Alice Adelaide Louch

Mrs Charles Louch was born Alice Adelaide Slow in Hoxton, Shoreditch, Middlesex, England on 20 July 1869.

She was the daughter of Charles Slow (1832-1892), a cooper (barrel maker) and Sarah Adelaide Dean (1833-1907), both London-natives who were married on 8 October 1854 in St John's Church, Hackney, and she had six known siblings: Joseph (b. 1856), Charles (b. 1859), Henry (b. 1862), Mary Jane (b. 18644), James (b. 1867) and William Francis (b. 1874).

She first appears on the 1871 census living with her family on Colchester Road, St James, Essex but they later moved to Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset, appearing there on the 1881 census at 2 James Street where her father was described as a cellarman. She was later married in the Spring months of 1890 (1) to Charles Louch (b. 1862), a native of Weston-Super-Mare and a saddler and harness maker. The recently married couple appeared on the 1891 census living at 18 North Street, Taunton, Somerset and went on to have six children: Samuel Bernard (1891-1973), Sidney Charles (1893-1979), William Bertram (1895-1927) (2), Clarence William (1896-1945), Edith Gertrude (1901-1982, later Mrs Trevor R. John) and Cecil Stanley (1902-1977).

Alice and her family lived in different locations in Somerset over the years, to include Taunton, Clevedon and Weston-Super-Mare. They appear on the 1901 census living at 24 Old Church Road, Clevedon and on the 1911 census at 24 Clevedon Road (aka Edelweiss), Weston-Super-Mare. The latter record indicates that her two eldest sons had also became saddlers whilst her son William was an upholsterer. In addition to being a well-known businessman, her husband Charles was also a frequent lay preacher in the Wesleyan Church and a member of the Clarence Park Baptist Church where he ran the Sunday School. He was previously a devoted member of the Wadham Street Baptist Church in Weston-Super-Mare.

Her husband's brother William and his wife, also called Alice, had moved to California to work, establishing a laundry business, and Alice and Charles planned a visit to them. They boarded the Titanic at Southampton as second class passengers on 10 April 1912 (ticket number 3085 which cost £26). ). During the voyage they shared a dining table with Edwina Troutt, Edgar Andrew, Frank Andrew, Jacob Milling and Bertha Ilett.

Alice was widowed through the Titanic disaster and her husband's body was later recovered by the Mackay-Bennett on 23 April 1912 and buried at sea. His estate, worth £5537, 19s, 4d was administered to her on 3 June 1912.

Alice had returned to England, arriving aboard the Celtic on 25 April 1912. In later years she moved to Stoke Bishop, Bristol and was destined to outlive two of her children: Her son Wilfred died in 1927 and her son Clarence later emigrated to the USA, settling in California where he died in San Francisco on 13 October 1945. Alice herself passed away on 29 April 1949 aged 79.

Alice was buried on the 4th May 1949 in Canford Cemetery and Crematorium, Bristol, England (section WW, plot 118).

(Courtesy of Trevor Baxter)