With no one with living memory of him alive, or stories written down, there's a need to clarify what we know about my maternal great grand father George Charles Beech Hooper and his family of origin before it is too late... From notes written on the back of a photograph by my mother, Paula, we find...
"Grandpa Hooper (George Charles Beech Hooper) was 73/74 when he died--appears to have been born in 1846. He was born in Wiltshire - Bath - home 'Bradford on Avon'. His family home, 'Murhill House' B-on-Avon. He went to Blue Coat School, W'shire. There was an Aunt Fanny. Also Edith Crutwell - Auntie Min (Fanny Emily Mary Rose nee Hooper b 1877) used to write to her. Her son Hugh Crutwell was Secretary to the Governor of Hong Kong. During World War II his wife Joyce and first born (at that time only child) Martin were evacuated to Sydney and stayed with Auntie Min for a time. Hugh's father was an historian at Oxford University." _______________________________--- While largely correct, after checking carefully through a range records, also speaking with my sister, it seems that the following edited version may be more correct. I've also added some additional historical information. "Grandpa Hooper (George Charles Beech Hooper) was 73/74 when he died--appears to have been born in 1846. He was born in Wiltshire - Bath - home 'Bradford on Avon'. His family home, 'Murhill House' B-on-Avon. He went to Blue Door School, W'shire. There was Edith Crutwell. Auntie Min (Fanny Emily Mary Rose nee Hooper b 1877) used to write to her. There was also an Aunt Fanny, Grandpa Hooper's sister whose son, Hugh McAuley Crutwell, who attended Bath Gr school and studied History at Oxford, graduating in 1890, was a teacher. Hugh McAuley Crutwell's son Humphrey John Crutwell, recorded by Paula as "Secretary to the Governor of Hong Kong" was certainly a 'Civil Servant, HK' and listed under that occupation in the records of the Stanley Internment Camp in Hong Kong. He appears to have been held at the Stanley Internment Camp by the Japanese from early 1942 to the end of World War II and is recorded in a fellow detainee's journal as having taught German classes while there. "During World War II his wife Joyce and first born (at that time only child) Martin were evacuated to Sydney and stayed with Auntie Min for a time". Possibly a distant cousin, .... Crutwell was an historian at Oxford University, ........, was typecast in many of the novels of Evelyn Waugh. (Still under construction....) Editing old laptop files just now I came across the baptism record of my maternal grandmother, Lily Hooper, at St Peter's Anglican Church, East Melbourne. Lily was baptised on the same day as her brother Charles and sisters Violet and Ruby. We have a rather lovely photo of these children taken in their 'Sunday Best'.... looking at it now, and the ages given above, it was highly likely to have been taken on the day of their baptisms at St Peter's. Lily would have been about six. Charlie (Back); Ruby; Lily; Violet (Note the smocking on the dresses and home made lace collars!) Two things stared out at me from the certificate - the first - my great grandfather, George Charles Beech Hooper, was described as having the profession of 'Collector'. Now this could be anything from a refuse collector to a tax or customs collector.... As he was a clerk for the Melbourne Steamship Company earlier, I'm thinking he may have been a tax, customs collector, or perhaps a collector of bad debts? Perhaps my sister, knows something about this, as she is our 'Hooper' side family historian. The second thing which stared out at me ... 106 Grey Street (spelling Gray St on certificate), East Melbourne, was the address of the family at this time. Mum spoke of Nanna growing up in East Melbourne and I'm sure at times when we were driving in the vicinity spoke of this. I tried to find some photos of housing in Grey Street - it is clearly in the 'Hospitals' zone these days. It is in such a wonderfully central area, near the Fitzroy Gardens, St Pat's Cathedral, Parliament House, and very close to the Epworth Hospital where my niece had her two boys.
The East Melbourne Historical Society's website has photos of houses bordering on Grey Street and of housing which which still remains or was photographed before demolition. The housing appears varied, from two story Victorian villas to one story possibly upmarket cottages - it is hard to say what 106 Grey Street looked like. It is in the area of Laneways - the East Melbourne Historical Society has put together a booklet on the Laneways of East Melbourne which I'd like to check out, both the book and the laneways. Considering the housing, it seems more likely that George Charles Beech Hooper was, at the time, some sort of collector of finances rather than refuse. It's interesting that they don't have early records of dance teachers, or Nanna's dance teacher, though there is an article about the origins of the Australian Ballet School in the area. |
The Journey ...An 'occasional blog' recording elements of my renewed family history journey. This is the second wave in my 'family history' journey. The first lasted from 2010 to 2014. with intermittent bursts since then. It's time to revisit, to share more stories, to edit, to tackle uncertainties... Categories
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