Comments

Excellent newsletter Pat.  You asked the question whether any relatives were suffragettes?.  Although, as a man, I hesitate to comment, it always seems to me that the advocates for the suffragettes have managed to write 'suffragists' out of history, so that now they are barely known about?  As I understand it the suffragists (those who believed in peaceful persuasion for votes for women) outnumbered suffragettes (who believed in using any means including direct action) by about 10:1.  There is a common argument that is heard nowadays that the peaceful approach got women nowhere and it was the suffragettes (with their direct action) that won the day.  Looking back on newspaper reports at the time the picture is more mixed and some thought (like 'Punch' magazine) that the direct action undermined the argument for votes for women.  Many of the arguments for the principle of votes for women had been accepted by the majority of men in late Victorian times (though not in Parliament) and after 1869 it is often forgotten that women (albeit only if they owned property and paid rates) were given the vote in local council elections, although still not in Parliament.  It is also often forgotten that even as late as 1884 only 60% of men had the vote, so we were very far from universal suffrage in the population at this time.  I guess opinion is divided on whether the very well-publicised suffragette direct action campaigns finally persuaded Parliament to pass legislation in 1918, or whether more important was the very evident fact that women had shown the country what they could do during WW1, where women fulfilled many of the roles that men occupied before.  Either way we then had the 1918 Representation of the People's Act, though it wasn't until 1928 (I think) that the franchise was widened to all women and not based only on a property qualification.  In summary, however, I would say 'let's not also forget our women family members who were suffragists and not only those who were suffragettes!

There is an exhibition of Photos from WW2 Weston Bombing raids4th June to 9th June only

on at the Museum 

well worth a visit several photos I had not seen before so if you have any interest get along there before Saturday 

...no, Pat - they haven't got back to me saying that they'd like to come on the trip to Mendip Hospital Cemetery on Sep 11th and see the museum about the inmates, have a walk around the lovely grounds and let me know if they require a lift...!

How lovely to still have the letters that your dad sent you.

The current issue of WDYTYA? magazine has 2 pieces in it from our members: the Star letter is from Amanda Lewis (we know her as Mandy Webb) and the Reader article is from Samantha Taylor - who I've cajoled into giving us a talk next year!!

Well done Pat - an issue worthy of being the 150th.

Your dad's poem refers to you putting on your Micky - I presume you were issued one of the "Mickey Mouse" gas masks that they produced for children. (Walt Disney has originally designed the original US version which actually had pictures of Mickey Mouse on).

Thank you, Pat.

I have spoken to my mother. She does not recognise the names of the brothers. But she did recall 2 sisters by the name of COUSINS who ran a private school. She said that the name of the school was Winthorpe in "something" Gardens. I managed to find a Marguerite Greta COUSINS living in Wilton Gardens in the 1939 Register. She was described as "Private School Teacher (Principal)" and I see that she is in your list.

Living with her at that time was her younger sister Vera Isobel (or Isabella) and their father Abraham.

Interestingly there are 2 redacted entries as well. There is an outside chance that these relate to the KELLEHER brothers, but of course that is mere speculation.

On our Web Site, under Places and Weston-super-Mare you will find a document of "Private Schools in Weston" 
http://www.wsmfhs.org.uk/files/places/064e0286aa829c53529857415ca67792-02.pdf  In the right hand column it lists the Principals of the Schools and there are several with sisters involved.  Unfortunately few of these were in operation in 1939 but if they were elderly and retired by then they might have been connected with earlier schools.
Of course, the boys might have arrived after the 1939 Register was taken.  I know that evacuees who were with my inlaws arrived later.