William George Albert (Bert) Ford- Wireless Operator (1883-1963)

 Cont.... 

The George and Alice Ford story Part 4 

 

 

William George Albert (Bert) Ford was born  27 Oct 1883 in Ball Hill, Donegal the oldest of the Ford boys.  He left Ireland with his family when he was 13. He was first engaged in the Navy at Portsmouth after the death of his father for a 12 year stint. When he first enlisted at 16 and probably straight out of school, he was 5'4" with light brown hair, grey eyes and fresh complexion. 

Nothing like the Navy to turn a boy into a man. By 1901 he was a crew boy 1st class at Gibraltar Bay.By age 18 he was 5'7" with dark brown hair, blue eyes and dark complexion. He was tattooed with an anchor on the forearm and bracelet  plus "Ada"  on his right wrist. 

On board “the Exmouth” during the 1911 census he was  a 27 year old,  single, Able Seaman with his religion stated as  Church of England. 

 After joining the Royal Fleet Reserve, Portsmouth  in November 1913 he married May ChristinaThompson in Isle of Wight in 1914.

He served the country in WWI. After  WWI he was paid a War Gratuity and demobilised 1^st March 1918 being released so as to work at the service of Trinity House.

 

William’s  Naval Service Record

Between the wars William and Doris began their family on the Isle of Wight
They had 4 daughters Vera in 1917, Doris in 1919, Joan in 1920 and Edna in 1922.

 This is William’s tree….

    William George Albert (Bert) Ford b: 27 Oct 1883 in Ball Hill ,Donegal, d: 23 Jun 1963 in Isle of     Wight

          + May Christina Thompson m: 1914 in Isle of Wight d 8/4/1981

                    Vera A Ford b: 1917

                        + Leonard G Daish m: 1939 in Isle of Wight, England

                    Doris Eva Ford b: 24 Jan 1919 in East Cowes Isle of Wight

                          + John Hylton de Knock b: 06 Sep 1916 in Hornsey, London, m: 1944 in Uxbridge,                                   d 06 Sep 1992 in Perth W.A.

                    Joan B Ford b:1920

                    Edna Grace Ford b: 1922 d 2006

                            + Percy (Mac) Chisolm 1910-1968 m 1963

                            + Harold Bosworth  m 1972 d 1995

May Ford  with Eileen and baby Vera c 1917

Employed as a wireless operator he received a bravery award  when his ship SS Vestal was attacked by the enemy  aircraft during WWII This was Gazetted  in the London Gazette 20/7/1940.

“The individuals named below have been brought to notice for good services when their ships encountered enemy submarines, aircraft or mines”

Seaman Ford is commended along with Captain John Cecil McCarthy, Master.

http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/34921/supplements/5000

He was also Commended for good work performed while on Andre Blondel in assisting to cleanup St Catherine's G H Station after attack by enemy aircraft on 1.6.43 London Gazette 13.8.40 (2411/40)

Below  is the wording from a  letter written by Winston Churchill  to Wireless Officer  SS Vestal. Presumably this was copied to send to his brother Sidney in Australia.

 

Wording from Letter written by Churchill

Employment records received from Trinity House  Archives

His service included 12 years in the Royal Navy followed by 5 years in the Royal Navy Reserve and then 25 years in the Steam Vessel Service retiring in 1944 aged 61. He served on approximately 30 ships during this time. 

The two oldest daughters, Doris and Vera are still alive, sprightly and in their 90s when Sid's granddaughter visited in 2013.  Both were living on the Isle of Wight. 

Doris married John Hylton de Knock in 1944.  Although they lived in London they brought their boys Richard and Nigel to the Isle for holidays. They boys loved visiting their grandfather and grandmother. Richard remembers his grandfather being very self sufficient with an allotment where he grew everything for the family.  He remembers also those days playing with his cousins Darrell and Robin Daish who were Vera’s boys. Vera had married Leonard Daish who was at one time the Mayor of the Isle of Wight. 

Wedding of Len and Vera Daish with William (Bert) back right

 

Richard sent this photo of a Ford family picnic on the Isle. “This is a photograph of my grandfather (Bert) William Albert Ford with his wife May and their youngest daughter Edna plus myself as a baby taken at either East Cowes or Cowes.” I was born in 1945 and would say this was the summer of 1946.”

 

Edna with her mother May and husband Mac

Wynne and Joe Ford visited in the late1970s  and were very taken with the Island. More recently Sid’s Grandaughter, Sophia H, visited and took these photos of the sprightly sisters.  

Vera Daish 2011

William (Bert) died 23/6/1963 and May almost twenty years later on 8/4/1981. May and William  are buried in Section 24 of the Cowes Cemetery behind  the grave of Eileen and George.