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Children of Charles & Alice Chambers
Charles and Alice Chambers had seven children. The mini family tree below shows the children and their partners. There follows a short section on each, giving a snapshot on their lives after they left the family home in Charlton; and for some, that includes pictures and stories of their own children - Charles & Alice’s grandchildren.
C&A Chambers children: Welcome
C&A Chambers children: Image
Amelia Chambers
Amelia married Henry (Harry) Reynolds in 1908 and they had two children, Millicent and Harry. The couple, with Millicent, also appear in the 1915 wedding photo of Amelia’s eldest brother Charles (on home page of website).
Amelia & Harry Reynolds are recorded in the 1939 Register living at 62 Upcot Street, Deptford. Harry’s occupation is listed as a ‘Motorman Train Driver’ and Amelia’s is recorded as ‘Unpaid Domestic Duties’.
Little more is known of the couple; Henry died in 1947, but Amelia lived another 30 years. She was two days short of her 98th birthday when she died in April 1978.
C&A Chambers children: About
Esther Chambers
In 1906 Esther Chambers married George Mortimore. Their first child, Olive, was born in February 1907 and at the time of the 1911 Census the family were living at 111 Alabama Street, in Plumstead. Esther & George went on to have two more children: Connie in 1911 and George junior in 1923. Olive and Connie both appear seated at the front of the 1915 wedding photo of their uncle Charles (Esther's brother). (Photo on home page of website).
By the time of the 1939 Register, Esther & George Mortimore had settled in Welling, in a house called ‘Dovedale’; George’s occupation was listed as a greyhound track proprietor.
Their son, George junior, served in the RAF during the 2nd World War. He was a Sergeant in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (207 Squadron) and he was just 20 when he was shot down over France in 1943. He is buried in Lavannes Churchyard, near Reims in north-eastern France.
You can view George Mortimore's commemoration certificate here.
C&A Chambers children: Text
C&A Chambers children: Image
Charles A Chambers
In the 1911 census, Charles & Alice’s eldest son, Charles Alfred was living and working in Coventry (along with his younger brother Sidney) as a "Motor Fitter". Charles returned to London around 1913/14 and got a job working at the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich at the start of the 1st World War.
In July 1915 he married Grace Mackenzie in Charlton. (Their wedding photograph is on the home page of the website). You can read more about Charles & Grace’s lives and their five children in “Families”.
C&A Chambers children: Text
William Chambers
The name of Charles & Alice’s fourth child, William Chambers, appears in the 1904 records for the Company of Waterman & Lightermen and in the following census, in 1911, William’s occupation is recorded as a ‘Waterman’. Watermen worked on the passenger boats on the River Thames, transferring people along and across the river.
William married Maud West in 1938, but within a year he had died and in the 1939 Register, Maud is listed as a widow living at their home at 9 Algernon Road in Lewisham. The memorial card (right) records William’s death. The letter was written by Maud to her sister-in-law (Eva Chambers) soon after the funeral. It reads:
Dear Eva, I am sending you six cards because I do not know the other addresses. I wish you would give them one each and I wondered if you would like to send one to his brother in Canada. How is your mother keeping I hope you found her quite allright when you got home last week. I went up to the cemetery last Sunday all the flowers were dead. I expect it was the heat. Well I think this is all now hoping you and all are quite well. I remain
yours sincerely
M.A Chambers.
C&A Chambers children: About
William Chambers died in April 1939 and was interred in Ladywell Cemetery. Maud Chambers lived into her nineties and died in December 1981. She is buried with her parents, Robert and Caroline West, in Charlton Cemetery.
Sidney Chambers
The mention of ‘Canada’ in the above letter, refers to William’s younger brother, Sidney. In 1911, aged 21, Sidney was living and working with his brother Charles in Coventry; but two years later he was in Canada. (Sidney's travels are captured in the “Personal Stories” section).
C&A Chambers children: Text
Evelyn Chambers
Evelyn (Eva) married James (Jim) Thomas Small in July 1921 and together they had a son, also called James, born in 1925.
Eva’s husband fought in the First World War, initially with the 20th London Regiment (April 1915-June 1916). But in June 1916 he transferred to the Royal Flying Corps to be an aircraft mechanic and in April 1918 he became part of the newly formed RAF. After the war, in January 1921, Jim joined the 'Black & Tans' at Gormanston Camp in Ireland.
The ‘Black and Tans’ were recruited to reinforce the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) during the Irish War of Independence. Recruitment began in January 1920 and overall about 10,000 men were enlisted during the conflict - the majority were unemployed former British soldiers who had fought in the First World War. The surge in numbers led to a shortage of uniforms and the new recruits were issued with khaki army trousers and dark green RIC tunics. This differentiated them from both the RIC and the British Army and led to the nickname: "Black and Tans".
C&A Chambers children: About
Jim Small returned to England in 1922 and got work as a driver with the London Bus Company (later to become 'London Transport'). A photograph that was published in the national press (Daily Mail) in the 1930s, of a scene of two children dancing amongst the crowds at Epsom racecourse, happened to include Jim and his bus. Jim later became a chauffeur and there are a number of photos of him driving rather elegant 1930s & 40s cars, often accompanied by Eva (see photos below).
After the Second World War, Jim & Eva lived for another forty years at 4, Montcalm Road, Charlton. Jim died in 1985 and Eva died in February the following year.
C&A Chambers children: Text
C&A Chambers children: Image
Ivy (Alice) Chambers
Ivy Chambers was Charles & Alice’s youngest child. In early documents, such as the census records for 1901 and 1911, she appears as Ivy Alice Chambers; but later she starts to use her second name - initially on her marriage certificate as Alice I Chambers, but also later (once married) as Alice Ivy Smith..
Ivy was born in 1898 and grew up, like her sister Eva, in south London, living at 35, North Street, Charlton. In 1919 she became pregnant and records show that - possibly due to being unmarried or perhaps since she was already working away from home - Ivy was admitted to the St John’s Road Workhouse in Islington for the birth of her child. (At that time the workhouse was often the only refuge for unmarried pregnant women during and after the birth of their child).
Ivy’s child was born on the day she was admitted - 26th March 1920; and the child’s name was recorded on the documentation as John Stanley. Ivy left the workhouse with her son a month later and 10 months later a series of photos of mother and child were taken at the photography studio of P. Luton in New Cross, including the photo below. Ivy’s home address at the time was recorded by the studio as: 32, Malton Street, Plumstead.
C&A Chambers children: About
C&A Chambers children: Image
Towards the end of 1922 Ivy married her son’s father - Percy Stanley Smith. Percy lived in Plumstead and had enlisted in the army in August 1915. He had joined the Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA) as a gunner but was discharged in August 1918 - according to the records “for reasons of disablement/ill health”.
The three photos below are of Ivy & Percy’s son John, growing up: with his cousins Jim Small (Eva’s son) and George Mortimore (Esther’s son); and with his grandmother Alice Chambers (née Bateman).
C&A Chambers children: Text
C&A Chambers children: Image
In the 1939 Register Ivy & Percy were recorded living with their son John (now aged 19) at 171, Ancona Road in Plumstead. John was recorded as an apprentice Maintenance Engineer. He went on to become an Artificer in the Royal Navy during the Second World War and in 1944 he married Nancy McKellow.
Ivy and Percy Smith were still living at 171, Ancona Road when Percy died in 1962, with records showing that he left his estate to his wife Alice Ivy Smith.
C&A Chambers children: About
C&A Chambers children: Text
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