Alice and Arthur courted for four years before they married.
Arthur had intended to come out of the merchant Navy in 1912 because Alice was pregnant, Titanic being his last planned voyage. He and Alice wanted to buy a small hotel in Oxford.
Alice remarried in 1924. Her second husband, also a widower was John William Bedwell, born December 1871 Southsea, Portsmouth. He and his first wife Pamela had had two children, John William ('Jonny') died 1910 from a brain tumour, aged 15, and Dorothy May Bedwell born 21 March 1901. Pamela died in 1913.
Alice and John W. were cousins (Alice's mother was a Bedwell) they got to know each other through John's sister Ada. In 1901, Ada Bedwell was in domestic service at 116 Abingdon Road, St Aldates, Oxford, not far from Alice who was living at 1 Albion Place, St Ebbes with her brother Frank, her sister Edith and parents.
John W. and Alice lived at 6, St Anne's Road, Southsea after they were married. Having already lost her mother and brother at a young age Dorothy May (my grandmother) grew very fond of Alice, she also had a close relationship with her step brother Arthur, despite the age gap of 11 years. Alice was a warm and loving person, known to my mother as, `little grandma' as she was only 4' 11".
Arthur (jr.) seems to have taken after Alice in temperament. He had a sunny disposition, was always ready with a joke and could play the piano by ear. He was very much loved by his new family.
Arthur served an apprenticeship in Portsmouth Dockyard as a 2nd class Constructive Draughtsman. He met his wife, Muriel when she and her family stayed with Alice one summer. Alice used to let out rooms in the summer season and Muriel's family visited several years running.
Muriel, aged 16 was engaged to Arthur for two years until they married in London in 1941. They had no children and lived in Purbrook near Portsmouth until his death from cancer on 2 January 1959. After Arthur's death Muriel received a letter from his Dockyard colleagues saying how much they missed him and his sense of humour.
How tragic for Alice, to have outlived two husbands (John W died in 1954) and her only son. Alice was becoming infirm and eventually she went back to Oxford where she had family. Alice died about 1964 but don't know where she was buried. Apparently a niece took her back to Oxford and literally cut her off from her Portsmouth step-family.
Courtesy of Marion Martin, UK
Arthur had intended to come out of the merchant Navy in 1912 because Alice was pregnant, Titanic being his last planned voyage. He and Alice wanted to buy a small hotel in Oxford.
Alice remarried in 1924. Her second husband, also a widower was John William Bedwell, born December 1871 Southsea, Portsmouth. He and his first wife Pamela had had two children, John William ('Jonny') died 1910 from a brain tumour, aged 15, and Dorothy May Bedwell born 21 March 1901. Pamela died in 1913.
Alice and John W. were cousins (Alice's mother was a Bedwell) they got to know each other through John's sister Ada. In 1901, Ada Bedwell was in domestic service at 116 Abingdon Road, St Aldates, Oxford, not far from Alice who was living at 1 Albion Place, St Ebbes with her brother Frank, her sister Edith and parents.
John W. and Alice lived at 6, St Anne's Road, Southsea after they were married. Having already lost her mother and brother at a young age Dorothy May (my grandmother) grew very fond of Alice, she also had a close relationship with her step brother Arthur, despite the age gap of 11 years. Alice was a warm and loving person, known to my mother as, `little grandma' as she was only 4' 11".
Arthur (jr.) seems to have taken after Alice in temperament. He had a sunny disposition, was always ready with a joke and could play the piano by ear. He was very much loved by his new family.
Arthur served an apprenticeship in Portsmouth Dockyard as a 2nd class Constructive Draughtsman. He met his wife, Muriel when she and her family stayed with Alice one summer. Alice used to let out rooms in the summer season and Muriel's family visited several years running.
Muriel, aged 16 was engaged to Arthur for two years until they married in London in 1941. They had no children and lived in Purbrook near Portsmouth until his death from cancer on 2 January 1959. After Arthur's death Muriel received a letter from his Dockyard colleagues saying how much they missed him and his sense of humour.
How tragic for Alice, to have outlived two husbands (John W died in 1954) and her only son. Alice was becoming infirm and eventually she went back to Oxford where she had family. Alice died about 1964 but don't know where she was buried. Apparently a niece took her back to Oxford and literally cut her off from her Portsmouth step-family.
Courtesy of Marion Martin, UK
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