s WW1 medal card shows that he served in the RFA (Royal
Field Artillery) with the rank of driver, regiment number 47948. He earned three medals, the Victory medal
and the British medal which are on medal roll 15601, and the 1915 Star which is
on roll 3864 at the National Archives in Kew.
The medal rims would have been inscribed with his number and regiment or
corps. He served in France, arriving on
8th September 1915 which means he may have seen action at Loos
(where his brother William died) and the Somme. While serving on the Western Front grandad also won a
non-combative medal for a wrestling on horseback competition, shown here
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Albert
married Lilian Wells in the parish church for Dairycoates, Hull on 8th
May 1920. They had four children:
Thomas Albert b1921 known as Al,
Edwin b1925, known as Eddie then later as Ted,
Ronald b1929 known as little Ronnie who died in infancy,
Pat b1945, with downs syndrome.
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Albert & Lily |
Al,
Eddie and little Ronnie who died shortly after this photo was taken 1931 |
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Albert, Al, Eddie & Lily, c1940 |
Albert
& Lily’s daughter, Pat, born 1945 |
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After having endured the trenches of
the Western Front how did Albert feel about his sons going to fight in WW2?
Albert’s marriage certificate states
that his father was Henry Park Gillyon (deceased) and
his son, Ted, believed that Albert and his dad before him were born in the same
house in St Andrew St in Beverley. The
fact that the information is incorrect leads me to believe that Albert did not
know that he was illegitimate.
In 1921
Albert was a shipyard labourer ex Army and the 1939 Kelly’s directory lists him
as a Fish Bobber (unloads fish off trawlers).
Albert died in 1963 aged 69 and was cremated.
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