The Major Family

The central character in this description of The Major Family is William Major.  I knew him as my grandfather and the father of my mother Kathleen Major.

William Major was born on the 13th August 1893 in Thorne with father James Alfred Major and mother Mary ( nee Barley.)  The certificate of baptism is below.

The Majors worked on the waterways around Thorne. The photograph below may well be of the Major family as the barge is identified as from Thorne.

William married Edith Annie Hinchliffe in c.1915.
(Space for copy of marriage certificate.)












It is possible that the photo below is of the wedding although there is no annotation to verify this.

The earliest verifiable photograph of William Major is in his WW1 Royal Engineers' uniform.

His remaining WW1 identity token ( # 330218 ) is shown below and is now in the possession of Peter Dunn.

My grandfather told me that he and the other soldiers had been transported through France in cattle trucks. My mother states that he was injured by the use of gas from the Germans in the battle of the Somme which led ultimately to his early death.

Between the First and the Second World Wars seven children were born.
A daughter Edith Annie is born in Thorne on 10 May 1915.

Edith Annie ( Grandma Major) with Edith Annie ( daughter may 1915) and likely son William ( Bill) circa 1918?

A son William was born before 1921 although as yet there is no date or place of birth
The documentary evidence above shows that Irene (b. 25 Sept 1921) , Doris (b. 25 Mar 1929 & d. 1938), Kathleen (b. 4 Jan 1924) and Ernest (b. 12 Sept 1926 d. Nov 1942) were born in Drypool - a part of the city of Hull to the east of the River Hull. Margaret (b. 1932 d. 2005.) although no written evidence.

In the 1930s prior to the outbreak of WW2 the family lived at 8 Pemberton Street, Drypool in Hull. (Whilst the housing has been demolished the street still exists and runs from Spyvee Street to Dansom Lane. It is likely that William still worked on the waters of the Humber and canals to the west around Thorne. The boats were pulled by horses along the canals. It is possible that the photo below shows one such canal horse and although it is not annotated, it was found in the family collection of old photos.

William Major ran a business called The Brigg Packet Co from 8 Pemberton Street and subsequently from 5 Pemberton Street. This is the house I remember as a child. The area had suffered bombing during WW2 and the flattened areas were still obvious as I grew up as a child.

This is currently an unverified photograph of William Major found in the collection of family memorabilia. It is after WW1.

During the 2nd World War William Major served on minesweepers. He was in his mid-40s at this time. His naval headband for HM Patrol Vessel  is shown below and is in the care of Peter Dunn.

The only story from this time is that he saved his daily rum ration in a bottle for his return home and it was stolen!
 Information from the period during the 2nd WW is scarce. Some photographs of my mother ( Kathleen Dunn) remain.

The only information is that a direct bomb hit on the shelter in Pemberton Street killed members of the local community.
Ernest Major died by drowning in Goole dock in 1942.

He is buried in Hedon Road Cemetery, section 17, Grave no 32, compartment number 392 and the burial number is 27053.

Below are two photographs of 5 Pemberton Street in Hull taken at some time in the late 70s.

The front of the house above and below the side view where demolition had already taken place.

The house was quite large with at least 4 bedrooms, front room, middle room and kitchen with a open fire that included a cooking range, kitchen and various store rooms at the back. There was a large yard and garage at the rear.
The lower photograph below shows my Grandma Major in the rear of the yard as some time in the late 50s or early sixties. Whilst the upper photograph shows grandma Major in the centre, the couple are unknown.
Gandma major cooked dinners for the extended family in the oven by the side of the fire and baked her own bread there. She knitted intricate patterned blue jerseys, gloves, socks and balaclavas from memory with no pattern to help.

At some stage in the early 50s my great-grandfather( James Alfred Major) lived in the middle room of the house at 5 Pemberton Street.  I remember him there. He used an oil lamp for illumination. The main story I remember is him telling me of the first time he saw a motor car! He said news got around that a car would be at the dockside and he walked there to see it. He told me how he climbed up the mast of a sailing barge to get a good view!! Now that is a good story that I talked with a man who remembered the first day he saw a car. It is very likely that this is him shown below with "Aunt Hilda".

James Alfred Major and Aunt Hilda are at the bottom centre of this group. On the right is Aunt Harriet ( in-law) and on the left is Sarah ( in-law.) Top left is Uncle Herbert and top right is "Violet's friend Barrie". This assemblage of the remaining elements of the group photograph were labelled in an album collated by George William Dunn at some time in the 70s, 80s or early 90's. The annotation records at the top of the group from left to right were Uncle James, mother Edith and father William who are wholly or partially missing..

One event stands out in the period after the 2nd WW. My Grandparents rescued an RAF Bomber crew from the River Humber and towed the crew and raft to safety. An engraved pewter mug and two letters confirming the event are illustrated below and are in the possession of myself Jeff Dunn. The engraving is difficult to read on the image but in script is engraved:

Mr and Mrs W Major

Thanks from an RAF Bomber crew

Grandfather William Major died in 1956.

He is buried in the Eastern Cemetery Preston Road Hull in grave space 43, compartment 321.

After the 2nd WW Grandfather Major's son William ( Bill) lived with his family - of wife and three children in Spyvee Street which is at the end of Pemberton Street. Bill also worked on the barges up and down the Humber. He is seen below with his eldest son on a barge on the river. I remember travelling with them up the Humber during the school holidays to Goole. It was cold and we wore home knitted balaclavas to keep heads warm.

The youngest son was also called William but because he wore a cowboy outfit he was known as " Billy the Kid"! He is pictured below in the rear yard of 5 Pemberton Street and below sitting on the rear of the Lambretta scooter at the front of the house sometime in the late 50s /  early 60s.

Research by others has discovered the ancestors of my Grandfather William Major back to Robert Major who was born c.1771.

Robert Major c. 1771 married Jane Frankish b. 1769
Robert Major 1794 married Martha Mitchel b 1793
Francis Major c1816 married Sarah Hall b 1816
William Major b 1841 married Margaret Oliver b 1843
James Alfred Major b. c. 1869 ( my great-grandfather) married Mary Barley b. c. 1870.

My great-grandmother ( Mary Ann Major nee Barley)  is shown below

with the rear of the photograph annotated by George William Dunn. Her death is recorded in the document below.

My Grandma Major was born Edith Annie Hinchliffe in Church Street Mexborough, Yorkshire on 3rd December1895 and died in 1971. Her parents were:

John Hinchliffe ( born c. 1865) and his wife Sarah ( nee Willey) b. 1866 and are recorded on the copy of the birth certificate above. Interesting to note that Emma Docherty ( Grandmother) made her mark for her signature on the original.

Undated images above but top likely in Pemberton Street. The bottom is taken at the pier in Hull where Grandfather Major worked on the pilot ferry boats in the early 1950s.

With my mother Kathleen usually on a scooter visit out in the East Yorkshire countryside in the late 50s or early 60s.

Above with me on holiday in Withernsea in early 50s and then below in Ilfracombe Devon c. late 50s and below with Peter Dunn.

On one of her many bus trips and outings before she died in 1971. She is buried in East Hull cemetery with her husband William.

Margaret McDermott ( nee Major) was my mother's younger sister. She was ever present in my younger days for example on holiday to Withernsea.

Above in Main Street Skidby and below at Peter Dunn's wedding.

She died in 2005.