I have sent the following to the Wakefield Express Newspaper to see if they would be interested in publishing it in their Letters section or in their History section of their Paper. In the event they cannot publish the information, I thought I'd post it here as well:

I live in British Columbia, Canada, my Dad & his mother having come to Canada in 1945 from the Normanton, Yorkshire area. I have been researching my Dad's Pickles family for over 30 years and have made some amazing discoveries along the way, along with creating a rather large family tree, yet leaving me with many questions.

My Dad's 2x Great Grandfather was John Pickles, born in 1824 at the Poggs, Allerton near Bradford and died in 1894 at Hawe Villa in Normanton. John's parents were Joseph Pickles & Ruth Wood, and it is believed that John had a sister Mary born in 1827. I believe that Joseph Pickles died before 1834 and his wife Ruth remarried in 1834 to an Abraham Tidswell. From John's July, 1894 Death Notice that appeared in the Wakefield Herald, it would appear that John was quite a famous and well-liked person in the Normanton area and was one of the founding members of the Normanton Common Board Schools, as well as having many different occupations & owning a number of Rowhouses during his lifetime. A school building in Normanton (may have been named the Normanton Common Council School) which was recently demolished once held a plaque with John's name and his position of Chairman engraved on it, along with the names of the other Board members. I have a photo of this plaque which stated "Normanton Common Board Schools .. This Stone was laid on the 18th of November, 1876 by John Pickles, Chairman; Thomas Slevan; Lawrence Hargreaves; Jonathan Dobbing; Charles Keith; Joseph Waterworth, Treasurer; & Jas. W. Barwick, Clerk". I would dearly love to know whatever became of this plaque and I am also curious as to whether the Normanton Common School Board has any pictures of its founding members, and especially that of John Pickles.

I also have a reference to an 1875 Portrait of John's family, but the names of the persons in this Portrait are all I know about it [Oliver, Walter & Eliza Pickles (some of John's children from his first marriage to Anne Tidswell); A.E. & Mrs. Benson; Louisa, Polly & Eliza Benson; Mrs. Shepherd; Emma & Anne Barwick (John was married 3 times - his second marriage was to a widow Louisa Johnson nee Barwick; his third marriage was to Anne Potter, widow of James Jowett); Jonathan Wright; Miss Eubank; and Thomas Whiteley]. It is unknown as to whatever happened to this Portrait and even if John isn't in it, I would cherish a photo of it if the Portrait can be located.

In John Pickles' Will written prior to his death in 1894, John bequeaths to his son Lawrence Barwick Pickles an Enlarged Photograph of himself. I discovered that Lawrence was married first to a Clara Gill in 1890, but she died within a year of their marriage and I haven't discovered any children of that union. Lawrence Barwick Pickles married his 2nd wife Margaret Ann Winterton in 1895 and had a son & a daughter. It appears that neither of their children ever married, so there were no children to pass this photograph onto. Lawrence's son Harry Cyril Pickles inherited Hawe Villa which Harry bequeathed to Dr. Barnado's Homes for Orphaned Children. Hawe Villa was then sold to a Mr. & Mrs. Cromach and the last I know is that their daughter was living in this home in the 1990's. Lawrence & Margaret's only known daughter, Irene Martin Pickles, never married either. A story attached to Hawe Villa is that just after WWI or WWII, someone was leaving the house and was run over by a van. The front entrance to Hawe Villa has remained closed for many years and visitors must enter the building from the side entrance off Cemetery Road. Apparently, in the 1990's a new nameplate depicting "Hawe Villa" was installed at the side entrance. I would dearly love to locate the Enlarged Photograph of John Pickles, with the hopes that I can obtain a copy of it.

Dad's Great Grandparents were Walter Pickles & Mary Benson. Walter went from a Coal Miner at age 10 to a Colliery Engineer by the time he was 30. Walter & Mary lived at Streethouse, Snydale for a time and were living at 63 Church Lane, Normanton in 1901. Walter died in 1928 and Mary died in 1926.

Dad's Grandparents were Herbert Walter Pickles and Hilda Thorpe. Herbert W. was born in 1882 at Streethouse, Snydale and by age 19, his was working as an Iron Turner. By 1911, he was a Colliery Enginewright at the Whitwood Silkstone Pit, living at 11 Whitwood Terrace, Castleford, then moving to 3 Common Row, Whitwood. After Herbert's death in 1958, Hilda moved to 93 King Street, Normanton and lived out her days there. I have an undated newspaper clipping from Whitwood about Herbert's retirement and his being recognized for his 55 years of Service in the mining industry. Major D.H. Currer-Briggs presented Herbert with an inscribed gold watch. Herbert & Hilda Pickles had 2 children - John Walter "Jack" born in June 1911 (Dad's father) and Sydney.

John Walter "Jack" Pickles had enlisted with B Company, 50th (Wakefield) Battalion of the Yorkshire Home Guard - Stationed at Altofts, Normanton on 30 Mar 1941 and was discharged in consequence of death on 22 Dec 1942. "Jack" had contracted TB & Pleurisy and died Christmas morning, 1942 at Middleton Sanatorium, Ilkley - he was only 31 years old. "Jack" is buried in the Cemetery beside Normanton All Saints Parish Church. I have seen photos & information of other Home Guard Battalions from WWII, but so far I haven't come across any information or photos regarding this Battalion. Unfortunately, I never had the opportunity to meet my Grandfather, as his life was cut short long before I was born. From the faint memories & few photos that my Dad has of his Father, "Jack" loved to play golf, enjoyed betting on the greyhound races, and regularly took my Dad with him down into the mines on Sundays. "Jack" followed in his father's coal mining footsteps and had achieved the position of Colliery Winder prior to his death. He married my Grandmother Lily Rowney in 1934 at the Parish Church of Chapelthorpe. One of the witnesses to this wedding was a Harold Shaw. Lily was a Nurse Matron at the Pinderfield's and Castleford, Normanton & District hospitals.

My Dad was born at 20 Drury Lane, Altofts, Normanton and I am curious if this Rowhouse still exists. Dad attended the Wakefield Grammar School between 1940-42 and I believe he was then enrolled in a local Boys' Boarding School after his Dad's death (not sure of the name). Dad and his friend "Mickey" regularly ran away from this Boarding School and ended up on the doorstep of Dad's Grandparents' home. Apparently, Grandad Herbert would allow Dad & his friend to stay the weekend before driving them back to the School on the Monday. Dad never spoke about his time at this Boarding School, but I get the impression that it was a horrible place. Dad is now 75 years of age and in failing health. Sadly, he suffers from multi-faceted dementia and can no longer remember most things about his life or family. Moments of lucidness are few and far between these days and over the last 30 years, I have written down everything he has told me about his family in England.

Dad's Mom, Lily, met Arthur Eric Foster (a Sheffield-born Canadian) shortly after "Jack's" death. From what I can gather, Arthur had enlisted in the Canadian Armed Forces, and was a member of the Lake Superior Regiment during WWII. I know that at some point, Arthur had been wounded in battle and had convalesced in a Yorkshire hospital. I don't know if he and Lily met while he was in hospital or when he was on leave, but his Army Record states that on 13 May, 1944, he was granted permission to marry Lily on or after 12th June 1944 and they married on 15 June 1944 at the Parish Church of Weston-on-Trent, Derby County. In March, 1945, Dad & his Mom came to Canada aboard the M.V. Britannic and after enduring a harrowing voyage in which my Dad was nearly swept overboard, they landed in Halifax, Nova Scotia on 11 April, 1945. Grandpa Foster's battalion was one of the last to return from the War. He, Lily and my Dad lived in Oba, Ontario for a time before moving west to British Columbia. Lily died in 1994 and Arthur died in 1993.

Any leads, information or photographs of my Pickles family ancestors noted above will be most welcomed.

Cheers,
Betty Stewart (nee Pickles)
British Columbia, Canada