Moffat St
(Southampton St to Pym St)
YO'D MEK APARSON SWEAR BY JOY JAMES
This is the story of life in the St Ann’s district of Nottingham as seen through the eyes of a small child, mine.
The old St Ann's has been largely regenerated and all that’s left of the street I once knew and grew up in is a rather battered sign that reads Moffat Close. The old Moffat Street of the 1940’s was a very different place made up of dozens of run down terraced houses inhabited by poor folk caught up in a poverty exacerbated by war. Despite those humble beginnings, I have fond memories of that area and the folk who lived there who helped colour my life so richly and at times bizarrely.
I moved to number 80 from Aston in Birmingham at the tender age of three whilst war raged. One of my earliest memories is sitting on top of a cart being pushed by my ‘dad’ from one side of Nottingham to the other as we did a moonlight flit! We were a cobbled together family of three kids plus mam and ‘dad’. They were married, but not to each other and trust me, we were NOT the kind of family you wanted moving in next door to you. We were a loud scruffy poverty stricken bunch that brought new life to that terrace, most of it rolled up in our bedding on the back of the cart. Our new home had no lavatory and we had to share with our next door neighbour. It was a route march down the yard past three houses and within a week, we had made it our own, our next door neighbours reluctantly choosing to share with their other neighbours!
My memories of those days are vivid and I wanted to get them down on paper as a history of both St Ann's and our family for my kids to see and read before it’s too late. To my eternal regret I don’t know who my father was and I don’t want there to be a gap in my children’s and grandchildren’s knowledge of where they came from.
So here it is, warts and all.
It's quite a climb, quite a journey.
I hope you enjoy the ride.
This is the story of life in the St Ann’s district of Nottingham as seen through the eyes of a small child, mine.
The old St Ann's has been largely regenerated and all that’s left of the street I once knew and grew up in is a rather battered sign that reads Moffat Close. The old Moffat Street of the 1940’s was a very different place made up of dozens of run down terraced houses inhabited by poor folk caught up in a poverty exacerbated by war. Despite those humble beginnings, I have fond memories of that area and the folk who lived there who helped colour my life so richly and at times bizarrely.
I moved to number 80 from Aston in Birmingham at the tender age of three whilst war raged. One of my earliest memories is sitting on top of a cart being pushed by my ‘dad’ from one side of Nottingham to the other as we did a moonlight flit! We were a cobbled together family of three kids plus mam and ‘dad’. They were married, but not to each other and trust me, we were NOT the kind of family you wanted moving in next door to you. We were a loud scruffy poverty stricken bunch that brought new life to that terrace, most of it rolled up in our bedding on the back of the cart. Our new home had no lavatory and we had to share with our next door neighbour. It was a route march down the yard past three houses and within a week, we had made it our own, our next door neighbours reluctantly choosing to share with their other neighbours!
My memories of those days are vivid and I wanted to get them down on paper as a history of both St Ann's and our family for my kids to see and read before it’s too late. To my eternal regret I don’t know who my father was and I don’t want there to be a gap in my children’s and grandchildren’s knowledge of where they came from.
So here it is, warts and all.
It's quite a climb, quite a journey.
I hope you enjoy the ride.
THE GREAT WAR
BREWIN, JOHN
Rank Corporal Service number 12267 Date of death 7-Aug-16 Age at death 24 Military Unit 11th Bn Sherwood Foresters (Notts & Derby Regiment) Family History He lived at 32 Moffatt Street, Southampton Street, St Ann's Nottingham. Remembered on St Ann's Nottingham - Parish and Congregation War Memorial as Brewin J Sources: Commonwealth War Graves Commission Nottinghamshire Great War Roll of Honour |
NO COMMONWEALTH WAR GRAVES RECORD |
GAITSKELL, John
Family History He was the husband of Eleanor Gaitskell and the father of John Gaitskell. In 1911 they lived at 19 Moffat Street, Southampton Street, St Ann's Nottingham. Employment/Hobbies In 1911 he was a carter. Age at death 41 Service number DM2/137177 Military Unit Army Service Corps Military History He was discharged 17/3/1917 and died at Nottingham shortly after (A/M/J/1917). Remembered on
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MASON, HAROLD
Rank: Private Service No: 201403 Date of Death: 9/06/1917 Age: 22 Regiment/Service: Royal Scots Fusiliers 1st/4th Bn. Panel Reference: Panel 18. Memorial: JERUSALEM MEMORIAL Employment/Hobbies In 1911 his occupation was 'assisting head'. Extra Information Nottingham Evening Post obituary (abridged) 27 December 1919: MASON, taken prisoner of war in Palestine on June 5th 1917 when wounded he is now officially said to have died between June 9th and December 9th 1917. Private Harold Mason, 1/4th Royal Scots Fusiliers, youngest son of Mr and Mrs Mason, 22 Moffat Street, Nottingham. Mother, father, sisters, Nellie, Mabel and Lucy. Additional Information: Son of Henry and Agnes Ellen Mason, of 22, Moffat St., Nottingham Remembered on
Commonwealth War Graves Commission Nottinghamshire Great War Roll of Honour |
NO COMMONWEALTH WAR GRAVES RECORD |
MAYES, THOMAS
Rank Private Service number 22257 Date of death 5-Jul-16 Age at death 18 Military Unit Sherwood Foresters (Notts & Derby Regiment) Family History He lived at 10 Moffatt Street, Southampton Street, St Ann's Nottingham. Remembered on St Ann's District Virtual Memorial War Memorial as Thomas Mayes Extra Information Nottingham Evening Post Roll of Honour (abridged) 5/8/1916: 'Mayes. Killed in action July 5th, Pte. Thomas Hayes of 10 Moffatt Street Nottingham, aged 18 years.' Sources: No Commonwealth War Graves Commission record Nottinghamshire Great War Roll of Honour |
RUSSELL, GEORGE
Rank: Private Service No: 39519 Date of Death: 5/03/1919 Age: 37 Regiment/Service: North Staffordshire Regiment 7th Bn. Panel Reference: Memorial: BAKU MEMORIAL Additional Information: Husband of Alice Russell, of 76, Moffat St., Nottingham. Employment/Hobbies He was a tailor. Remembered on
Commonwealth War Graves Commission Nottinghamshire Great War Roll of Honour |
WARD, ARTHUR
Rank Private Service number 4403 Date of death 12-Apr-17 Age at death 23 Military Unit 1st Bn Sherwood Foresters (Notts & Derby Regiment) Family History Arthur Ward was born in 1894 the son of Henry and Annie Ward (née Beresford)of 60 Moffatt Street, Pym Street, Nottingham. His parents were married in 1880 at Nottingham and they had further children, Beatrice, Harry, Herbert and Cyril. Employment/Hobbies He was a town carter. Military History Arthur Ward, enlisted at Nottingham on 4th June 1912 into the Special Reserve Battalion Nottinghamshire & Derbyshire Regiment. He attend recruit training from 4th June 1912 until 2nd November 1912. At the outbreak of war he was mobilised and on 27th December 1914 he landed in France. He was wounded in action on 12th March 1915 (details not stated) and returned to England on 14th March 1915. He was declared a deserter on 8th October 1915 and returned on 9th November 1915. He was awarded 14 days detention. He was declared a deserter once again on 23rd December 1915 returning on 22nd January 1916 this time receiving 28 days detention for this absence. He returned France on 1st June 1916. Memorial THIEPVAL MEMORIAL Cemetery/memorial reference: Pier and Face 10 C 10 D and 11 A. Remembered on St Ann's District Virtual Memorial War Memorial as Arthur Ward Sources: Commonwealth War Graves Commission Nottinghamshire Great War Roll of Honour |
Name:
John Thomas Pym Birth Year: abt 1890 Residence Place: 26 Moffatt St, Nottingham Occupation: Baker Enlistment Age: 25 Enlistment Year: 1915 Regimental Number: 042260 Regiment Name: Army Service Corps |
Name:
Ernest Mayes Birth Year: abt 1890 Residence Place: 10 Moffatt St, Nottingham Enlistment Age: 25 Enlistment Year: 1915 Regimental Number: 29863 Regiment Name: Notts and Derby (Sherwood Foresters) Regiment |
Name:
Thomas Parr Occupation wireman Residence: 3 Moffat St Regimental Number: 2331 Regiment Name: Sherwood Foresters (Notts & Derby Regiment) |