Stanley Robinson and a number of men and boys on the War Memorials were enigma’s to me for a number of years, as I couldn’t find them on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission database and all efforts to find them locally came to nothing.

I decided to go back and look again as they needed to be remembered and tried the WW2talk website, they have helped me so many times before.   I therefore asked about Stanley Robinson:-

https://ww2talk.com/index.php?threads/stanley-robinson.98843/  and true to form they were able to set me on the way to finding him, many thanks to them all.   The first clue was the website for Hawarden cemetery:-

https://www.hawardencemetery.uk/ZName%20R.htm

This showed a grave with a Stanley Robinson RN, buried with his parents, so I with their help was able to proceed.

Stanley Robinson was born in the March quarter of 1925 (West Derby Vol.  No.: 8b , Page No.: 903), the son of John Thomas & Elizabeth Ann Robinson (nee Eaton), who had married on the 24^th January, 1910, according to John Thomas’s Attestation Papers for WW1, at Kirkdale’s, St. Athanasius Church,* (Liverpool 2045WD/3/229).

* https://www.achurchnearyou.com/church/15147/   https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=336

By 1911, according to the census of that year, the couple were living at 140 Towson Street, North Everton, Liverpool.  John Thomas Robinson, 24, was head of the household and was a Marine Fireman working at sea.   Elizabeth Ann Robinson, 24, tells us that they had been married 14 months and 1 child had been born and was still living, she also tells us they had both been born in Liverpool.   John Eaton Robinson, their son was 5 months old and had been born in Kirkdale, Lancashire.   They had a Boarder, Katie Roberts, 17, single and a Tobacco Packer at Ogdens Imperial Tobacco Manufacturers.   Katie had also been born in Liverpool.

By the 1921 census the family had enlarged considerably and they had moved to 42, Morland Street, Everton, Lancashire.  John Thomas was still head of the household and was now age 34 years and 9 months old, and was working at Henry Tate Sugar Refiners, as a Boiler Fireman.   Elizabeth was now 35 years and 1 month old and was doing “Home Duties.”   Their children, John Heaton Robinson (sic) was now 10 years 7 months old, Edward Arthur, 7 years 10 months and Grace, 5 years 11 months, they were at school, – “Whole time.”    Thomas, 3 years 10 months and Florence Elizabeth, age 1 year 7 months were the babies of the family.   The particulars were verified by the Registrar.  Apparently, Elizabeth Ann had sent them to the Registrar General by Post.

John Thomas Robinson had already been in one war, WW1, after he had been discharged from the Royal Navy* because of ill health, with about 6 years service, then on the 2^nd July 1917, he enlisted into the Royal Engineers as a Sapper, and after serving at home, France & Italy, he was discharged  on the 11^th March, 1919 to 42 Moreland street, Liverpool.   His Royal Navy service records are below.

* http://www.dreadnoughtproject.org/tfs/index.php/H.M.S._Dido_(1896)

*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Dido_(1896)#:~:text=HMS%20Dido%20was%20an%20Eclipse,Name

Photo

Symonds & Co – This is photograph Q 38654 from the collections of the Imperial War Museums (collection no. 2107-01)

So when the 1939 National Register was taken on the 29^th September of that year, weeks after WW2 started, he had already done his bit for the country.   This Register was used when the Identity cards and Rations Books were issued.

So John Thomas, by the time the 1939 National Register was taken, was still in Liverpool with his family.    This source gives us dates of birth, which is helpful in confirming some births and deaths.    The family were still living at 42, Moreland Street, Liverpool and John Thomas was still a Boiler Fireman and his birth was on the 1^st October 1887.   Elizabeth Ann had been born on the 4^th May 1886 and as most married women who did not have a job was described as doing “Unpaid Domestic Duties.”   John Eaton had been born on the 1^st November 1910 and was a “Liquor Man at a Sugar Refinery,” it also states he was married* and with St. John’s Ambulance, so already the family were in the War environment.   Thomas’s date of birth was the 28^th August 1917.  He was single and “Incapacitated.”  Lillian Mary had been born on the 6^th July 1921, Bertha had been born on the 17^th November 1922, both were single and “Messengers (Factory Hands).”    There are 3 redacted or closed records, which spill onto another page of the Register, but I do not know for certain who they are for, but I do believe that possibly one is for Stanley.    They have to abide by the 100 year rule, but can be opened if they can be proved to have died in the meantime.

*John Eaton Robinson married Elizabeth Ann LUNT on the 31^st October 1931 in St. George’s Church, Everton, Lancashire.

I found John Thomas & Elizabeth Ann Robinson on the Electoral Roll for Liverpool in the Electoral District of Kirkdale for 1939 – 1940, living at 41, Moreland Street .

So it must have been shortly after this that the family moved to Deeside and possibly Sandycroft in particular as Stanley’s name is on the Sandycroft WW2 War Memorial, but only with the initial “S.”

The Hawarden WW2 War Memorial has his name written in full – Stanley Robinson, so I am presuming that they are one and the same.

Sadly it seem that Stanley, after possibly enlisting, or being conscripted, joined the Royal Navy, but I have no information on this part of his life, so any help would be appreciated, as he should be remembered.

It also appears that Stanley was formerly an Able Seaman, he was to contract T.B. and sadly was to die in the December quarter of 1945 (Hawarden – Volume 11b, Page 206).   GeorgeB from WW2talk, was able to help me with the date, Stanley died on the 3rd October 1945 at 27 North Street, Sandycroft, his sister Hilda’s residence, and is buried with his family in Hawarden.   We do not know how he contracted this, but I do wonder if he contracted T.B. whilst he was in the Royal Navy, perhaps cramped quarters, but I do hope that we can get him mentioned on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission database in the future.

Stanley was part of a big family and must have been missed so much, as they made sure that his name would be remembered for perpetuity.   His parents John Thomas & Elizabeth Ann Robinson died in the March Quarter of 1969, age 81 (Chester Vol.  10A, Page 234) and the March quarter of 1966, age 79 (Hawarden 8a, Page 585) respectively.   They would have been alive to see their son’s name unveiled on both War Memorials.

Stanley’s name is also on the Sandycroft WW2 War Memorial, please click on the link, any information would be gratefully received.