Children of Richard and EA Wall

Quotes and wonderful photographs on this page courtesy of Auntie Violet, these people were her aunts and uncles.

Elsie and Harry Cookson
Elsie Wall was born 27th April 1906, the youngest of the Wall children. She outlived all her brothers and sisters and finally passed away in September 2000. She married Harry Cookson, a market gardener, they had four children, daughters (below left to right) Doreen (1929), Brenda (1931) and Jean (1934), son Harry had presumably not been born when this photograph was taken. Harry Cookson died whilst on holiday in Yugoslavia in 1981.

"Elsie was always jolly, Uncle Harry was a lovely man, hard working and kind. When we lived in Hambleton they used to turn up on their motorcycle and sidecar. They even came when we moved up to Scotland. Sadly Uncle Harry had a heart attack and died in the pool of a hotel somewhere abroad."

Leonard (b10/6/1894 d27/3/1979)
"Leonard and Elizabeth lived opposite the Windmill in what we called Gypsy Row, I can't remember its proper name, your Mum will know. I didn't really see much of him, although I used to visit them quite often in my teens to see Eileen (left) their daughter (b1923). Aunt Betty had a hard life, she was a wonderful mother to Eileen but didn't get much help from Leonard. When they died Eileen went into a home for the blind in St Anne's and I lost touch with her. I believe Aunt Ann lost her sight in later years and ended up in the same home. By this time I had moved to Scotland so I didn't see them."

Richard (b12/4/1899 d23/11/1982)
"I didn't see a lot of Dick and Ida until we were living with Aunt Bessie in West Drive. They called round unexpectedly one day, I hadn't seen them for years and wondered why. I soon found out. They had become Jehovah's Witnesses and were trying to recruit us, needless to say we didn't join. I believe Ida was a very good pianist and used to play in clubs which was probably how Uncle Dick met her."

		James and Ann Hodgkinson "I can't say I liked Uncle Jim (b1896). My mother told me that he got Aunt Ann (left) pregnant and refused to marry her, but Grandma Wall made him. He always resented it. She made him a good wife but he spent most of his time, when not working, in the Gardener's Arms. Their son Bobby (Robert James b1921), was a prisoner of war in Japan, I have an airmail letter that he wrote to me while he was there. I'll try and find it. He was just a couple of years older than me and we were always friends. I went to stay with him and Margery just before he died, they lived in Layton where Margery still lives."

Harold (b12/10/1901 d30/3/1974)
"He never married and lived all his life at 81 Fleetwood Road. He had a lady friend called Lucy in Blackpool who he used to go and see once a week. When he was going out for the bus he always said to Grandma, "Does my arse stick out?" which I always thought was hilarious."

Annie and Harold Burgess (Elizabeth Annie) (b30/12/1903 d21/2/1983)
"Auntie Annie Burgess always very good to me, she was like a big sister. If I had any worries she was the one I could go to. Harold must have been much younger than her when they married. He was in the army during WW2 and stationed in Deal. He couldn't get leave one Christmas so Auntie Annie decided to go down there instead, but she didn't fancy travelling by herself. I had just had my 21st birthday so she decided to take me with her. Harold booked us in where he was staying, it was bitterly cold and frosty. The only other thing I can remember was a visit to Canterbury Cathedral which was decorated for Christmas and very beautiful. Annie and Harold's son Ronald (above right in 1959) lives with his wife Pat and their two daughters in Bingley, the girls must be in their twenties now. He calls occasionally if he has been to Ireland."