William John is the son of William James Bramhall and is the great grandfather of Jack and Alexander
Researcher Will Bramhill (see contact link)
William John was born on Feb 26 1883, the first son of William James Bramhill and Sarah King; he died in January 1922. He is great grandfather to Jack and Alexander.
William John's birth certificate says he was born at 60 St Martin's Cottages, Ashfield Street, in Feb 1883. There is a snap of the "cottages" on this page. St Martin's Cottages were purpose-built flats, and Europe's first major council housing development. To date, we have been unable to trace his parents' marriage certificate. William John's surname was spelled Bramell on his birth certificate.
In the 1901 Census, he is listed as an "Errand Lad, General Merchants". In 1905 he is mentioned in a trade directory as a confectioner of No 5 Kensington, Liverpool. As my grandmother Marie Prossor lived opposite at No 34 Kensington, this is possibly how they met. In the London Gazette of November 1906, a William Bramhall is listed as a postman; it is unclear whether this is our William.
William John and Marie PROSSOR married on Boxing Day 1911 at West Derby Register Office. They had two children, William Frank b1913, and Doris b1914. (For Jack and Alexander's line, follow the 'William Frank' link.)
William Frank's memoirs record a wartime trip across Lancashire from Liverpool to Rawtenstall, where his father apparently worked. Dad recalls walking from town to town across country, then catching the trams through each town. At Rawtenstall, they hid near a railway bridge during a Zeppelin raid. This raid is described in the Rossendale Free Press.
William John died in 1922 (aged 39) from lung problems most likely resulting from the Bibby animal feed works explosion in Liverpool in 1911. He was known to have frequently used a strong-smelling medicine on a handkerchief to aid his breathing. He worked for Bibby's in Liverpool and, later, in Rawtenstall, Lancs, as an oil extractor - put simply, he processed palm nuts for their oil which was then used in Bibby's cattle feed cakes. Contemporary evidence suggests he had a post mortem examination.
