Ernest Richard Eastabrook and Edith Mary Pope

St George's Church in Portsea
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Steve Daniels - geograph.org.uk/p/5462454
Located almost opposite the entrance to Gunwharf Quays. The church is known as the shipwrights' church having been built by 15 shipwrights from the dockyard in 1753.

Ernest Richard Eastabrook (b. 15 Feb 1886) Engine Room Artificer, then of 42 Union St, Portsea, son of Samuel Ebenezer Derry Eastabrook and Eliza Back, married Edith Mary Pope (b. 30 Sep 1889 on Portsea Island), daughter of Robert William Pope and Mary Georgina Robins, on 27 Dec 1909, at St George's Church, Portsea. Witnesses were both the bride and groom's fathers, Samuel Ebenezer Derry Eastabrook and Robert William Pope.

Ernest and Edith had one son:

1. Ernest Kenneth Eastabrook b. 17 Jun 1916 S Quarter in PORTSMOUTH Volume 02B Page 625 and baptised at Portsea, St George.

Ernest Richard Eastabrook from Devonport, Devon, born 15 Feb 1886, then 21, had joined the Royal Navy as a Fitter & Turner on 6 Dec 1907. He was then 5 ft 5½ in with brown hair, hazel eyes and a fresh complexion.

In 1911, Edith Mary Eastabrook (21) was living at 13 Butcher Street, Portsea, with her widowed father, Robert William Pope (49) Plumber & Decorator, while her husband was at sea with HMS Liverpool (1909). 

From 19 Aug 1915 until 13 Apr 1917, Ernest Richard Eastabrook was assigned to HMS Barham (04), so that on 31 May - 1 Jun 1916, like his elder brother, he took part in the Battle of Jutland. HMS Barham was hit six times during the battle, five times by 30.5 cm shells and once by a 28.3 cm shell, suffering casualties of 26 killed and 46 wounded. Following repairs, HMS Barham was also involved in the Action of 19 August 1916, in which his brother's ship was one of those damaged and subsequently lost.

On 14 Apr 1917, Ernest Richard Eastabrook was promoted to Acting Artificer Engineer and on 6 Aug 1917 to Acting Mate (E).

In 1921, Ernest Richard Eastabrook (35) Engineer Leiutenant RN was living at 95 Shadwell Road, North End, Portsmouth with Edith Mary Eastabrook (31), Ernest Kenneth Eastabrook (5) and they were able to employ Gladys Mildred Saxby (15) General Domestic Servant.

In 1939, Edith Mary Eastabrook was at 12 Padwick Avenue, Portsmouth. She's listed as married, but her husband is not in the household.

Ernest Richard Eastabrook died, aged 87, in 1973, in Hampshire.

Edith Mary Eastabrook of St Mary's House, St Mary's Road, Portsmouth (former workhouse) died, aged 86, on 25 May 1975.

(On 10 Jun 1944, Ernest Kenneth Eastabrook married Agnes May Phimister (Nancy) Mitchell (b. 30 Jul 1921) in Lerwick, Shetland Islands, Scotland. They had two daughters, born in Portsmouth. Ernest Kenneth Eastabrook died, at 77, in 1993 in Market Harborough, Leicestershire. Agnes May Phimister Eastabrook died, aged 83, on 20 Sep 2004, in Dorchester, Dorset.)

Thomas Back (Thomas Drake) and Elizabeth Mary Horn

Plymouth: Morice Square
cc-by-sa/2.0- © Martin Bodman - geograph.org.uk/p/688016

Thomas Back, son of Thomas Back and Mary Drake married Elizabeth Mary Horn (b. 1859 in Okehampton, Devon), daughter of James Horn and Elizabeth Bolt, on 23 Oct 1884 at St Paul's Church, Devonport. (The Anglican Church of Saint Paul the Apostle was situated on the east side of Morice Square.)

Born Thomas Drake (1850 D Quarter in STOKE DAMEREL Volume 09 Page 429), as he was named Thomas, it did seem likely that he was the son of Thomas Back, who his mother married two years later. He started life in Stoke Damerel Workhouse, where he was in 1851 with his mother and his older (half) siblings, Mary and George. He was subsequently known as Thomas Back and on his marriage certificate in 1884, as Thomas Back, Stoker RN, lists his address as 40, Cannon Street, Devonport - the very same address where we find both his parents and his sister in 1881, so we can be sure it's him - and names his father as Thomas Back, Labourer. Of course, this could simply be because that was the man who was around as he was growing up, but actually being named after him at birth, seems to confirm what we're being told.

Thomas Back, DOB 15 Oct 1850 (agrees with the quarter of his birth registration), enlisted in the Royal Navy as a Boy 2nd Class in July 1865, volunteering at HMS Implacable (1805) - former Duguay-Trouin, turned training ship (exactly the same ship, on exactly the same day as my great-grandfather, David Jones). Thomas Back's naval career does not appear to progress at this point, there being no entries beyond enlistment. 

There is then a record of a Thomas Back from Devonport, with date of birth given as 14 Oct 1849 (one year and one day of difference and this time the year does NOT agree with his birth registration), but we know this is our man from other records (marriage, census), who joined the Royal Navy on 9 Jan 1873 and served for 21 years, until 27 Apr 1894. He began as a Stoker 2nd Class, moved up to Stoker, Leading Stoker and Leading Stoker 1st Class.

Both naval records list Thomas as having Black hair and Hazel eyes. He was 4 ft 10 in at 14 and grew to 5 ft 6 in as an adult, gaining a bunch of tattoos.

From May 1873 to Aug 1875, Thomas was with HMS Agincourt (1865) at Portland, Dorset and, during that time, spent 28 days in Dorchester Gaol (HM Prison Dorchester) - Pure Victorian detention in all it’s glory.

At the time of the census of 1881, Thomas Back (30) Stoker, was moored in Hong Kong aboard HMS Victor Emmanuel (1855), which ship he was assigned to from Jun 1880 to Jan 1882, Feb 1882 to Jan 1883 and again from Feb to Apr 1883 (transferring to HMS Pegasus (1878) for the month in 1882, also in China and HMS Albatross (1873) in Jan 1883).

Two days before his marriage, Thomas joined HMS Tamar (1863), commissioned at Devonport on 21 Oct 1884 and then, from 15 Jan 1885 until 22 Jan 1889, was with HMS Nelson (1876). She sailed for the Australia Station after commissioning and became the flagship there in 1885. She was in Sydney and Brisbane and at the Woolloomooloo Bay Regatta on 18 Apr 1885, remaining on station until returning home in January 1889.

Thomas and Elizabeth's only child was born later that year:

1. Lilian Mary Back b. 4 Nov 1889 D Q in STOKE DAMEREL 05B 340

Thomas spent time with HMS Magicienne (1888) in Portsmouth in 1890; HMS Goshawk (1872) took him to Gibraltar from May 1890 to Jun 1892 and while he was away, Elizabeth M Back (31) Wife Of A Stoker RN and Lilian M Back (1) were living in St Levan Road, Devonport. Thomas finished his career, from Dec 1892 to Apr 1894, at HMS Vivid II, the Stokers and Engine Room Artificers School in Devonport, before being pensioned.

In 1901, Thomas Back (50) Naval Pensioner was living in Avondale Terrace, Devonport with wife, Elizabeth M Back (41), daughter, Lilian M Back (11) and John Cornhill (29) General Labourer from Ireland, Boarder.

Thomas Back died in 1906 D Quarter in DEVONPORT Volume 05B Page 220. His age was estimated as 58 (he was 56), gaining yet another year on top of the one he added the second time he enlisted in the Navy.

In 1911, Elizabeth Back (51) Widow from Okehampton, Devonshire, was living in East Stonehouse. Living with her were recently married, son-in-law and daughter, Charles and Lilian Renshaw.

In 1921, Elizabeth Mary Back was still living with Charles and Lilian Renshaw (and their two daughters), at 7 Duckworth Street, Devonport.

Elizabeth Mary Back died, at 66, in 1926 M Quarter in DEVONPORT.