Kenneth James Coombs (1934-1995) and I were going to join forces to do our Coombs family tree after he took retirement but he unfortunately died beforehand. Below is his potted history of his dad. It was interesting that in the photograph album he brought with him to that meeting were postcards sent back by my dad from America and Canada 1908 to 1914 plus other interesting documents about him.
AT WILL AND JULES COOMBS
21ST FEBRUARY 1993
To my dear cousins,
I thought it would be useful if I published an incomplete history of my father the late ALFRED JAMES COOMBS. In the hope that some of you will be able to assist in filling the gaps.
I have contained this history strictly to my father and apologise for any inaccuracies that we might uncover, also for the scant reference to my father's sisters and younger brother FRED on whom I will dwell at a later date.
As you are aware my father died when I was ten years old so my memories are somewhat scant. However lasting impressions were made. The foremost of these were of a very strict disciplinarian given at times to great understanding and acts of kindness.
Whilst compiling this "Potted History" I thought it would be interesting to put it into context with current affairs of the time. (Not a lot seems to change!)
Some of the memorabilia I have collected over the years is contained in a presentation folder which is available for your perusal at this or any subsequent meeting.
My kindest regards
KEN
POTTED HISTORY
ALFRED JAMES COOMBS 14th February 1889 -13th July 1944
Second son of HENRY JAMES COOMBS 12 JULY 1864 - 11TH May 1908
and ELIZA FRANCES COOMBS (formally BEVIS)
DATE |
EVENT |
HIGHLIGHTS AT THE TIME |
02-09-1906 |
Alf Coombs goes to sea aged 17 aboard "The Raven" 1269 tons. Out of London. Made of wood. | North West
Passage completed round Canada by Rohald Amundsen. Life Guards mascot a Bear escapes in London. |
25-10-1906 |
Alf signs off from "Raven | King Edward VII reigns |
18-04-1907 |
Alf signs on S.S. "Lake Michigan" Registered Liverpool. Iron vessel 5,340 tons. Bound for U.S.A. | Channel
Tunnel Bill killed in the Commons. Boy Scouts formed. First Socialist M.P. elected. |
01-06-1907 |
S.S.." Lake Michigan" docks home U.K. | 4 troops killed in Belfast |
07-06-1907 |
S.S. "Lake Michigan" sails for U.S.A.. | First Heavier than Air aircraft flies. |
26-06-1907 |
Alf is "paid off" at destination. | Doctors warn of child cigarette fiends. |
25-04-1908 |
Brother John arrives El Paso (I don't know how he got there) | England win
Australian test. Suffragette demo in London. Olympics held in London. Model "T" ford ready to roll. |
27-04-1908 |
Brother John meets Alf in San Francisco. | W.G. Grace
retires from cricket. Emergency plans for the jobless. |
11-05 1908 |
Henry James Coombs dies in London. (Alf's father) aged 44. | Jack Johnson
wins Heavyweight title. Wilbur Wright sets new flying record of 1hr 32mins, wins $100,000. |
12-09-1908 |
Brother John writes to his mother who is still living at the same address, 54, Westlake Road, (John was born 6/12/1885 at 15, Corbett's Lane) | O.A.P.'s get
5/- per week. Married 7/6d |
06-02-1911 |
Eliza Frances Bevis dies (Grandma's Mum?) Aged 53. | Coronation George V. |
15-09-1913 |
Alf signs on S.S. "Cyclops" (In Vancouver). Cruises to China and Japan. 5762 tons. Registered Liverpool. | Scott of the
Antarctic found dead 10 miles from safety. Cabinet Ministers deny share deal charges |
12-12-1913 |
S.S. "Cyclops" docks (in U.K.?) Alf signs off. | Suffragette
killed at the Derby. Panama Canal opens. |
20-03-1915 |
Brother John
writes to Alf from Vancouver, Canada. Showing photograph
of John who has joined the Canadian Army and is serving
with the 29th Vancouver Canadian Expeditionary Forces. Alf living at Galleywall Road. |
All ships are
fair game say Germans. Spring offensive Ypres. Germans use gas in trenches. Germans sink Lusitania. Allies land in Gallipoli. VC for British flier who downed a Zeppelin. Edith Cavell shot as a spy. Robert Brooke killed in action. (The soldiers poem.) |
26-02-1916 |
Alf joins
Army: 291896 Pte. A.J. Coombs Northumberland Fusiliers. Alf served with the 1st Btln. known as "The Fighting Fifth" as a Lewis gunner in a Rifle Co. (God bless the P.B.I.) |
Battle of
Jutland. Lord Kitchener lost at sea. Battle of the Somme. Roger Casement hanged. First tanks in France. Lawrence of Arabia backs Arab Revolt. Loaf of bread costs 10p(d). Rasputin is murdered. Buffalo Bill dies. |
22-04-1916 |
Alf marries Ellen Barnard at St. Pauls Church ,Deptford. And posted on active service to France. | |
06-03-1919 |
Alf returns to England and is "demobbed". Discovers wife has "left" him and now lives with former boyfriend Harry Oakes who had been posted missing presumed killed while serving with the Royal Navy during the early part of the war. Alf's wife now has a daughter. I wonder who's? Ain't life a bitch. | First
air service London to Paris. First plane crosses the Atlantic. Scapa Flow (German fleet). Jack Dempsey wins title. |
08-02-1929 |
Alf gets ,1.00 reward from Southern Railway for bringing a pair of horses to a standstill who had bolted at Nine Elms Station. | Wyatt Earp
dies. Valentines Day massacre in Chicago. Lilly Langtry dies. Ramsey McDonald forms new Labour Government. |
31-03-1930 |
Thomas
Tilling Ltd. pay Alf a bonus of ,2.00
for driving a bus for 12 months accident free. Part of
citation says " when one considers what modern traffic conditions are like". |
Unemployment
tops 1.5 million Amy Johnson flies to Australia. Bishops back Birth Control. Hitler comes second in German elections. R.101 airship explodes |
30-05-1932 |
Alf is granted a divorce in the High Court on the grounds of adultery by his former wife Ellen Elizabeth Barnard. | Riots
in Dartmoor Prison. Children under 14 may not be whipped. Sexy Rector defrocked in West London love nest. B.B.C. opens in Portland Place Olympics in Los Angeles. |
24-12-1932. |
Alf marries
Katie Annie King at Lewisham Registry Office. Alf's
sister Grace* and Kate's brother Arthur were witnesses. * Grace's son Colin Antrobus was a witness at my wedding. |
Roosevelt President U.S.A. |
12-02-1934 |
Alf and Kit
produce twins: Kenneth James Coombs Margaret Frances Coombs. |
Dillinger
shoots it out in Minnesota and wins. Mersey Tunnel opens. Bonny and Clyde were killed. Sophia Loren and Bridget Bardot were born. (good year) |
12-05-1935 |
Alf buys a three-bedroom semi from a builder as footings go in for ,700 freehold. | Lawrence of
Arabia killed. Baldwin becomes PM Malcolm Campbell equals 300mph Atlee leads Labour Party. I.R.A. bomb London. |
20-04 1939 |
Brother John's wife Louisa Coombs dies aged 51 years. | Hitler
takes Prague. Civil War in Spain ends. Italy and Germany combine forces. |
11-08-1939 |
Fred and Ruby
Coombs' son dies aged 16 Leslie Charles Coombs. |
September 3rd we are at war. |
10-11-1940 |
Brother
Thomas Coombs dies in Australia aged 48 years. |
December 17th
we sink Graf Spee May 31st - June 4th - Dunkirk |
13-07-1944 |
Alfred James Coombs dies aged 55 years. | Monte Casino
4 month battle. D. Day 6th June (I was in Cornwall and remember it well). |