William Thomas ELSBURY

   Another name for William was William ELESBURY.

  General Notes:

Died Oct/Dec 2a 738 St Cath's Index

Road labourer, game keeper more like poacher.

Also builders labourer in 1902 and bricklayer journeyman.

Live Tangy Lane, next to the watermill. All children born in Clewer. Then they moved to St. Leonards High Standing Hill. Then Dedworth Ellen Cottages and 7 Church Terrace. William Thomas went into the army Labour Corps. His job was to clean up the trenches of all the dead bodies. Rose Alice was about 12 or 13 when he went to war. He came home once or twice on leave to get rid of his lice. After the war he was a road foreman for the council. He tried to join the police force and got accepted but he never did anything about it. He might have been a gamekeeper with his father earlier on. He died about 6 months before Pamla was born. He fell off his bike into a ditch and hit his head as he was drunk. Policeman picked him up and brought him home. Told him to behave himself. He went to work on Monday morning. Someone let Rose Edith know he wasn't well so she found Rose Alice and they went to the hospital in Bromley, Kent. He died in hospital leaving Rose Edith with three of the eight children to raise.

Reports of his death vary in the family apparently there was a news report about it but I have not found it yet. He was drunk and the policeman had a struggle with him and hit him on the head with a truncheon which was why he had to go to hospital later and died of Septic meningitis - the incident was hushed up as it would mean the policeman would get dismissed.

The death certificate Bromley in the sub district of Orpington in the County of Kent 1925 1st November, Farnborough Hospital Farnborough RD states:

William Thomas Elsbury male 45 years Plasterers Labourer 7 Church Terrace Dedworth Green, Windsor died of septic Meningitis following fracture of the base of the skull caused by an accidental fall from his bicycle on 20th ultimo by misadventure. Inquest held 3 November 1925.

The older children tried to help maintain the rest of the family and borrowed off other people. Aunt and Uncle Albert brought their second hand clothes and a few gave charity. When she was 14 to 17 years old Rose Alice had worked for a clergyman and he tried to help them out. He was Rev A. T. Gray who was married with 5 kids but he was not very kind to his wife and used to go off with other women. Rose Alice left and went washing dishes at a Windsor restaurant which is still there. She thought there must have been some sort of social security but couldn't remember.

Rose Alice was 22 years old and had to go to the mortuary to see her father. She used to spend 10 shillings a week to feed the others. She was earning 20 shillings a week. By the time she was 23 years old Pamla was born.

His brother was a policeman and lived at Theale. He had a brother called Ted and might have had a sister called Annie.

Could be G. Elsbury 1910 Wick Nurses Cottage, Englefield Green P.O. area ?

  Noted events in his life were:

• Residence, 1901, Clewer Without. ³

• Occupation: Bricklayers Labourer, 1901. ³

William married Living