Hi again!

Some of you may remember my post back in January looking for help with my family from the Hilden area.

Thanks to Ted, I wrote a letter to Maurice Magee. It worked out great. One of his granddaughters emailed back & forth with me, which was much faster & convenient than international letter exchanges. It allowed me to send them the pictures I had more easily as well.
I hope to stay in contact with them and meet them when I make my way the Atlantic to my grandmother's home :)

Unfortunately, I still have many unanswered questions and don't know who many people are in photos.


https://smile.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/BgkpNuBvK54dKMyxAbjimCdO1fxJbpa7XOo2PkG4nCC?ref_=cd_ph_share_link_copy

^^ The web address above has pictures and documents from my grandmother and Maureen's Collection. I think many of you would enjoy seeing them.

I would love to know if you recognize anyone or any of the places in the photos. Even some of the photos that have names, I don't necessarily know who those people are. There are a lot of pictures that are "unknown" or "with friends" particularly in Blackpool, Portrush, beaches, Castle gardens and then other unknown locations. I don't know who these people are.

Does anyone know Kenith Graham? Derek, Heather & Nigel Johnston? Mrs Roy? Mrs Reddick? Mrs Beattie? Mrs Donwoody? Betty Patterson?
Sybil with my great great uncle Maurice Dowd? (As far as I know he wasn't married before he died, but she is in 2 photos with him when he was in Egypt. This was probably the 1930s)

I now know that Maureen worked at Department of Health and Social Services in Corporation Street Belfast and some of those pictures had to have been with her co-workers. The only one I know the name of is Daphne.

There are several photos taken in Blackpool in July 1952. One photo she is with her friend Renee, Alfie & Kenny. There is also what looks like someone's family photo. I have no idea whose family it was.

Does anyone know if Renee is still around and what her married last name was?

Apparently my grandmother worked in a dress shop (or THE dress shop) before she moved to the US. Miss Hull was someone she worked under. Does anyone know what the name of that dress shop was? This would have been in the very early 1950s. My grandmother moved to the US in summer of 1953.

Lastly, my ultimate question is for the girl in the picture named "Looks like me" in the folder titled "Unknown". It was taken by photographer Maurice Wright in Burrow-In-Furness maybe in the 1930s or 1940s?

Hope you enjoy the pictures! and would love to hear about anyone/any place you recognize!

Hi Christine, I knew the three Johnsons you mention especially Nigel who I used to play with sometimes when I was a kid during the 1930s. Derek was the eldest and he served in the RAF during the war and in the Post war years became a racing car driver. During a visit to Lisburn in the early 60s I bumped into Heather in the Lisburn Lagan Valley Hospital. Their Father was the well known Dr.Johnson.

You would have to give some more information on Mrs Roy as there were and probably still is quite a few Roys around Lisburn in various parts of the town. Mauri

Do you know where the Johnson's lived?
I'm not sure why my grandmother had a picture of them. My grandmother lived on 1 Delacherois Ave (Hilden Ave).


Mrs Roy is in a picture at Renee's wedding in January of 1953. Renee was one of my grandmother's friends. I don't know anything else about her.

Christine Dr Johnston's resedince was the first house on the left on the Belsize Road and Parkmount just past the Wallace Park ,and if my memory serves me right his surgery was beside the convent ,Mauri would be able to confirm this ,Christine glad to hear that you are making some progress Regards Ted

Christine Photo 26 I remember this girl now as her and her sister would often pass our house on the way to town and they lived next door to the Kelly family at Hilden Ave , one of the Kellys, Sally married my uncle, alas all Kelly sisters Sally , Bridgit, and and Peggy are now gone (RIP) the photo number 6 is Maurice Magee and in picture 12 the girl from the first picture is pictured left of centre in the group, I am sure you might have more luck with Pat when she castes an eye over them Good Luck ! Ted
PS Photo No1 Looks like it was taken atthe Giants Causeway AND PHOTO 3 Has a striking resemblance of Maurice Magee

The Johnsons used to live in a house beside the Convent,it was quite a large house with a big garden at the back which in fact was a small maze. This house had also the Doctor's surgery,though what I remember most was the First World War German Army Helmets hanging up in the entrance hall, as Dr.Johnson had been in the British Army in that war.
Ted mentions a house on the Belzize Road,I was unaware of that one as they must have moved there after I left Lisburn and had long lost touch with them. Mauri

I should have also mentioned that the Johnson's house in either Castle or Seymour street had a plaque on the outside commerating the fact that Brigader Nickolson had lived there at one time. Mauri

Mauri-



Thank you for your responses.

Where was the convent you were referring to?



I honestly had no idea who brigadier nicholson was, but nothing a quick google search couldn't fix! Definitely an interesting fact.

I am curious about your mention of a maze in the back yard. I'm not sure if you looked through all of the pictures, but in the folder for my grandmother's friend Renee's wedding there is a picture of Rodney & Gordon I believe. My grandpa mentioned that there were 3 boys & 1 girl for that family. He also said they helped make get on the bus he needed to & such when he was in town. My grandpa said they lived in an are known for the a maze/farm.

Donald I have just lost a complete answer to your questions so here goes again ,So Dr Johnston's surgery was attached to the convent at the bottom of the hill ,Mauri also disribes it there and he Johnston was there long before Dr Emerson as you rightly say was on the opposite side of the road Hope this works Ted

Christine, The Maze in question is a townland on the outskirts of the town itself it also consists of a race course which you can Google Regards Ted

Does anyone know Kenith Graham? Derek, Heather & Nigel Johnston? Mrs Roy? Mrs Reddick? Mrs Beattie? Mrs Donwoody? Betty Patterson?



Hi Christine,,



I recognice some of the names you mention. Nice to hear from you again, I must get a look at those pictures soon.



Kenneth Graham was a neighbour of ours in Huguenot Drive, a boy then of about 16 & the young people all met in the Playing Fields, behind Kathleen's house in Hilden Avenue (now Delacherois Avenue).



Kenneth became Kathleen's boyfriend, which in those days meant meeting together & talking, walking & then a good-night innocent kiss when he left you home, after the cricket matches or football matches, in the playing fields were over.



Kenneth is dead now years ago, his wife also, they lived next door to us & were a respectable family, good neighbours. I think they had 2 children who still live in Lisburn. Ann will know for sure.



More later in case of Spam as happened to my first reply. Pat



[8-)[:)]

The Johnstons,

All I know about them is that Dr. Johnston lived, as stated, next door to the Convent School we attended. They had a long back garden that stretched alongside the Convent Lane leading to the school.

There was a small Maze in their back garden. I suppose for the children in the family. Dr. Johnston was an ex-serviceman, but was not our Doctor, so that is all I know about them. I remember him as a tall, silver-haired,severe looking man, always well-dressed & driving a nice car.

Later they moved house to behind the Wallace Park & he died there & had a big funeral, attended by the town dignatories. All his patients spoke well of him. They had staff working in the house, a rarity in those days.

Pat

Christine,

Mrs Roy was a very pretty likeable woman who lived next door, on the Victory St., side of Kathleen's house. Their garden would adjoin the Avenue.

Her husband was John Roy & they had a family of boys & 1 girl. She would have been a good neighbour of Minnie & Annie, a friendly & happy person. No doubt she was a friend. We knew her well too as she worked with my aunt later in Theipval Barracks.

Her husband John, was chauffeur in Hilden Mill. Her daughter,Kathleen, is married & still lives nearby on the Belfast Road near Hilden, if I am right, Ann will correct me if I am wrong.

Pat

Mrs.Beatty & Mrs. Dunwoody.


Mrs. Beatty was the Mother of Renee, & Mrs. Dunwoody was her sister-in-law.

Mrs. Beattie worked in Hilden Mill & she told me of your Grandad's coming to visit with Renee's boyfriend. They were pals in the Forces & coming for a visit to stay in her house.

That is where the love story began, when Kathleen met him & they went out together for the duration of the boys leave. The rest is History.

I lost touch with them when I married in 1952, but heard of them leaving for America & their own weddings later. I only reconnected when you came on the Forum, but often wondered what became of them.

Mrs & Mr. Beattie & Mrs Dunwoody are both dead now, but Mrs Dunwoody had a daughter, Bessie, who maybe is still alive yet.

I presume your Grandad lost touch with Renee & her husband too, I would love to know what happened to all the friends, who went abroad from our district.

Hope this helps in your search for information. Pat

]

Pat, The Johnsons always had staff several in fact and my Mother was one of them as when my Father died in the early 30s she took the job of nurse to the Johnson children at least the two youngest and that's how I got to know them as before the war I often stayed there,and often played in the Maze.
Also the Roys you mention from Victory Street,one of the sons Thomas married Eunice Black (Nee Gilmore) from Young street, I had been engaged to her after her first husband Stanley Black was killed in an RAF air crast off the coast of Scotland,our engagement was broken off because of my long absence from Lisburn. Her and Thomas immigrated to Canada in 1953 he died of cancer in early1965,that same year I arrived back in Canada and accidently met up with Eunice and we were happly married for twenty years until she died from cancer in 1985. Quite a story. Mauri

Where to begin...

Ted,
Thank you again for the information.
I did end up looking it up on google maps after your elaborated on it.


Pat,
So many good stories :)
Ya know, my grandpa said in the photo of my grandmother, Renee, Alfie, & Kenny that the guy next to her she had been dating when my grandpa met her. I then had the photo of Kenneth Graham and I didn't even put 2 & 2 together. I think I have spent a few too many hours over analyzing records and pictures then trying to remember all the facts and stories.
Of course you gave me much more than just the fact that it was someone she was dating!

Do know how or why my grandmother would have had a picture of the Johnston kids? Do you know if she was friends with Heather maybe?

I have never heard my grandpa talked about Renee other than of his initial stay/meeting in Lisburn. I should be seeing him next week. I will have to ask him if he ever talked to them after the service.

It looks like you knew just about everyone to some extent.
Did you know who Betty Patterson was?

Have you gotten a chance to look at the pictures yet? I would love to hear your feedback.

By the way, as far as the spam goes on posts, do you try to copy the text before posting in case you lose it? I always do just in case.


Mauri,
That was quite a story. Thank you for sharing!

Christine, I have not been able to bring up the photos you are talking about, don't know why??, maybe I have the wrong address. Mauri

One other minor point about the Johnsons house. it was called "Clovelly" named after a little seaside town in the south of England where they used to vacation. Mauri

Christine, Sorry for the delay in answering your query about the Convent. It was located on Castle Street right beside Dr.Johnson's house, I don't know what year it and Johnson's house was demolished not being around Lisbunr then maybe somebody else can provide that information. Mauri

Pat, I think you misunderstood me. the girl I married was the widow of Thomas Roy from Victory street, however her original name was Gilmore,I also knew the Roys in Warren Gardens though not very well. Mauri

Pat & Christine Regarding Joan Dunwoody, Mrs Dunwoodys daughter! She lives in one of the bungalows on Barley Hill,

Pat
The Roy family you mentioned, before they moved to Delacherois Ave (Hilden Ave). lived in Grand St. a few houses above Ferris´s shop, facing Strathearn Place. The eldest son John attended Hilden school in the same class as myself and your late brother Joseph up until around 1956. I,m not 100% sure but I think Mrs Roy was origanally from Belfast. Their back garden overlooked the Hilden sport grounds, later taken over by the Forthill girls school.
donald

Hi Donald, Previous to that they lived in do you remember Tin Town the army huts in Grove St also the father John done casual work for Joe Marley many years ago, Ted