William David Smith Milton 1855 – 23.06.1923 (Son of William and Rosella Milton) and his wife Elizabeth Nee Court 1859 – 28.07.1917 of 3, Bates Alley, Folkestone
William was the first son of William and Rosella (My great grandfather on my father’s side). In 1877 he married Elizabeth Court and the couple had 10 children with 3 sons serving in WW1. The family came from a long line of fishing families.
William Milton 1886 – 09.02.1956
William Milton was born and died in his hometown of Folkestone. On the 19th Apr 1911, he married Lily Amy Goldsack 1892 – 28.07.1974, (daughter of Stephen Goldsack and Ellen Ann Lily and brother to Stephen Edward Goldsack who served and died in WW1*). The couple lived at St Michael’s St in Folkestone and during WW1 William was in the Navy.
Daisy Louise Milton 20.06.1888 – 14.10.1967 (My Grandmother)
Daisy married my grandfather Frederick William Harris (son of James Harris and Katherine Jane Harris Nee Saunders) in 1908 and they lived at 1 Bates Alley, Folkestone. During the First World War, Frederick served on the paddle steamer ‘Golden Eagle’ which took British troops to France. He died on the 17th May 1953. Daisy and Frederick had a son:
• Robert Fredrick William Harris 23.03.1911 – 15.09.86 who married Winifred Milton 06.01.1913 – 04.12.1980. (Daughter of Herbert Henry Milton and Winifred Allen).This is my parents.
» Pamela Winifred Dray Nee Harris
Robert Bartlett Milton 1895 – abt 1863 – Seaman 7507/A HMS President 111.
Robert was born on the 3rd Jul 1895 in Folkestone Kent and served as Seaman 7507/A HMS President 111 Robert Bartlett Milton. In 1919 he married Edith Whitinstall who later died in 1949. He then went on to marry Ruby Cristable Avery in 1950 in Folkestone’s Registry Office.
Frederick John Milton 13.06.1898 – 12.9.1917
Frederick John Milton was the youngest child of William David Smith Milton and Elizabeth nee Court. Frederick’s father, William, had a very emotional time with the death of Frederick as six weeks before Frederick was killed he lost his wife Elizabeth. Frederick is mentioned on the war memorial in Folkestone and sadly he is one of many who died at Ypres whose body was never recovered. Fredrick is also remembered on the War Memorial of Tyn Cot Zonnebeke, West Vlaanderen, and Belgium. Frederick’s “Dead Man’s Penny” is now in the safe keeping of Jesse Milton, born in 1965, who is Frederick’s first cousin once removed and is the last of the Milton family to work with fish in the local fish market having given up going to sea a few years ago.
My link to Frederick was through his sister, my grandmother, Daisy Louise. Daisy was born in 1888 and was William and Elizabeth’s sixth child. I am a descendant of Daisy who married Frederick Harris. Little is known about Frederick with no one alive who can tell me about him.
Stephen Edward Goldsack 1879-1916
Stephen married Minnie Margaret Barton in 1901 at St Saviours Church Folkestone and they lived at 3a Bennetts Yard, Great Fenchurch Street Folkestone. Stephen was employed by the Pleasure Gardens Theatre when he enlisted on the 14 June 1916, and he joined the East Surrey Regiment. Stephen was sent to Saltash in Cornwall.
Can you imagine how his wife Minnie must have felt when she heard her husband had died on 4th July 1916 as he left her only three weeks previously, with four children between 9 and 14 to look after, he died of Pneumonia and Pleurisy, did he have this illness coming on before he left home or contracted it after he joined up one wonders?.