waterfod graves

If you do go to Waterford to visit the boys graves this is a photograph of one of them. All of the gravestones are of similar size, shape
and colour to the one on the left. Some of the words can be made out and this one is Albert Davidge died 18th September 1937 aged
14 ½ years. As you can see in the above list Heather sent me, the dates differ from each other.
Another anomaly I found was that one gravestone bears the names of two Boys.
Sidney Smithson died 13th July 1944, aged 16 years. Harry Brown died 4th March 1948, aged 15 years.
On the right is a tribute from the Goldonian to Sidney Knell

John Horn who attended Goldings 1942-45 remembers two of the boys very well Frank Hall and Sidney Smithson.
Two of the saddest occasions at Goldings while I was there were the death of two of the boy's. The first was a boy named Frank Hall
who was in Mount Stephen house he died of Meningitis early on in my time there.
The other boy was in my house Aberdeen Sydney Smithson a Yorkshire lad I knew him quite well, one day I noticed he had a slight
limp and asked him what was wrong with his leg, he said that when he had been home for his last leave that he had fallen of a bike
and hurt his knee.
His leg got worse over the next few weeks and he seemed to be dragging his damaged leg, so he was taken into sickbay and a few days
later transferred to Hertford County Hospital were it was found that he had cancer in the knee and it was to advanced for treatment
so he had his leg amputated above the knee. He seemed to make a good recovery, and after having a false leg fitted he returned to
Aberdeen dormitory.
Then about six months later he began feeling unwell and went back into sickbay, a few weeks later the Governor informed us
Smithson was seriously ill and that the cancer had spread to his stomach and that it was just a matter of days before he died he was
about seventeen years old.
All the school attended the funeral service in the chapel, and the boy's of Aberdeen house followed the cortege to Waterford cemetery
were both Frank Hall and Sydney Smithson are buried.
John nipper Horn

Bob Whibley also remembers Frankie Hall, and Sidney Smithson He also remembers another boy who died while he was there, but he
was buried in another Church yard

Scoffer Howitt remembers a boy buried in Waterford church grave yard, Harry Brown died 8-3-1948 aged 16 years

The boy;s that died at Goldings It brought sad memory 's back as I read my mates name HARRY BROWN he was one of my best
mates, & I was one of the Pall bearers at his funeral 8-3-1948 , we were in the same house the best ABERDEEN. his number
was 91 & mine was 92. He Died 20 days before my birthday 28 march I Left GOLDINGS the same year November
.Len Harpin. Aberdeen 1948

A quote from a Goldonian Spring 1948
Final paragraph Chapel notes reads as such:
How ever, the happiness of all these events was also a scene of our sorrow - for Harry Brown died in Hertford County Hospital and
was buried in Waterford. In the midst of the joy there was grief - and never did we need the message of resurrection more than on
such an occasion.
S.C.C.

Who would of thought after all these years these boys who were in a Dr Barnardos Boys Home, and possibly with no family
would all these years later be remembered, and visited by so many

Fred Barnes, a Barnardo boy who spent his time at Much Wenlock home in Shropshire decided to do a project on the history of two
former Barnardo’s homes, Watts Naval College, and Goldings even though he was not a former resident of either. Fred now lives in
Smethwick part of the “Black Country” just down the road from me, we keep in regular touch, mainly concerning his help and guidance
for the Goldings Web Site, and the many contacts he has introduced me to for help. Fred himself is quite a character, and most certainly,
typical of the boys who entered Goldings. As Fred has said to me many time’s “I would have loved to have gone to Goldings”
In the course of his research of which he spent seven years compiling, he came across a very strange part of the History of Goldings, of
which I was not aware in my time at Goldings, along with many other Golding’s boys also. It appears that this part of the history of
Goldings faded in time, but it was thanks to Fred, it was later re-called due to his book. Fred contacted The Parish council and asked a
very simple request “Could you give me any information on burials at this church that the address was given as Goldings”. The Parish
Council replied with a list of names, when Fred presented this to Barnardo’s they could not verify all of them. One school of thought at
the time was perhaps it may have been former staff or their children, but this turned out to be unfounded so far as we know. Once the
information was confirmed the next step was to confirm the siting of the grave’s, again a little bit of confusion set in as one body of
thought believed that the headstone’s were iron crosses. This was later discounted after May and John Bennett personally spent time in
the graveyard re-discovering the correct one’s, which are red sandstone and mainly sited to the East of the Church Yard.
The late May Bennett, a local calligrapher after gathering this information, then made a calligraphy plaque of the boys’ names that is
now framed and placed in a suitable position in the Church. At present research still continues into this mystery, and information will
be added as this story develops still further.

When I was at Goldings, during the war, a bomb was dropped on the bandmaster's house. He was called Mr Battel, I believe, and was
killed in the bombing. We lined the route for his funeral at Waterford Church. Around the same time I was in the sick bay, run by
Sister Noakes, with ear trouble. I cannot remember his name, but one of the boys died from septicaemia, and was also buried in
Waterford Churchyard.
I was in Buxton House and started to train as a carpenter, but due to the war ended up at Gravesend Sea School and then the Merchant
Navy. I remember Mr Patch and his dog pulling him on his bike; film shows in the gym: marching to Hertford Church on special
occasions; Sunday walks around Bayfordbury and seeing dogfights in the sky. We had trenches on the sports field, and grew potatoes
which we had to pick. Then there was Mr Baishy Barnes, the wash house attendant. Good memories!
H. B, Goldings, 1940-42

OBITUARY
Many Goldings old boys will remember Mr. Herbert Jones who in the old days was known as an Order Master. For twenty-six
years he gave loyal and devoted service to the school, having responsibility for control of the routine in the Ablutions and in
the Dining Hall and also acting as School barber. He came with the boys from Stepney when the School opened in 1922 and
retired in 1948. Various were the tricks he had to put up with as many an old Goldonian will recollect and readily admit.
They will also remember a man who set high personal standards and carried out his duties conscientiously and with good
humour. Mr. Jones died in the Hertford County Hospital on the 20th October, 1955 and is buried in the Churchyard at
St. Michael and All Angels in Waterford Village by the School he served so well.

On my most recent visit to Waterford, more interesting facts emerged from the graveyard (March 2008) that appear to have been
Possibly overlooked. The following grave stone through up some further mysteries.

William Austin, Died 10th May 1923 Aged 61. Wheelwright Instructor Dr Barnardos Homes.

Florence Darton Dec 7th 1980 (And with a stroke of luck spoke to her Niece who happened to be visiting Brenda Hunt, when
I called, and she’s going to send me a photo of her when she’s got time) Non Resident Home up to the early 60’s.

Herbert Jones 20th Oct 1955 “Tooty Jones?

Albert Wrangles, was this a relative of Mr Wrangles the Gardener at Goldings, as there were many Wrangles buried there ,and
As Mr John Cooper (retired Verger to the church) pointed out that the Wrangle family were a large Waterford family.
What other mysteries can this Church yard offer up?