Eureka Moment
Bryan Kelsall inherited a cache of memorabilia that revealed a love affair between Florence Tilstone and a mystery soldier. Uncovering his identity has been a remarkable achievement, as Gail Dixon explains
“I uncovered my grandmother’s secret WW1 boyfriend,” explains indefatigable family historian Bryan Kelsall
The War Office Record Store in Arnside Street, Walworth, London, held the records of millions of First World War soldiers until they were destroyed in a fire resulting from a German bombing raid in September 1940. Their loss means that searching for details of a relation’s service can be immensely frustrating.
Fortunately the records that survived the fire are now available via a number of websites. They can hold vital clues for family historians, including attestations (a form completed on enlistment), medical details, home address and next of kin.
Bryan Kelsall found an attestation record among his grandmother’s keepsakes. This led him on a fascinating journey to discover the identity of her wartime sweetheart.
MY BRICK WALL
After my father’s death, I was intrigued to discover that he had kept safe a collection of old letters and postcards, a photograph of a group of soldiers, and a halffilled-in short-service attestation. They must have been significant to him, because they had survived several house moves.
Ten of the postcards were addressed to Miss Tilstone of Burslem, Staffordshire, and later North Ormesby, near Middlesbrough. Miss Tilstone was my paternal grandmother Florence, who was born in Burslem in 1894.
The postcards and letters were signed “love Harry”, and were written between November 1915 and July 1917. The photograph didn’t identify Harry, but the attestation gave the full name of William Henry Ford who joined up in Stoke-on-Trent in 1915.
Florence married my grandfather George Kelsall in Staffordshire in 1918, so the love letters must have been sent before they met. Why did she keep them?
A shiver went down my spine. It was as though Florence had left clues so that one day someone would discover the love affair. Who was the mysterious Harry?
MY EUREKA MOMENT
I began searching at forceswar-records.co.uk, looking for a Staffordshire lad, but none of the name matches fitted the bill. I then turned to North Ormesby.
Searching ancestry.co.uk, I was intrigued to find a William Henry Ford, who was born in Middlesbrough in 1892 and listed on the 1911 census as a draper’s assistant. He was living in North Ormesby with his mother and siblings. With a name and place, I could start searching the site’s military records.
After scrolling down half a page I couldn’t believe my luck when a full service record appeared for a William Henry Ford of the North Staffordshire Regiment. His address in 1915 was 5 Newport Street, Burslem – an exact match with Florence’s address on 10 of the postcards. Harry and Florence
both lodged there and worked as garment-makers. That’s how they met and fell in love.
MY BREAKTHROUGH
I wanted to put a face to Harry in the group photograph. His military record stated that he was an acting sergeant around the time that the photograph was taken. There was a soldier pictured with the relevant stripes.
If someone else was researching Harry’s family online then they might have a photograph of him. By luck there was a member of the Ford family on Ancestry, and although they didn’t have a photo of Harry, they had one of his brother, Arthur, taken when he was 28. The likeness between Arthur and the sergeant depicted in my photo was indisputable.
The letters were faded and hard to transcribe, but I began to build a picture of their lives. Florence was obviously deeply in love with Harry, and pleaded with him to leave the Army. Harry was based at Rugeley Camp, near Cannock, Staffordshire, and visited Florence in Burslem whenever he could.
In August 1916, Harry was informed that his regiment would soon be sent to France. The couple travelled to North Ormesby, so that Florence could meet his family. They exchanged photographs, and waved their goodbyes. Florence stayed on with Harry’s family for a while, which is why some of the cards were addressed to North Ormesby.
I searched through the battalion’s War Diary on Ancestry to piece together Harry’s military activities in France. It seems that soon after arriving in Calais, Harry indulged in a moment of pleasure that he would regret. A fortnight later, he was admitted to hospital suffering from syphilis.
Despite frequent bouts that required hospital stays, Harry was still able to serve at the front line. In 1917, he saw action at the Battle of Arras, in which British forces suffered more than 158,000 casualties. During the battle, Harry was gassed but somehow managed to survive.
From May 1917, Harry began to send Florence postcards from the Beaufort War Hospital in Bristol. She must have suffered terrible anxiety, because he had been sent home with tuberculosis. The couple corresponded until 18 July, when Harry’s cards stopped abruptly. He passed away on 20 July, at the age of 25.
Florence kept the cards, letters and photograph in memory of Harry. Thank goodness she did, because a century later they let me uncover their moving story.