Tracking my family through Brighton in the 1930s

My father (Gordon Dinnis) was eight years old in 1931. He was living with his parents (Joseph and Annie Dinnis) and his brothers and sister in the basement of number four Charlotte Street, Brighton.  The family lived here from 1931 to at least 1933. Recently my cousin Sue went for a walkabout in the area, and took some great photographs. Here are three of them.

Charlotte Street, Brighton beach is at the bottom of the road.

Number 4 Charlotte Street

The family of parents and four children lived in the basement.

I have this photograph of the children from August 1931, when Jack was 11, Nancy 9, Gordon 8 and Ron the youngest was 6.

Left to right: Nancy, Ron, Gordon and Jack on Brighton beach

I’m not sure how many rooms were in the basement of number 4 Charlotte Street, but it must have been a bit of a squash to say the least. The children were no longer babies or toddlers and I wonder how they all managed to live together in a basement.

From stories Dad used to tell me I know that he spent a lot of time with his younger brother Ron walking along Brighton seafront. He loved playing football, and would kick stones around, which would wear out his shoes very quickly! They would often need repairing and his mother would see to this without trying to let her husband know. The brothers also used to look out for men who were smoking, and ask if they could have their cigarette cards from the packets.

Looking on the website http://www.mhms.org.uk it is possible to access Kellys Directory which shows in 1932 the occupants of 4 Charlotte Street included Janes Woolf, Mrs Fitzgerald, Miss A Ledward and Joseph Dinnis (my grandfather). Obviously Joseph Dinnis had a family, so perhaps the other residents also had family living with them.

Many thanks to Sue for letting me use her photographs.

 

 

The Olympics – Sports My Family Might Have Competed In

Currently the Olympics are taking place in Rio, and I always enjoy watching the different sports. It made me wonder ‘what if’ I or members of my family had been more committed to sports that we enjoyed! Here are some pictures of the ‘what if’s’ and what might have come of us …

Jacqueline Ann Dinnis, football

Enid May Dinnis
Table tennis

Enid May Dinnis and Gordon Charles Dinnis
Cycling

Gordon Charles Dinnis
Table tennis

Jacqueline Ann Dinnis
Swimming

None of us were committed enough for the Olympics, which makes me appreciate more the medals we are winning in Rio.

 

 

 

 

Motoring and the Family

Looking back at my family photographs I see that at least a couple of them were photographed with cars. I’m not sure if they owned the vehicles, but it’s great to see them anyway.

George Dinnis Junior 1920s

George John Dinnis Junior is my great-uncle, the brother of my paternal grandfather. He was the eldest in the family, and named after his father, George Dinnis, my great-grandfather.

Rose and Wilf 1925

Rose and Wilf at Guildford, Surrey 10 July 1927

Rose Davis is my great-aunt, the sister of my paternal grandmother. Here she is with her husband Wilf.

 

My last throw of the dice

Writing this blog has been the best thing I did in a long time. It has connected me to many second and third cousins and friends that I had lost touch with. But I wonder if there comes a time when the blog comes to an end? When you have posted all the photographs you own, written about all the events you remembered and you struggle to find something else to write about.

It seems silly to force it, to re-write the same story over and over. Thinking back to what started me on this journey I recall it was the need to find my maternal grandfather. And although I have been so lucky in finding my maternal grandmother’s family I am still no nearer in finding Granddad.

Right to left: Jonathan Mooney (my son) Me, Ron (my mother’s cousin), Graham (Ron’s son), Pam (Graham’s wife) Kerry (Ron’s granddaughter)

Meeting this lovely family has added so much to my life, and there are many more ‘Cockett’s’ that have happily added me to their family. But even meeting Ron, who remembered meeting my mother when she was a young woman, and who knew her mother, Queenie very well has failed to throw up a scent of who mum’s father might be.

So. I have decided that my final throw of the dice is to take the ancestry DNA test. I have found enough of my family to know which countries might show up, and if another country is located, that might be the one that leads to my grandfather.

Also about 20 million people have apparently taken the ancestry test, and of those who chose to have their results made public, I am hoping that maybe a descendent of my grandfather’s might be one of them.

If I’ve got the idea correct, then if my DNA connects enough with another’s, they may be a close relative. A cousin perhaps, or a half cousin. I am hoping that my grandfather had other children, and they might have taken this test, or their children might have taken this test and been willing to go public with their results.

It is the last chance I can think of to find my grandfather. I have no real idea why it matters so much to me, when it didn’t matter at all to my mother. That, perhaps is another thing I ought to think about.

I just posted off my DNA, it will be at least 8 weeks to get the results. I must be patient, but I have waited over 50 years already so that is no problem. It really is my last throw of the dice. Wish me luck.

 

A Month of Football

Today is the start of the Euro 2016 football tournament. I have always loved football and look forward to the Euro’s every four years. To celebrate this fact I will try to post about football for the rest of the month.

Here is the first photograph I can find of myself with a ball. I am around one year old and enjoying myself in a local park.

I’m sure my dad was very proud to capture this image of me, but I’m not sure he quite expected the lifetime of loving football that would grow from it.

Good luck England in Euro 2016!

 

My Family Spreads to New Zealand

Searching for my ancestors has mainly been done via this blog and on ancestry.co.uk. Today when I took a quick peek at the latest interest on my family tree I found a lovely photograph of someone from my mother’s past.

John Alfred Slow
1834 – 1889

It has taken me a while to really understand who this is, and what relationship he is to me! I haven’t really grasped it yet, but here is what I know!

My great-grandfather, William Cockett (1852 – 1905) had an uncle (his mother’s brother) and this is John Alfred Slow.

He married his wife, Anne in  June 1874 in Wairau Valley, Blenheim, New Zealand and they had their first child in October 1874. this was Frances Annie Slow.

The photograph was posted by Michelle, who is the great-granddaughter of John Alfred Slow and who lives in New Zealand! The search continues.

Searching for old friends – Karen Slade

I am trying to find my old friends, and one of these is Karen Slade. She lived a few doors away from me in Farm Hill and was a year or so older than me. We both went to Woodingdean Primary School and we would play together all the time.

Here are some photos of her.

Karen is on the right, with me behind her, next to my Dad

Here I am sitting on a fence, my legs astride Karen!

Here we are in our Girls Brigade uniform, in my front garden. I am on the right, Karen on the left.

My birthday party, with Karen standing at the back on the left. I am seated, second from left.

Searching For Old Friends – Deborah and Marilyn Simms

Looking through my old photographs I have found some of old friends that I would love to make contact with again. Two of these are sisters Deborah and Marilyn Simms. They used to live in Suffolk Street, Hove and their parents were Vic and Iris.

I spent many happy hours playing with them as a child and went to stay with them overnight which was a huge thing for me back then! Here are some photographs of them taken in 1970.

Deborah Simms

Marilyn Simms

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you are out there and want to make contact, please leave a message.

School Trip to France (did I go on my own?)

I have been looking through some old photograph albums that I previously took no notice of because the photo’s are not of the best quality! Going back to 1970 when I was 12 years old and in the first year at Westlain Grammar School, the pupils in our year went on a day trip to France. I remember the excitement of thinking I was going to another country!

My parents bought me a camera so I could record this monumental event in my life! Here are my photographs.

However, it would appear I went on my own, and no one was around in Calais on that day. Does anyone else remember going on this trip?

The subtitles are the words recorded on the reverse of the photos.

A big store in Calais

A fountain

An open store in Calais

The garden where we had our lunch – Calais

Another view of the gardens in Calais

Flats in Calais

The Casino in Calais

The Casino

The Town Hall

The White Cliffs of Dover

 

Happy Birthday to Jack and Nancy

My father’s brother Jack and his sister Nancy had their birthdays two years and one day apart. Jack Douglas Dinnis was born on the 3rd of April 1920, and Nancy Dora was born on the 4th of April 1922. Jack was born in Basingstoke, while Nancy was born in Newcastle. Here are some photographs of the two of them

Remembering the happy times, and celebrating their birth.

Nancy Dora Dinnis and Jack Douglas Dinnis

Left to right: Jack, Nancy, Annie (their mother) and Ron, their youngest brother. Taken in September 1948

3rd of April 1994.
Jack and Nancy