Willy Handley (1883 - 1945)

Born 28 Feb 1883 in Godstone, Surrey, England, United Kingdom

Ancestors

Husband of Elizabeth Fanny (Collins) Handley — married Jul 1911 (to 30 Jul 1945) in Bromley, Kent, England, United Kingdom

Died 30 Jul 1945 at age 62 in Durham South Eastern, Durham, England

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Biography

William Handley was born in Godstone, Surrey, England.

Private William Handley served in the British Army in World War I
Service started: 25 June 1917
Unit(s): Remount Squadron, Royal Army Service Corps Swaythling Depot.
Service ended: 15 Jan 1919

Collins Family Tree

Willy Handley baptismal record

Transcript
When Baptised 1883 April 12
Child’s Christian names Willy
Parents’ Christian names Jane
Surname Hanley
Abode Godstone
Quality, Trade, Profession Single Woman
Performed by J B Heard

Geographical Note and Social context: The Imperial Gazetteer of England & Wales 1870
GODSTONE, a village, a parish, a sub-district, and a district in Surrey. The village stands on Broad-Mead water, on the line of a Roman road, under Tilburstow hill, 2 miles NNW of Godstone station with telegraph, on the Red Hill and Tunbridge branch of the South-eastern railway#, and has a head post office, two inns, and a fair on 22 July.
The parish comprises 6,783 acres. Pop. in 1851, 1,657; in 1861, 1,853. Houses, 356. The increase of pop. arose partly from the convenience of railway communication, partly from the erection of cottages for the labouring classes. There are a national school, and charities £178.
The sub-district and the district are co-extensive. Acres, 43,848. Pop. in 1851, 8,868; in 1861, 9,642. Houses, 1,803.
Marriages in 1862, 40; births, 320, of which 11 were illegitimate; deaths, 137, of which 48 were at ages under 5 years, and 5 at ages above 85. Marriages in the ten years 1851-60, 474; births, 2,979; deaths, 1,533.
The places of worship, in 1851, were 16 of the Church of England, with 1,398 sittings; 1 of Independents, with 120 s.; 2 of Baptists, with 358 s.; and 2 of Wesleyan Methodists, with 90 s.
The schools were 18 public day schools, with 963 scholars; 14 private day schools, with 354 s.; 18 Sunday schools, with 1,135 s.; and 3 evening schools for adults, with 44 s.
Source: The Imperial Gazetteer of England & Wales [Wilson, John M]. A. Fullarton & Co. N. d. c. [1870-72].^[1]
During the 19th Century, The Pond at Godstone Green was used as a horse-pond with a sloping bank down which the wagoners drove their horses.
The parish is, and always was, mainly agricultural. Godstone’s most important industry from the 17th-18th Century was Stone Quarrying. This was extracted from the North Downs, in the Upper Green Sand leaving a maze of tunnels. It is not well adapted to resist alternations of wet and drought, and perishes under such conditions, but if always wet or always dry it is durable. Hence it is said to be useful for wet docks and for ovens or furnaces, and to the latter use it owes its name of fire-stone. Housewives used blocks of the softer stone to whiten their doorsteps. In their heyday, the mines produced 50,000 tons a year but by 1900, demand had fallen.
Sand and Gravel was another considerable industry, the first gravel extractions being dug at Stratton. Sand became a very profitable, if illicit source of income for local villagers who excavated sand from beneath their homes – selling it off for one shilling a bag.
Tiles had been made from Medieval Times up to the early 19th Century. There was also a rope making business on the Green until the beginning of the 20th Century, operated by the Rice Brothers. Bell, Plough and Scaffold Ropes were woven here.^[2]

Name: Willie Handley
Age: 8
Event Date: 1891
Event Place: Godstone, Surrey, England, United Kingdom
Event Type: Census
Birth Year (Estimated): 1883
Birthplace: Surrey, England
Occupation: Scholar
Relationship to Head of Household: Nephew
Event Place Note: Deer Park

Household Role Sex Age Birthplace
Thomas Handley M 23 Herefordshire, England
Mary Handley F 26 Cambridgeshire, England
Research Note: The record of Willy's baptism in the register stating "single woman" suggests that Willy is the illegitimated child of Thomas's sister Jane . Jane may have left Surrey for Shropshire as she had two aunts and two uncles born at Coreley, Shropshire, who may have still been in the area. Jane may have lodged with one of them whilst looking for work.

Name: Willie Handley
Age: 18
Event Date: 31 Mar 1901
Event Place: Cudham, Kent, England, United Kingdom
Birth Year (Estimated): 1883
Birthplace: Godstone, Surrey
Marital Status: Single
Occupation: STUDSMAN
Relationship to Head of Household: Nephew
Event Type: Census

Household Role Sex Age Birthplace
Thomas Handley M 32 Lantel, Herefordshire Occupation STUD MANAGER
Mary Jane Handley F 36 Wooditton, Cambridgeshire, Wife
John Griffiths M 35 Aymestry, Herefordshire Occupation STUDSMAN
Frederich Kimber M 32 Beauworth, Hampshire Occupation STUDSMAN
Ben Jones M 31 Stoke Tay, Shropshire Occupation STUDSMAN
John Dove M 29 Tunbridge, Kent Occupation STUDSMAN
Arthur Hewitt M 25 Leavesden, Hertfordshire Occupation COACHMAN DOMESTIC
Charlie Brown M 21 Longburton, Dorsetshire Occupation STUDSMAN
Walter Edward Smith M 19 Lewes, Sussex Occupation STUDSMAN

Marriage
Event Place: Bromley, Kent, England
Registration Quarter: Jul-Aug-Sep
Registration Year: 1911
Spouse: Elizabeth F Collins

Name Arthur William Headley
Christening Date 6 Oct 1912
Christening Place Cudham, Kent, England, United Kingdom
Father's Name William Headley
Mother's Name Elizabeth Fanny

Name Thomas John Handley
Christening Date 7 Jun 1914
Christening Place Cudham, Kent, England, United Kingdom
Father's Name William Handley
Mother's Name Elizabeth Fanny

Great War service

Details from the photo of William identifies his Great War service as joining the Coldstream Guards at Caterham barracks. Like Willys brothers in law, who were elisted in the Coldstream Guards Depot, Cateram but enrolled in Garrison Artilliary companies the Army recognised Willys skills as a stud groom and enlisted him in the Royal Army Service Corps, Remount Squadron.

ASC Remount squadron recruitment poster.

Private William Handley Army medical history

Transcript of this one of several pages in the record.
Sirname Handley Christian name William
Birth place Godstone, Surrey:
Examined 22 March 1917 at Maidstone
Declared Age 34 years 1 month:
Trade or occupation Manager (Bloodstock):
Height 5' 7 3/4", Weight 207 lbs, Chest Girth when fully expanded 43 inches, Range of expansion 3 1/2 inches, Physical developement V Good,
Vaccination Marks 4 left arm, When Vaccinated Infancy,
Vision L & right 6/6,
Marks indicating congenital peculiarities or previous disease: Neglected hernia, Defective (illegible), Corpulencey.
Joined on enlistmenrt A S C Remounts, R/143250
Discharged, no longer physically fit for war service on 15th day of January 1919

Other forms in the series give:
Working in the lines of the RASC(Remounts) Swaythling Southampton.
In his own words, Suffered from Rupture befor my enlistment. But the work in the Corps has made it worse. Prior to enlistment I did no manual labour.
The Medical Officer added: Date of disability: About 10 years, in Kent.
Next of Kin: Elizabeth Fanny Handley(wife) Children: Arthur William 08 Aug 1912, Thomas John 04 Apr 1911
Stud Farm, Westerham, Kent.
Attested 29-2-16
To Army Res 1-3-16
Mobilised 25-7-17
Achieved the rank of Private.

Name: William Handley
Age: 34
Birth Date: 1883
Birthplace: Godstone, Surrey, England
Military Regiment: R/143250
Battalion: Remount Squadron
Military Company/Regiment: Royal Army Service Corps
Event Type: Military Service
Event Date: 1917

After demobilisation

Handley home 1921

Handley Census of 1921

Transcript
Bridgham Park Stud, Bridgham, Norfolk
William Handley, Head, 38 years 3 months, Stud Groom, Mr T Musker, Bloodstock Breeder, Bridgham Paddocks, Bridgham Attlebow. Note Bridgham lies 7 miles east of Thetford.
Elizabeth Fanney Handley, Wife, 37 years 7 months, Home Duties
Arthur W Handley, Son, 8 years 10 month
Thomas J Handley, Son, 7 years 2 month

Survey of 1939, lived at Paddocks Wynyard, Stockton R.D., Durham.
Handley household
(4 people)
First name(s) Last name(s) DOB Sex Occupation Marital status
William Handley 28 Feb 1883 Male Stud Groom Married
Elizabeth Fanny Handley 24 Oct 1883 Female Unpaid Domestic Duties Married
Arthur William Handley 08 Aug 1912 Male Heavy Chemical Worker Single
Thomas John Handley 04 Apr 1911 Male Joiner Single

William Handley
BIRTH unknown
DEATH 30 Jul 1945
BURIAL St. James' Churchyard Thorpe Thewles, Stockton-on-Tees Unitary Authority, County Durham, England
MEMORIAL ID 241072793

Son, William (Bill) Handley
BIRTH 1912
DEATH 1999 (aged 86–87)
BURIAL St. James' Churchyard, Thorpe Thewles, Stockton-on-Tees Unitary Authority, County Durham, England
MEMORIAL ID 241072827^[3]

Sources

1. ↑ https://www.parishmouse.co.uk/surrey/godstone-surrey-family-history-guide/
2. ↑ https://godstone.net/aboutus/history/
3. ↑ Son's Grave: Find a Grave, database and images (haccessed 07 December 2022), memorial page for William “Bill” Handley (1912–1999), Find A Grave: Memorial #241072827, citing St. James' Churchyard, Thorpe Thewles, Stockton-on-Tees Unitary Authority, County Durham, England; Maintained by Edward Nicholl (contributor 47937277).

• Hand drawn family tree of John Collins
• "England, Surrey Parish Registers, 1536-1992," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QGZ5-2NTC : 16 March 2018), Willy, 12 Apr 1883; citing Baptism, , London Metropolitan Archives, England; FHL microfilm 994,415.
• "England and Wales Census, 1891," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QFW8-VW2 : 22 February 2021), Willie Handley in household of Thomas Handley, Godstone, Surrey, England, United Kingdom; from "1891 England, Scotland and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing PRO RG 12, Surrey county, subdistrict, The National Archives of the UK, Kew, Surrey.
• "England and Wales Census, 1901," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X9FS-3HM : 20 May 2019), Willie Handley in household of Thomas Handley, Cudham, Kent, England, United Kingdom; from "1901 England, Scotland and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing Orpington subdistrict, PRO RG 13, The National Archives, Kew, Surrey.
• "England and Wales Marriage Registration Index, 1837-2005," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:26W7-Q93 : 13 December 2014), William Handley, 1911; from "England & Wales Marriages, 1837-2005," database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing 1911, quarter 3, vol. 2A, p. 1219, Bromley, Kent, England, General Register Office, Southport, England.
• "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:CVM1-GYZM : 18 September 2020), William Headley in entry for Arthur William Headley, 1912.
• "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:CV9C-4NN2 : 18 September 2020), William Handley in entry for Thomas John Handley, 1914.
• "United Kingdom, World War I Service Records, 1914-1920," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVBL-SVGN : 16 March 2018), William Handley, 1917; citing , Royal Army Service Corps, regiment #R/143250, publication WO 363, The National Archives, Kew, Surrey; FHL microfilm 7,273,111.
• I939 National Registration: [1]
• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/241072793/william-handley: accessed 22 September 2022), memorial page for William Handley (unknown–30 Jul 1945), Find a Grave Memorial ID 241072793, citing St. James' Churchyard, Thorpe Thewles, Stockton-on-Tees Unitary Authority, County Durham, England; Maintained by Edward Nicholl (contributor 47937277) .