Genealogy Chat

Hi,
Have just found out from my mum today the my grandmother worked in a milkyard with my grandads sister around 1942 ish. They lived in Woolwich Kent at the time and I was wondering if anybody knows if its still standing or what this yard was called. I know you lot on here are great little detectives, so fingers crossed.

Thanks in advance for any help :-0)

Tracie.

When they say Milk yard - do they mean a local dairy? Is there no one alive to give you any help? I guess you need to google for any dairies that were working in that area during the war. It just seems a very strange way of describing a dairy. They wouldnt have meant Mill would they? As in a wood mill? Which seems more likely in docklands.

Was mum alive then or just after? Can you ask her what work they did there?

just had at look at streetmap - came up with a Milk Yard in E1 Stratford area, this is the other side of the river from Woolwich.

Selena

this website lists victorian london streets beginning with M ( I think)

http://www.gendocs.demon.co.uk/lonstr_m.html

Woolwich is in London, SE18 postcode I think

Only milk roundsmen that I know of at that time was United Dairies and they worked from the depot at Park Farm, Cemetery Lane, Charlton
The R A C S (Co-op) and their depost was 162 Crescent Road and 75 New Road - both in Woolwich.
Express Dairy worked from Eltham area.

Note: the U D depot was very close to Woolwich - near the Barracks.
I don't know of any other independents who worked the Woolwich/Plumstead area.

Addition : I note that you say Woolwich, Kent but from 1889 it was a London Borough and the Council included Plumstead and part Eltham.
In the mid 30's there were two dairies in Plumstead where the dairymen wouild collect churns from the trains and then go their rounds selling milk ladled straight from the churns into jugs etc., the names were "Eacot's" owned by Eddie Eacot but that was mainly a shop (dairy) and the other a roundsman with a horse and cart owned by Mr Chapman. By the 40's both had probably disappeared as the Co-op made big inroads into the area with their own farm and abattoir not far away.

I think we are all a bit confused over whether you mean the place name was Milk Yard or whether they said they worked in A milk yard.

Can your mum enlighten us all a bit more please?

Hi All

Sorry to be so confusing. Mum just said that her mother worked in a milk yard with her dads sister, and that was how her parents met, when her dads sister brought her mum round for tea.
Unfortunatly because both of my mums parents have passed away, we are a bit resritcted with info we can get.
I have not been able to find her mothers birth, even though I have their marriage certificate. My mum was only 11 when her mum passed away, so doesn't remember much. All we know is that her name was Eunice Smith and she had a brother called Sidney Smith. Have no idea where they came from or how they came to be in the woolwich area. All mum has said is that it was rumoured that her grandmother was a lady of the night, and that her mum and brother were placed in a home.

Hope you understand all that!! lol

Thanks all
Tracie.

What occupation does gran have on the marriage certificate?
When/where did she marry?
Who is named as her father? and what occupation does he have?
Is her age given on the certificate?
What was her residence address?
And who are the witnesses?.

If you have her marriage certificate then you have a host of possible clues - as above - please give every bit of solid info you have.

I think clearly gran must have been working at a dairy in Woolwich -Joe has very kindly given interesting local info on those in the area at the time.

Or give the Greenwich Heritage Centre a call - see previous thread - they may be able to help?

Rachel