Forums Forums Wirral History : Chasing the Past History Information Request Genealogical Research - Macmillan

I am trying to get information on my family roots within the Wirral.
My Grandfather Alexander MacNicol Macmillan was married to Louise Yvonne (nee DeVille) and lived on the Wirral during the inter War years. I believe my Grandfather was at some time a Purser on the P&O Orient Line but in 1930 he went blind and eventually ended up in St Dunstans. In 1939 my Grand mother was living at 6 Seaview Avenue Wallasey and latterly at 9 Malpas Road Wallasey. My father was Alexander Charles Macmillan who falsified his age and joined the Army in 1935 transferring to the RAF in 1942. All I know about my family's life on the Wirral is all hearsay and I would be most grateful if anyone on this Forum could add anything to my quest for information.
Thanks in advance
Alex Macmillan

This is Alexander's Christening, it may suggest they lived in or near New Ferry prior to Wallasey.

Name:
Alexander Charles MacMillan
Event Type:
Christening
Event Date:
25 Nov 1917
Event Place:
New Ferry, Cheshire, England, United Kingdom
Event Place (Original):
New Ferry, Cheshire, England
Gender:
Male
Father's Name:
Alexander MacMillan
Mother's Name:
Louisa

Marriage,

DEVILLE Louise Yvonne, MACMILLAN Alexander Macnicol, 1916 Wirral, Civil Marriage or Registrar Attended Wirral.

If you're not aware, Registrar Attended means, other than Church Of England.

Name: Alexander Charles Macmillan
Death Age: 69
Birth Date: 2 Oct 1917
Registration Date: Nov 1986
Registration District: Worcester
Inferred County: Hereford and Worcester
Volume: 29
Page: 808

This may seem out of context, or could be somebody else, but there is the Royal National College For The Blind in Hereford.
Address given on Probate record is in Worcester.

The 1938 directory which was likely compiled late 1937 has Wm Parkinson, 6 Sea View Avenue, Wallasey.

There was a Louisa Macmillan at 39 Digg Lane, Moreton, Wirral, unfortunately there's no way of knowing from the directory exactly who this lady is.

Thankyou Norton, that was my father.

Thankyou Bertieone for the info. The Seaview address was gleaned from the 1939 Register where my Grandmother was living with her 2 daughters Yvonne and Mignon. I believe that my Grandfather was Church of Scotland, having been born in Alexandria, Dunbartonshire, which may account for the "Registrar attended". The Malpas Road address was gleaned from my father's RAF Records in 1942.

Further to the above, my father - Alexander Charles Macmillan (deceased)- was born on the Wirral on 02 Oct 1917 I am trying to find out where my father went to school. Scuttlebutt has it that the School was called "The Tinterne School" but I can find no mention of it on the Web. Was there such a school?

Scuttlebutt?

Never heard of a Tinterne School.

Thanks again Bertie. That has put to rest another incorrect family rumour. When my father enlisted in the Army on 27 April 1935, he gave his date of birth as 8 April 1917, place of birth - Balloch, Alexandria (his father's place of birth), place of education - Intern House School Balloch (with a Scottish School Leaving Certificate) and his occupation, Motor Driver - none of which was true as he was born and bred on the Wirral! He did however go on to join the RAF in 1941 becoming a pilot flying Mustangs. He was shot down on 7 July 1943 over German Occupied Holland - some 4 months after I was born - but survived, was imprisoned in Stalag Luft III, survived the "Long March" from Poland into Germany and on repatriation remained in the RAF until 1960. He died in 1987 but never talked about his early life on the Wirral or his wartime experiences. It is to my eternal regret that I am only just piecing together his history and wish that I had done so before he died.
Do you know of any organisation in the Liverpool area that I could contact with regard to my Grandfather's maritime career. Considering that he married in 1916, there must surely some record of his being in the Merchant Navy during the Great War and subsequently until his blindness in 1930. On his death on 10 Dec 1968 he was described as a retired Chief Steward.

Alex I hope the following will help,

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/a?_ref=136

Have you considered contacting,

https://www.poheritage.com/our-arch.../po-archives-at-national-maritime-museum

Unfortunately, for the period I am researching, it would appear that there is nothing about my Grandfather online. As I live in the north of Scotland, going to Greenwich is a non-starter. But again good info and thanks
Alex

For what it's worth and if it's any help i've been looking into the schools and HERE is a list of Wirral schools dating back to 1862 with records.

Could it possibly be that the school name you're looking for, of which nobody has a clue about, is written wrong or difficult to read or is it in block capitals? I only say this as when we were looking into my family tree some place names were REALLY hard to read as they were written in victorian cursive so needed a few looks over and guesses before we could piece together what they said. Hopefully the list of schools in the above link helps a little.

There were a lot of private schools which often were someones home with a couple of pupils, these were usually named after the proprietor or sometimes after the name of the building. I don't think there were any formal registers of such schools, I'd guess in Birkenhead alone there were upward of thirty such schools.

In the back of my mind there are two things vaguely familiar about Tinterne, one is a camp in Wales (or somewhere else) for schoolkids, the other is some link to a national school, perhaps a nick-name or something. Could well be false memories and I've found absolutely nothing to collaborate either thought.

The name/word is similar to intern/internship and I again remember something about some schools having some sort of indenture which I guess could be called an internship.

Thanks again to all for their contributions. In speaking with another family member, it could be that the school was "Tintern House"

And here you go, it actually mentions it was previously a private school - Tintern House

http://www.overstreet.co.uk/3-bedroom-detached-for-sale-moreton-ch46-0pb-p102083451

It was a Preparatory School, corner of Tintern Dr and Upton Rd, Moreton.

1938

Here's an update. Have now discovered that my Grandfather was indeed a Chief Steward and also a Purser on the SS Burma (Capt Cattanach) plying the route to Rangoon and back. It's amazing what comes out of the woodwork when you stumble on the right source!

Thanks again to all for their contributions. It would seem that the Tintern House School was probably the inspiration for my father's false declaration of "Intern House School, Balloch" as his place of education.

Can confirm that this school still existed in late 1940's early 1950's as my parents had me enrolled to attend and then for some reason I ended up going to Lingham Lane - possibly it closed then.

The address of 6 Sea View Road, Wallasey has been ringing a bell with me - just realised that it is the address of my Grandfather's brother at the time of his marriage in February 1928. His surname was Winrow. Not sure who else might have lived at the address as his parents and sibling lived in Liverpool. I also had another relative living in Digg Lane, Moreton and their surname was Adams. Incidentally, Digg Lane would only be a five minute walk to Tintern House School. In the 1939 census living at 'Claremont' Digg Lane was a Harry James Clifton Maxwell who was a relation of my ex husband. I do not know if this Harry was married or not.

MKiwi,

Are you sure the above name is correct?

Harry James Cliverton Maxwell married Dorothy Joan Clarke, 1953, Wallasey.

bertieone, I always thought that one of his middle names was Clifton and his mother Elizabeth named him in her will as Harry James Clifton Maxwell but I am sure they must be the same person. Incidentally in 1939 he was living in Claremont, Digg Lane together with his widowed mother and siblings Hugh (a widower) Samuel and Dorothy and there was also 1 closed record that I think was Hugh's infant son Charles

Here is another variation of the name,

Definitely the same person - his mother was Elizabeth Ann Cullip. Amazes me how many different ways names get spelt. My own maiden name was McDiarmid (that's how my father spelt it), but in my family tree direct descendants have spelt it 17 different ways - oh well adds a bit of excitement to research!!!