This blog touches on the issue of suicide. Please take care when reading, and reach out to your local suicide prevention service if needs be.
There are a great number of creative types in our family, on all sides. We don't appear to have any visual arts creatives yet (my daughter might turn out to be the first one), but we certainly have plenty of performing arts creatives. I've already written about the Bells' musical troupe 'Trois Cloches' and their route from the pub scene of Lancaster to the London Hippodrome. From the other side of my family this week's blog is about the life, singing talents, loss, tragedy, and loves of Madge Newell.
Madge Newell was my great grandfather's youngest sister. Born in Edinburgh, in 1885, Madge was the youngest of 7 children (5 of whom survived to adulthood.) Her father was the American shipmaster George Frederick Newell, from Massachusetts, and her mother was an Edinburgh lass, named Christina Hall Main.
Madge was a young 19 years old, when her father died in 1904. Her older siblings had mostly all left the family home by this date. Her brothers Ted and Liston had joined the British Merchant Navy in 1886, and 1898 respectively. Her sister Helen Sophia (aka Nelly) married Percy Galloway in 1902, and Sarah Beatrice (aka Daisy) was to marry her beau Frank Bucher in 1905. This left just Madge and her mother in the family home in Edinburgh.
In 1910 Madge and her mother left Edinburgh to visit the USA. They arrived in New York, I think perhaps to visit with her brother Liston who was working for the Dominion Altantic Railway Steam Ship line, as the chief engineer on the RMSS Prince George. The Prince George was a steamship that ran the route from Boston, MA to Yarmouth, NS, and Liston lived in Nova Scotia at that time, with his wife Henrietta (aka Lilly) and their daughter Julia. Julia would have been about 10 years old at the time of their visit. The letter referenced in my previous blog was written by Henrietta, to Madge's mother Christina, and her turn of phrase in the letter suggests that they had met.
Shortly after their return from this trip, in February 1911 Madge began her singing career, and various newspaper reports give glowing reviews of her concerts. It seems that Madge sang her way through WWI, and celebrated the end of the war by marrying the wonderfully named Sydney Christmas Bennett, in 1919.
Sydney was the son of gentleman farmer Raymond Christmas Bennett, from Wroxeter, Shropshire, and Alice Mary Vidler. I had been told that he bore the moniker 'Christmas' due to his birthdate, which was 25th December 1888. However, on closer inspection I found that his great grandmother's maiden name had been Christmas, and various other members of his family, including his brother and father also shared the same middle name. How perfect that he was named with the family name 'Christmas', AND was born on Christmas Day! I sure there was much celebrating on that particular festive day.
As family lore has it, Madge and Sydney's marriage spelled the end of her stage and singing career. At that time, women of her social class did not continue working once they were married. Her life was to not to seek fame and fortune through her beautiful voice, but instead to bring care and comfort to her husband, and raise their children. I am told by family members that she much regretted leaving the limelight of the stage, and missed the world of professional singing.
Sydney was a civil engineer. He was posted to East Africa in 1914, where he worked as an assistant engineer in the public works department, planning and building the water supply system in Mombasa. Sydney joined the East African Pioneers, and was assigned to them in Africa throughout the war. It seems, however, that Sydney took fairly frequent visits back to Blighty, and perhaps it was on one of these visits that he met Madge. Perhaps he saw her at one of her concerts and was bewitched by her voice. Or perhaps he knew her socially; they were certainly of a similar class and age. At the time of their marriage she was about 34, and he was 31. It's possible that Madge did not expect to become a mother. Whilst we don't blink today about a woman having her first child in her mid or late 30s, in that era 34 was considered quite a late age to be a new mum. But become a mother she did; Madge and Sydney welcomed their beloved son, George Henry Sydney Bennett in 1921. He was baptised in Nairobi, Kenya on 20th March 1921.
Sydney, Madge, and baby George lived in East Africa, where Sydney continued to work as a civil engineer. He was appointed the role of executive engineer for the public works department in 1921, and by 1930 Sydney was the executive engineer for his division. Available records suggest that Sydney and Madge returned to the UK in 1931; presumably George, who was 10 by this time, was at boarding school in the UK (his name was not in the ships passenger list with his parents.)
George Henry Sydney Bennett was 18 years old when Britain declared war on Germany, on the 3rd September 1939. On the same day parliament passed the National Service Act, which imposed the conscription of all males aged 18-41. George joined the RAF and became a wireless operator and air gunner, stationed at RAF Luffenham, Rutland.
A wireless operator in the RAF had the role of transmitting communications to and from home base. A WOp had fewer duties than other members of the flight crew. They would often act as an extra in emergencies, especially as the reserve gun operator. In the event of the plane going down, it was the WOp's responsibility to send location details to home base, and to send out distress signals, to aid any potential rescue. This had the result of WOps often being the last to leave the plane, as it crashed.
On the 5th or 6th of November, 1941, George and his crew were flying in a twin engined medium sized bomber, called a Handley Page Hampden (or Hampden for short). This kind of plane was a common choice for night time raids, and were crewed by a pilot, a second pilot or observer, a wireless operator, and an air gunner. Their mission that night was to fly with 11 of the Hampdens of Squadron 144, and some Hudson bombers from 608 Squadron. Together they were to attack shipping in the Frisian Islands. The squadron came under attack from a Vorpostenboot (flak ship) and George's plane crashed into the sea off the coast of Schiermonnikoog. George Henry Sydney Bennett was lost, along with his crew members; Llewellyn Newton Evans (pilot, aged 20), Harry Walter (observer, aged 21), Thomas George Miskin (wireless operator/air gunner, aged 30). 144 Squadron lost 2 other bombers that night, each with a further crew of 4. Of those eight men, 5 died and 3 were taken as prisoners of war. 608 sqaudron also lost two bombers in that raid, each with another crew of 4. All eight of those men died. Astoundingly, such loss in one bombing raid during WWII was not uncommon.
Madge was a young 19 years old, when her father died in 1904. Her older siblings had mostly all left the family home by this date. Her brothers Ted and Liston had joined the British Merchant Navy in 1886, and 1898 respectively. Her sister Helen Sophia (aka Nelly) married Percy Galloway in 1902, and Sarah Beatrice (aka Daisy) was to marry her beau Frank Bucher in 1905. This left just Madge and her mother in the family home in Edinburgh.
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| Edinburgh, circa 1905 |
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| Dumfries & Galloway Standard, March 1915 |
As family lore has it, Madge and Sydney's marriage spelled the end of her stage and singing career. At that time, women of her social class did not continue working once they were married. Her life was to not to seek fame and fortune through her beautiful voice, but instead to bring care and comfort to her husband, and raise their children. I am told by family members that she much regretted leaving the limelight of the stage, and missed the world of professional singing.
Sydney was a civil engineer. He was posted to East Africa in 1914, where he worked as an assistant engineer in the public works department, planning and building the water supply system in Mombasa. Sydney joined the East African Pioneers, and was assigned to them in Africa throughout the war. It seems, however, that Sydney took fairly frequent visits back to Blighty, and perhaps it was on one of these visits that he met Madge. Perhaps he saw her at one of her concerts and was bewitched by her voice. Or perhaps he knew her socially; they were certainly of a similar class and age. At the time of their marriage she was about 34, and he was 31. It's possible that Madge did not expect to become a mother. Whilst we don't blink today about a woman having her first child in her mid or late 30s, in that era 34 was considered quite a late age to be a new mum. But become a mother she did; Madge and Sydney welcomed their beloved son, George Henry Sydney Bennett in 1921. He was baptised in Nairobi, Kenya on 20th March 1921.
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| Market Hall, Mombasa circa 1914 |
Sydney, Madge, and baby George lived in East Africa, where Sydney continued to work as a civil engineer. He was appointed the role of executive engineer for the public works department in 1921, and by 1930 Sydney was the executive engineer for his division. Available records suggest that Sydney and Madge returned to the UK in 1931; presumably George, who was 10 by this time, was at boarding school in the UK (his name was not in the ships passenger list with his parents.)
George Henry Sydney Bennett was 18 years old when Britain declared war on Germany, on the 3rd September 1939. On the same day parliament passed the National Service Act, which imposed the conscription of all males aged 18-41. George joined the RAF and became a wireless operator and air gunner, stationed at RAF Luffenham, Rutland.
A wireless operator in the RAF had the role of transmitting communications to and from home base. A WOp had fewer duties than other members of the flight crew. They would often act as an extra in emergencies, especially as the reserve gun operator. In the event of the plane going down, it was the WOp's responsibility to send location details to home base, and to send out distress signals, to aid any potential rescue. This had the result of WOps often being the last to leave the plane, as it crashed.
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| A Handley Page Hampden Bomber |
The average age of RAF Bomber Command crewmen was 21, although older and younger men are known to have flown. The highest number of losses by far, amongst the allied air forces, was that of the RAF, with a loss of 39,804 men throughout the war. For comparison, the next highest loss was that of the Royal Canadian Air Force, who suffered a loss of 10,183 men. Loss of colleagues in the RAF was so commonplace that aircrew became quite blasé about life and death. Terms were used to express death and loss, such as 'bought the farm', 'got the chop', or 'failed to return', which seemed to help surviving crewmen mentally accommodate such levels of loss. And everyday jokes included, 'can I have your eggs and bacon at breakfast if you get the chop tonight?' It wasn't done to discuss the loss of friends and co workers.
Back at home, in Parkstone, Dorset, Madge and Sydney were distraught. Their only son, cut down in his prime. Family lore again tells us that the loss of her son, and the loss of her career caused Madge to make some ill considered life choices. Perhaps in an effort to find comfort, or solace, she had an affair with another man. Sydney eventually discovered the affair, and in his turmoil of grief made the decision to end his own life. He tried to shoot himself in the head, but did not die. He survived, but was however partially paralyzed as a result of his resulting brain injury.
Madge felt a great sense of guilt over her husband's actions and dedicated the rest of her life to nursing him back to strength, and being his dutiful wife and partner. They lived together, by all accounts very happily; an inseparable pair. Towards the ends of their lives they moved to a nursing home in Branksome, Poole and it was there that they spent their last days together, until their deaths in 1969, when Sydney died on the 25th June, and Madge on the 26th June.
I have been unable to find out where Sydney or Madge Bennett were laid to rest, or cremated, but I have no doubt that their lives were celebrated at a joint ceremony. George Henry Sydney Bennett was lost at sea; his remains were never found. He and his fellow crew members are remembered at the Runnymede Memorial. located just 4 miles from Windsor, Berkshire. The memorial is set on the top of Coopers Hill, and overlooks the River Thames, where it commemorates over 20,000 men and women of the air forces whose lives were lost in the Second World War, and have no known graves. It looks like a beautifully peaceful place.
Here is one of the songs that Madge sang during her professional singing days; Turn Ye To Me, sung by Maria Ferrante. The lyrics speak to the stars twinkling in the night sky, and the sea moaning in the wintery gales, as the singer pleads to the listener to 'turn ye to me'. It is a somewhat mournful song, and I have wondered at Madge singing it with a fresh set of emotions after the loss of her son George.
https://www.europeansineastafrica.co.uk/_site/custom/database/default.asp?a=viewIndividual&pid=2&person=8505
Back at home, in Parkstone, Dorset, Madge and Sydney were distraught. Their only son, cut down in his prime. Family lore again tells us that the loss of her son, and the loss of her career caused Madge to make some ill considered life choices. Perhaps in an effort to find comfort, or solace, she had an affair with another man. Sydney eventually discovered the affair, and in his turmoil of grief made the decision to end his own life. He tried to shoot himself in the head, but did not die. He survived, but was however partially paralyzed as a result of his resulting brain injury.
Madge felt a great sense of guilt over her husband's actions and dedicated the rest of her life to nursing him back to strength, and being his dutiful wife and partner. They lived together, by all accounts very happily; an inseparable pair. Towards the ends of their lives they moved to a nursing home in Branksome, Poole and it was there that they spent their last days together, until their deaths in 1969, when Sydney died on the 25th June, and Madge on the 26th June.
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| Branksome, Poole, Dorset is a lovely seaside town. |
Here is one of the songs that Madge sang during her professional singing days; Turn Ye To Me, sung by Maria Ferrante. The lyrics speak to the stars twinkling in the night sky, and the sea moaning in the wintery gales, as the singer pleads to the listener to 'turn ye to me'. It is a somewhat mournful song, and I have wondered at Madge singing it with a fresh set of emotions after the loss of her son George.
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https://www.cwgc.org/visit-us/find-cemeteries-memorials/cemetery-details/109600/runnymede-memorial/
https://aircrewremembered.com/evans-llewellyn.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Bomber_Command_aircrew_of_World_War_II
https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/whos-who-in-an-raf-bomber-crew#:~:text=The%20wireless%20operator%20transmitted%20all,any%20part%20of%20the%20aircraft.
https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/transformingsociety/private-lives/yourcountry/overview/conscriptionww2/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Bomber_Command_aircrew_of_World_War_II
https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/whos-who-in-an-raf-bomber-crew#:~:text=The%20wireless%20operator%20transmitted%20all,any%20part%20of%20the%20aircraft.
https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/transformingsociety/private-lives/yourcountry/overview/conscriptionww2/
https://www.europeansineastafrica.co.uk/_site/custom/database/default.asp?a=viewIndividual&pid=2&person=8505
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