The R.A.F.’s Account Of The 1935 Quetta Earthquake

Posted on 26 September 2014 by

Harvey’s grandparents (Cyril Norman Ellen and Gladys Lily Ellen, nee Gardner) were in Quetta, which was then in British India, during the devastating earthquake in 1935. I’ve published a page about the event which includes an excerpt from the RAF Operations Books giving an account of the earthquake – Harvey’s grandfather was in command of No 5 (AC) Squadron at the time. As the account is quite long I’ve selected some extracts which are featured below…

Aftermath of the Quetta Earthquake 1935

Aftermath of the Quetta Earthquake 1935

The time at which the first shock of the earthquake occurred is given officially as 0306 hours on 31st May, 1935. The night was fine but dark as there was no moon.

The Royal Air Force lines comprising No. 3 (Indian) Wing, No. 5 (AC) Squadron and No. 31 (AC) Squadron were in the direct line of the Earthquake.

The greatest shock awaited the rescue party when it reached the airmen’s lines. What had once been the Airmen’s Barracks was now nothing but a series of detached heaps of brick rubble with the tin roofs resting, torn and twisted on the top. A few survivors were wandering among the ruins in a stunned condition, calling to trapped inmates. A few were desperately digging down with their bare hands trying to release their buried friends.

… there was no light, great clouds of dust, cut off what little help they could have hoped for from the stars, all electric light cables were down, dawn did not come until about 6.30 a.m…. they had nothing to dig with except their hands… their work was continually being undone, by fresh tremors, which occurred at frequent intervals during the first few hours, often reburying a victim who had just been on the point of release…

Immediately before dawn a battalion of the Punjabis, who had been on a night march, came to our assistance and, as they brought with them their trenching tools, were of immense value and greatly speeded up the rescue work. At about 8 a.m. a section of light tanks arrived and were at once set to work pulling the heavy roofs off the ruins.

The last survivor was extracted at noon. The last body was removed at about 4.p.m. A bull terrier was found alive and uninjured 36 hours after the disaster…

It was found that many of the victims died from suffocation.

If possible the buildings occupied by the Indian Air Force personnel and followers were in an even worse condition than those of the British Airmen and not a single man escaped uninjured. Owing to the fact that many of the followers had entire families sleeping in their quarters the death roll was enormous and it is impossible to give an accurate estimate of the casualties in this part of the camp.

The aircraft hangars which were of steel construction stood up to the earthquake, though most of the brick walled flight offices fell in or were damaged. Such was the violence of the shaking, however, that all the aircraft had been thrown about inside and dashed against each other or into the walls. Inspection showed that only three out of the twenty seven held by the wing were fit to fly.

After some hours work these three aircraft were extracted from the hangars… By 10 a.m. the machines were in the air.

The main effected area was found to extend about 70 miles South from QUETTA many small towns and villages being completely wrecked. The death roll was later estimated as 56,000 of whom 25,000 died in QUETTA.

…during June, the entire R.A.F. personnel less a small salvage party were moved to R.A.F. Depot, Karachi.

Digging for kit and the bodies of Indian Followers continued during the first week of June. For the first two nights the airmen lit fires between the ruins of their bungalows and slept in tents under whatever blankets and kit they had been able to salve… By the 2nd the camp had become very insanitary. Decaying bodies in the gaol and nearby villages began to smell very strongly, drains were blocked… All work was carried out by men working with first field dressing pads tied over their mouths and noses.

It was decided to evacuate the camp and airmen moved into tents in the Queen’s Lines… The Officers lived in tents on their Mess Lawn and had their meals in the open.

On 1st July, 1935, only a small salvage party remained in Quetta collecting documents equipment and furniture. The remainder of the Squadron in Karachi continued to repair the damaged aircraft.

Aftermath of the Quetta Earthquake 1935

Aftermath of the Quetta Earthquake 1935

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Battle Of Trafalgar Veteran Or A Tall Story?

Posted on 25 August 2014 by

When Israel Edwards died in Australia in 1877, there were a number of obituaries printed in the press in both Australia and England. There are, however, some inconsistencies in Israel and his wife, Susanna’s, story.

Just how old was Israel?

Israel’s obituary mentions he was aged anything between 102 and 106 years old when he died. Nevertheless, assuming he was baptized as a baby in 1786, he was more than likely about 91 years old.

One article says that Israel was widowed at the age of 60 and implies that Susanna died before the family emigrated in 1847. Israel would indeed have been about 60 in 1847 but Susanna didn’t pass away until 1860 after the family had been living in Australia for 13 years so Israel was nearer to 74 years old at this stage.

Susanna Saunders was supposedly 21 when she married Israel in 1818 and he 45. There were apparently objections raised by her friends because she was so young. Her death record states she was 23 years old when she married and he would actually have been about 32, approximately 9 years age difference rather than the exaggerated 24 years.

Did Israel really assist Vice Admiral Lord Nelson when he died?

The age discrepancies are not the only problem. Israel was supposed to have served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars and to have been present at the Battle of Trafalgar on the Victory when Nelson was killed. One artcicle goes so far as to say that Israel ran to pick up Nelson as he fell.

Detail from The Death of Nelson by Daniel Maclise (Houses of Parliament, London)

Detail from The Death of Nelson by Daniel Maclise
(Houses of Parliament, London)

This sounds a little far-fetched to me and further investigation shows no surviving evidence to support the fact that Israel was in the Navy and he does not appear in a search on the Trafalgar Ancestors website. The story goes he left the navy before he was entitled to a pension which may give him a little benefit of the doubt.

Israel’s brother, Angel, did enlist in the Army Reserve in 1803 but Israel’s contribution may have been a tall story which he told his children, either for fun and they believed it, or for any number of other reasons. We shall probably never know the truth.

Emigration

One thing to say is that the journey to Australia in 1847 would have been a brave thing to do at the time, not least because the ship they sailed in lost her main top mast near Madeira in a heavy gale and so they had to return to Plymouth and set sail again almost a month after setting off the first time.

The family moved from Adelaide to Victoria in about 1852 and, if the obituaries are to be believed, Israel worked on the diggings for a couple of years. Victoria’s first Gold Rush started in 1851 so the reason for the move to Victoria appears obvious. What is not so clear is why they emigrated in the first instance but this may have had more to do with conditions at home.

The Irish Famine was ongoing in 1847 and this would have affected mainland Britain too. Indeed, Israel’s nephew and niece-in-law, Israel Edward Ball & his wife, Ann (nee Dearing), both died in that year along with their infant son. The effects of the Corn Laws and their Repeal may also have contributed to the decision to emigrate. This link gives an example of the hardships these laws brought about, which were suffered by a North Devon farm labourer and his family. There’s just no knowing what life in North Devon was like for Israel and Susanna but it must have been hard and they probably looked to Australia for a better life.

The obituaries can be found on Israel and Susanna’s family page.

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More Devon Ancestors

Posted on 19 June 2014 by

I’ve been investigating the ancestors of Israel Edward Ball and Ann Dearing, in addition to adding further details for this couple.

Israel and Ann were due to be married in 1838 when Ann was pregnant with daughter, Maria. Banns were read in February but, for some reason, the wedding didn’t happen at this time. Perhaps the baby was early – Maria was baptized on 22nd April – but we can never be certain of the reason for the delayed nuptials.

When Ann was pregnant with their daughter, Mary, banns of marriage were once again called and Israel and Ann married in Okehampton on 2nd August 1840. Mary was baptized three months later. Sadly, Mary died in 1842 and a son, William, arrived in about 1845.

Tragedy struck again in 1847 when Ann died in February and then Israel in August. Two weeks later, little William was buried. A note in the burial register mentions that a Coroner’s Order for Burial was issued. I haven’t yet established the cause of death but there doesn’t seem to be anything in the newspapers so I imagine the coroner may have become involved if he died alone.

The parish register showing the burials of Israel and William Ball

The parish register showing the burials of Israel and William Ball

The only member of the family to survive was nine-year-old Maria, my great-great-grandmother. In 1851, a pauper by the name of Maria Daring (probably a mis-spelling of Dearing – Maria was sometimes known by her mother’s maiden name due to her illegitimacy) was resident in the Okehampton Union Workhouse. A Maria Ball was a farm servant at Whitestone Farm in Mary Tavy in 1861. She later married George Geake, had six children and eventually died in 1901.

Ancestors of Maria Dearing

Ancestors of Maria Dearing (click to enlarge)

Ann Dearing’s father was John Dearing and her mother was Mary. John was a cordwainer, a profession I’ve encountered before as my Weaver family from Curry Rivel were also cordwainers and boot and shoemakers.

Israel Ball’s parents were William Ball and Maria Edwards. They had four children, Israel, Samuel, Sally (or Sarah) and Mary. William died in 1845 but Maria lived until 1849. We can speculate that Maria Ball (nee Edwards) might have taken in her grand-daughter, poor Maria Dearing, after the death of the latter’s parents but, at present, I have no information between 1847 and the census of 1851 so I cannot know for sure.

William Ball’s parents were Thomas Ball and Mary. There were two marriages in Okehampton involving a Thomas Ball in the right time frame. Unfortunately, they were both married to Marys so I’m currently unable to tell whether my 5 x great-grandmother was Mary Seldon or Mary Brooke. By a small coincidence, I already have ancestors called Seldon attached to a different branch of my tree, located further north in Merton.

Back to Maria Edwards, her parents were Nathaniel Edwards and Grace Reckett/Riccard. Nathaniel was a blacksmith and the couple had six children, some with rather unusual names – there was a daughter called Beaten (yes, that’s right), then Maria, a son called Angel (reminds me of Tess of the D’Urbevilles) and two more sons called Elias and Israel. The last two were baptized on the same day and might have been twins but not necessarily. It’s obvious that Israel Ball was named after his uncle, Israel Edwards. The youngest was a daughter called Abet.

Angel enlisted in the Army Reserve in 1803, during the time of the Napoleonic Wars, but I’d been having difficulty tracing him after this. That was until FindMyPast released the ‘British Army, Casualty Index War of 1812’ collection. I hadn’t been able to find out what had eventually become of him after he’d enlisted in the Army Reserve and, at some point, become a regular soldier in the 8th (King’s) Regiment of Foot, 1st Battalion. It turns out that Angel died of wounds in 1814 after the Battle of Lundy’s Lane (also known as the Battle of Niagara Falls). He’d have been about 31 years old.

The Battle of Lundy’s Lane, which took place during the ‘War of 1812’, was fought between American troops and British regulars assisted by Canadians defending their homeland and militia on the evening of 25 July 1814, almost within sight of Niagara Falls. You can read more about the Battle of Lundy’s Lane here.

Beaten married Edward Bowden in 1811. He was about 60 and she 35. They had a daughter called Grace, presumably named after her grandmother. Edward died a couple of years after the marriage and was buried on the same day that baby Grace was baptized.

Elias married Elizabeth Wilkins in 1822 and Israel married Susanna Sanders in 1818.

[UPDATE: since I first posted, DNA has revealed that George Geake and Maria Dearing were most probably not the biological parents of my Great-grandfather, James Geake, and therefore the people named above were likely not my ancestors. James was, however, brought up by George and Maria as their own. Read about the DNA discovery here.]

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Burgoyne Or Congdon! What Was My Gr-Gr-Grandmother’s Maiden Name?

Posted on 20 January 2014 by

Having recently sent away for some details about the children of John Gale Hellier and his wife, Mary Ann, I acquired by default a copy of the couple’s marriage certificate amongst some documents which had been submitted to a Bristol orphanage re two of their children. This marriage has been a stumbling block for me for a number of years but a mystery still exists.

Marriage Certificate of John G Hellier and Mary Ann Burgoyne

Marriage Certificate of John G Hellier and Mary Ann Burgoyne
(click to enlarge)

My great-grandmother’s birth certificate shows her mother’s name as Mary Ann Hellyer formerly Congdon. However, the recently discovered marriage certificate states that her maiden name was Burgoyne. They married at Shanagolden Church in the parish of Shanagolden in the County of Limerick – family legend had supported an Irish connection. I am going to need to obtain further certificates to see what they give as Mary’s original surname.

The ceremony took place on 15th February 1871 and, unusually, the couple’s first child wasn’t born until 1878. John was in the Navy and I will have to study his naval service record in greater detail but, on first glance, it would seem that he was based in Plymouth much of the time. This is where John and Mary settled and had their children but perhaps she didn’t come to this country immediately.

[Update: more on the mystery of Mary Ann’s maiden name can be viewed here and here. Later research, backed up by DNA, revealed that Mary Ann was the daughter of James Condon/Congdon and Louisa Reed. William George Henry Burgoyne was her step-father. More on this here.]

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The Life Of My 2 x Great-Aunt Kate Louisa Hellyer

Posted on 9 January 2014 by

Born the eldest child to John Gale Hellier, a stoker in the Royal Navy, and his wife, Mary Ann (nee Congdon) in 1878, Kate Louisa Hellyer had a difficult start in life. She was 12 when her mother died and was listed on the 1891 census as a 13 year old housekeeper in her father’s home, no doubt looking after her four younger siblings who were also residing there. Three others were living elsewhere including her youngest brother, John, who had been born a few months before his mother’s death and had been adopted.

Kate had only just turned 17 when her father died in 1895 and she was further separated from her younger sisters when they were sent to various orphanages.

In March 1897, she had an illegitimate child, Reginald William Hellyer, in the Devonport Workhouse. This must have been a frightening and awful time for her; she had no parents to lend her support and, it would appear, no other family members willing or able to help. Reginald was fostered out at 4 months old to a couple named William James Parkes and his wife, Mary Ann (nee McCarthy) and placed into Barnado’s when he was 9 after William Parkes died.

Kate married Thomas Hambly at the beginning of 1899 and her next child, Thomas John V Hambly, was born around the same time. Kate’s first husband died during 1900, probably a short while before the birth of a daughter, Hilda Louisa Hambly, and the following year she married John Stone. Kate had several more children by John and the 1911 census shows that her two children by Thomas Hambly also lived in the same household in Laira, Plymouth.

John Stone was a railway signalman and it makes perfect sense that the family should live in Laira as there is a railway depot there to this day. Kate might have lived there for the remainder of her life. She was definitely in Laira in 1918 when her youngest sister, Jane, died of influenza and pneumonia in her home at 1 Garfield Villas. The family were also recorded at the same address in 1921.

AI Generated image depicting Kate nursing her sister, Jane

AI Generated image depicting Kate nursing her sister, Jane.
(No actual photographs of the individuals are available to the author.)

My mum never met her Great-aunt Kate but she is aware she lived in Laira because my mum’s Auntie Lily (Lily Alice Geake) used to visit Kate. Lily, Kate’s niece, bought my parents an iron for their wedding in 1959 with the wrong voltage because she had assumed the voltage for Plymstock, where my mum and dad were going to live, was the same as for Laira which was only a few miles away.

In 1931, Kate was widowed for a second time and she died in Plymouth in about 1955.

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