John Fennah’s parents were Joseph and Mary Fennah. They had married in St. Deniol’s Church, Hawarden on the 21st October 1880. Joseph was a Gamekeeper, (as his father Thomas was). Mary Shone’s father Edward Shone was a miner,. Her abode was Lytham. They married after Banns. Their witnesses were Edward Jones & Helen Fennah.
John Fennah was recorded on the 1901 census living with his family at Castle Hill, Ewloe, Hawarden (Flint). His father Joseph was by then, a Brewer, 41 who had been born in Hawarden. His mother was Mary Fennah, 40 also born in Hawarden. Their eldest child, Edward T, 19 a Coal Miner had been born in Hawarden. At some point the family must have lived in Ireland as their sons, Joseph F, 18 and Frank 16 both coal miners had been born in Ireland. The rest of the children, Hannah 13, Thomas 10, Nellie 7, John 4, Gertrude 3 and George F. 2 months had all been born in Hawarden.
The 1911 census finds a really big family living at Rose Cottage Aston Hawarden, Flintshire. There were 8 rooms in this cottage, but there were 14 people living there. Mary Fennah was 50 and recorded as the head of the household. The census tells us she was married but her husband Joseph was not present for the census. Frank had completed the form and stated that Mary had been born in Buckley, Flintshire and she had been married for 30 years. She had given birth to 11 children who were all were still living. Frank 26 was a widower, and a Coal Miner who had been born in Kinescourt Co Caven (Resident), Ireland. (He had married Martha Williams in 1909 and she died the same year, (possibly after giving birth to Pattie Fennah age 1 on the census).
The following children were also listed in 1911: Thomas 20 was a Shunter in the Chemical Works, Nellie was 17, John 14 was a labourer in the Brickworks, Gwendoline Hilda 13, George Ford 12, Mary Elizabeth 9 and Edmund 7. Also in the household was Mary’s married daughter Hannah M. Blease and her family. She was 23, her husband William G. Blease, 27 was an Iron Works Galvanizer. Their daughter Nancy, Mary’s Granddaughter , was under 1 month old and had been born in Hawarden. They had a boarder living in the household. Percy Ramsell was single, 21 and a Packer in the Sheet Works.
UK, Soldiers Died in the Great War, 1914-1919 accessible on www.ancestry.co.uk confirms John’s regimental information above left and also tells us that he enlisted in Shotton. His medal card also accessible on ‘Ancestry’ details his medal entitlement and tells us that John’s first Theatre of War was France and he entered it on 2nd December 1915.
John Fennah is commemorated on a family grave in the churchyard of St Deiniol’s Church , Hawarden The family inscriptions includes the following
John Fennah 14 Batt RWF
Beloved son of Joseph and Mary Fennah of Hawarden
Who died of wounds in France on July 10 1916
Aged 20 years.
