Hi
Yesterday we purchased a clock with a plaque on it giving us some information about a previous owner and I was wondering if anyone could point me in the direction of more information on it.

The plaque says it was presented to Mr & Mrs Thornton as a token of esteem by the Liverpool & Birkenhead staff of the GWR on his retirement after 50 years service Dec 1929.

Any suggestions how to find out some more about him and how the clock ended up at a Sea Cadets Jubilee Fete?

Cxx

Hi Marka
I found the following on Ancestry/National Archives.

Name : John Thornton
Age: 28
Birth Date: 1 Sep 1865
Residence Date: Apr 1894
Station: Birkenhead
Company: Great Western

Regards kenmo52

Also found him on the 1911 census on Ancestry.
Foreman shunter he lived at 38 Brook Street Birkenhead, he was married with 3 daughters and 1 son.

Thank you very very much. I'd had a quick look and thought that might be them in 1911 but wasn't sure.

You're a star

Cxx
(Marka's wife! I appear to be logged in as him for some reason!)

If you send me a PM with your e-mail address, I can send you the 1911 census and railway employment records I found on Ancestry.

kenmo52

got a pic of said item? if you plan to sell it on, do so with all the history you can get at a specialised auction. my old man knows one, will let you know. reckon thats worth a few quid

Couple of pics attached (hopefully). Poor resolution, but it's the best my phone can manage tonight.

Clock details are:
Mahogany case, some minor dings and a little damage to the face, but nothing you wouldn't expect given its age. Movement is by the Hamburg American Clock company and seems pretty clean. Clock has Westminster chimes.

Value wise, I don't know if the plaque adds or removes value. Personally I like it as it gives it a personal history.

The GWR had a small yard in Brook Street itself and a large rail-connected warehouse known as Morpeth - he will probably have worked at one of those locations - but he may have worked at the Manchester Street Warehouse on the Liverpool side.

Also the GWR had it's own sailors to man the barges that travelled across from Morpeth Warehouse...