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I am trying to find out what happened to my Mother in laws grandfather.

He abandoned the family before her father was born and he was never talked about. We knew his date of birth and believe he may have had a "shady past". Recently I found his Merchant navy CR10 card and she saw a photo of him for the first time.

However there are no ships listed. Can I go anywhere from here? I don't really want to trek miles to Southampton just to find the same card. Has anyone had the same experience? His number is 802717. She would love to know when and how he died.

Thanks
Claire

Surname First name(s) District Vol Page

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Births Mar 1884 (>99%)
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Brewis Benjamin Thompson Chester le S. 10a 513

Andy

1911 census

Is this the correct family?


Name:
Benjamin Thompson Brewis
Age in 1911 27
Estimated birth year:abt 1884
Relation to Head:Son-in-law
Gender:Male
Birth Place:Washington, Durham, England
Civil Parish:Washington
Search Photos:
Search for 'Washington' in the UK City, Town and Village Photos collection
County/Island:Durham
Country:England
Street address:5 Cottages Washington Station Co Durham
Marital Status:Married
Occupation:Pattern Maker
Registration district:Chester le Street
Registration District Number:554 Sub-registration district:
Harraton
ED, institution, or vessel:23
Piece:30140
Household Members:
Namr
Age

Thomas Todd 62
Ann Todd 63
Margery Brewis 26
Benjamin Thompson Brewis 27
Games Brewis 4
John Brewis 3
Annie Brewis 6/12

Andy

When was her father born? That would give us a starting point.

Would this be him?


Benjamin Thompson Brewis

in the UK, WWI Service Medal and Award Rolls, 1914-1920
Record Image View

Name: Benjamin Thompson Brewis
Military Year: 1914-1920
Rank: Gunner
Medal Awarded: British War Medal and Victory Medal
Regiment or Corps: Royal Artillery (Royal Horse Artillery and Royal Field Artillery)
Regimental Number: 82337
Sub Unit: Royal Field Artillery
Previous Units: R.F.A. 82337 Gnr
Other Records: Search for 'Benjamin Thompson Brewis' in other WWI collections
War Diaries (France, Belgium, Germany): Search for 'Royal Artillery (Royal Horse Artillery and Royal Field Artillery)' in the WWI War Diaries (France, Belgium, Germany) collection
War Diaries (Gallipoli): Search for 'Royal Artillery (Royal Horse Artillery and Royal Field Artillery)' in the WWI War Diaries (Gallipoli) collection

It's interesting on the CR10 card (which is in the date range 1918 - 1921) that he gives his next of kin as his cousin Mr Jas Humphrey of 197 Saltwell Road, Gateshead. That possibly indicates that he was already living apart from Margery by then.

Claire - is this one of their children?

Births Mar 1917
Brewis Norman S Todd Chester-le-S. 10a 1003

If so, might narrow it down further.

COPY PRINT SOURCE BOX SHARE
Attach to Family Tree
Benjamin T Brewis
England and Wales Census, 1901
Name Benjamin T Brewis
Event Type Census
Event Date 31 Mar 1901
Event Place Harraton, Durham, England
County Durham
Civil Parish Harraton
Ecclesiastical Parish St Georges Fatfield
Sub-District Harraton
Registration District Chester Le Street
Residence Note Hobson Terrace
Gender Male
Age 17
Occupation IRON WORKS CLERK
Relationship to Head of Household Son
Birth Year (Estimated) 1884
Birthplace Washington, Durham
Schedule Type 65
Page Number 14
HOUSEHOLD

ROLE

GENDER

AGE

BIRTHPLACE

John Brewis Head M 49 Washington, Durham
Margaret Brewis Wife F 49 Penshaw, Durham
James B Brewis Son M 23 Washington, Durham
Marshall Brewis Son M 19 Washington, Durham
Benjamin T Brewis Son M 17 Washington, Durham
Jane T Brewis Daughter F 15 Washington, Durham
Mary I Brewis Daughter F 10 Penshaw, Durham
Bertram Brewis Son M 7 Fatfield, Durham
Lawrence Brewis Son M 4 Fatfield, Durham

Looks like he moved around a bit

Benjamin T
Last name Brewis
Service number 8232
Rank Gunner
Corps Royal Field Artillery
Service record Soldier Number: 8232, Rank: Gunner, Corps: Royal Field Artillery
Archive reference WO372/3
Archive reference description Campaign Medal Index Cards and Silver War Badge Cards
Country Great Britain
Image link http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/SearchUI/Details?uri=D1474977
Record set World War One British Army medal index cards
Category Military, armed forces & conflict
Subcategory First World War
Collections from Great Britain
The National Archives

the 1917 birth looks likely to be Claire's MIL's father

but it is the only Brewis-Todd birth between the 1911 census and that date

so we might wonder whether the spouses were really estranged well before that date ... a married woman who had a child was required by law to register the child in her husband's surname whether or not he was the father ...

does your MIL know of her grandmother having another partner?

there is also a Brewis-Todd birth in Middlesbro in 1919, is this another child Claire?
(although there was a Brewis-Todd marriage in Newcastle later that year
-edit- no, that was a Ms Brewis and Mr Todd)
birth Peggy J Brewis, death Peg Brewis 1995 Cheltenham

Hi Wow cant believe all the responses. Just got home from work. Not sure how to reply to each point but here goes in one go. Thanks all so much.

Andrew yes that him He was married to Margery Todd. and had 4 children, the youngest is Norman my mother in laws Dad who was born in 1917.

Margee - Not sure. Normans mother never mentioned any connection to any respectable job. My instinct is he joined the merchant navy to run away!

Marie Celeste - Yes it is his son. I also thinks its odd about the next of kin. I think it is just made up. He has also lied about the year of his birth as it makes him 5 years younger on the CR10

Malyon - yes this is him

Shirley - As with Margee, Im not sure if right one. this is very confusing. The fact the first and middle name are the same would appear to be a match but how could he be a gunner and in merchant nave at same time? seems odd.

Joonie Cloonie - I have spoken to MIL. The story is Benjamin was a drinker and would disappear for times. Sounds like Margery was a little to loyal. Benjamin held a gun to her while pregnant with Norman so I believe he was on the scene. There were no other children and MIL was close to all her family.

I have some other info on the other Brewis = Todd marriage. .Benjamins brother, James Brown Brewis b.1877 married a widow Margaret Todd nee Horsley b. 1872 on the 27th June 1904.

She had previously been married to Richard Todd who died at a very early age from a perforated appendix.
Not sure if that helps.
C :)

I wonder whether he joined the merchant navy after the war then - gunner during the war, merchant navy after ... my grandfather was Dragoon Guards then Worcesters during the war, then paramilitary in Ireland (not sure whether Royal Constabulary or something else) until discharged in 1925

if he was a drinker there is always the possibility that he met with death by misadventure and was not identified ... it sounds unlikely that he would have emigrated, for instance


I would still be curious about the other birth

although the birthdate on the death record is very slightly off ... might depend on who registered the death, or could be the wrong person (a Peggy Horwood married a Brewis and was born in Q1 1920 so it's a toss-up)

Births Mar 1919
Brewis Peggy J Todd Middlesbro' 9d 860

Name: Peg Brewis
Birth Date: 7 Apr 1919
Date of Registration: Feb 1995
Age at Death: 75
Registration district: Cheltenham
Inferred County: Gloucestershire
Register Number: A45D
District and Subdistrict: 4791A
Entry Number: 108

two people may have her in their trees

http://www.genesreunited.co.uk/tree/results/brewis/peggy

so you could enquire


edit, just saw your next message, yes, I'd been figuring out that James Brown Brewis was a brother, and I don't think the 1919 birth would have been to that couple

mind, it was in the months immediately after the war so it's possible the parents were another, unmarried couple and the father was in the military, for instance ... otherwise it is a unique surname combination until a birth in a later generation


just to note also, Benjamin does not seem to have made it into the 1939 register

if he'd had a notion to change his name, 'Thompson' would have been handy for the purpose, and too common to trace

Thankyou. I will do some digging over Xmas. If he was a gunner maybe that would explain the gun!

Its a shame we can't see the 1921 census yet :(

On Benjamin's WW1 Service Medal & Award Roll for the The British War Medal and Victory Medal there is a note written in red alongside his entry. I cannot decipher what it means but it looks like the Medals were returned 4.8.23.

Kings Regulation 1743 [1912] (as on B T Brewis' record) means that the medals were returned unclaimed. That doesn't mean they were returned by the recipient, it means that they had been struck but never claimed by the soldier or his family. The medals would then usually be scrapped.

Benjamin Brewis shows on 1939 register in Newcastle on Tyne but the age is out by many yeas,

although there is no registered birth in that year of 1876,,,,,,,.first one shows in 1884.

I think that person Kay was born Benjamin Humble Births Dec 1876 Newcastle T 10b 74. He later seems to acquire the surname Brewis and appears as Benjamin Humble Brewis. It looks like he marrys Jane Hankin in Qtr 3 1905 Newcastle T as Benjamin Brewis.

LBelle,

Yes that one died in Scotland as B Brewis 1940.,,,,,,wife Jane Hankin.

Thanks guys re the returned medals. That would all tie in with him vanishing. Family always thought he died as an unknown.

Apologies for delayed replies. Not enough days left until Xmas to fit everything in.
Cx

Print transcription View image
First name(s) -
Last name Brewis
Gender Unknown
Birth year -
Death year 1931
Death date Dec 1931
Reported date 1931
Vessel name Iossifoglu
Departure port -
Series BT 334
Box 0088
Record set Deaths at sea, 1781-1968
Category Birth, Marriage, Death & Parish Records
Subcategory Deaths & burials
Collections from Great Britain
copyright brightsolid online publishing

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