. . . AND FOUND
THE mystery of a long-lost family member has been solved. ‘I am looking for relatives of my uncle, Albert Harris,’ writes John Fletcher, 72, a retired teacher from West Hallam, Derbyshire. ‘Born in 1911 in Ripley, Derbyshire, Albert was my mother’s brother. He was an Able Seaman in the Royal Navy and died while serving in HMS Daring when it was sunk in the North Sea in February 1940. ‘I’ve been unable to trace a wife or children. I was given the middle name of Albert in his honour.’ Research by three genealogists discovered Albert was married. ‘He wed Olive Edwards in June 1939 in Portsea, Hampshire, when he was serving on the aircraft carrier HMS Argus,’ writes John. ‘They had no children. After Albert’s death, Olive placed loving tributes to him in the local papers. She married a Canadian army sergeant in 1945 and moved to Saskatchewan. They had three children and she died in 1970. ‘I’ve written to two of Olive’s relatives and hope to hear back. ‘Barry Snape got in contact to tell me his father John was Albert’s best friend. In October 1933, they walked the 11 miles from the Derbyshire village of Stanley to Nottingham to enlist in the Royal Navy and were given consecutive service numbers.’
IF there is someone you’d like to trace, write to Gill Whitley, 1 Newbrook house, New hall Lane, Preston, Pr1 5Pe, enclosing an SAe, or send an email to monica.porter@dailymail.co.uk, including a phone number. All communications answered as soon as possible. A small donation is requested for employing Gill Whitley’s services. this column is researched with the aid of 192.com.