Wilfred James Blaber

Name on Plaque

Connection with Effingham

He was not native to Effingham. Nor were his parents, but the War Graves Commission records that they were living at Ranmore. In 1948 his parents were living at 1, Red Gables, Dunley Hill in the Ranmore Common area of Effingham parish [1948 Electoral Register].

Genealogy

His grandfather Richard Blaber was born at Jevington near Willingdon, East Sussex in 1856 [GRO Ref: Eastbourne 2b 46, 1856 (Q1)]. Richard married in 1884 to Annie "Ada" (née) Stannett [GRO Ref: Brighton 2b 323, 1884 (Q3)]. She had been born in Burnham, Buckinghamshire to parents Joseph and Emma on October 3rd 1862 and baptised there on November 16th of that year [IGI: Batch C013600]. Although baptised simply as "Annie", she was apparently registered at birth as "Annie Sophia" [GRO Ref: Eton 3a 373, 1862 (Q4)]. By the time she married she was calling herself "Annie Ada".

Richard and Annie produced a son Ernest George – the future father of Wilfred James – in 1890 [GRO Ref: Brighton 2b 231, 1890 (Q4)]. Here they are with him in the 1891 Census:

They subsequently produced at least one further child Joseph Charles [GRO Ref: Brighton 2b 245, 1895 (Q3)].

Richard died aged "43" in 1899 [GRO Ref: Brighton 2b 142, 1899 (Q1)].

Annie and her children appear not to have been enumerated in the 1901 Census.

Ernest's future wife was Eliza (née) Starks, born at Falmer (5 miles west of Lewes) to parents Thomas and Eliza in 1892 [GRO Ref: Lewes 2b 194, 1892 (Q2)]. The 1901 Census finds her family living in Falmer:

At the time of the 1911 Census the Starks family was still living in Falmer and Ernest was staying with them as a visitor:

Ernest's normal home address at this time was probably Hammonds Farm in Lingfield, Surrey, since that address was cited for him – as next of kin – a few years later in the army papers of his brother Joseph.

Ernest and Eliza married in 1915 [GRO Ref: Newhaven 2b 507, 1915 (Q4)]. They produced a son Wilfred James in 1921 [GRO Ref: Croydon 2a 603, 1921 (Q4)]. The latter source spells his first name as "Wilfrid". In 1930 they produced another son Philip Ernest [GRO Ref: Epsom 2a 91, 1930 (Q2)].

In the War Wilfred served in the West Yorkshire Regiment and was killed in action in Burma on June 3rd 1944. His grandmother Annie may have died at about the same time, possibly from shock [GRO Ref: Surrey Mid.E. 2a 255, 1944 (Q2)] – but indexed perhaps in error as "Annie R."]. Eliza died on May 29th 1952 [GRO Ref: Surrey S.W. 5g 758, 1952 (Q2)] and Ernest on August 14th 1955 [GRO Ref: Surrey Mid.E. 5g 165, 1955 (Q3)]. They are interred in the Effingham parish burial ground together with their son Philip Ernest who died on July 29th 2007.

Military Records

1. Service Record - not yet available

2. Commonwealth War Graves Commission Record