Page 332 - Just another English family (Sep 2019)
P. 332
The first journey identified was in 1920 departing from London to Sydney and involved Walter (1866-1951) and Laura (1865-1935) and their son, Herbert William 1900-?). Their younger son, Bernard Walter (1902-?), who would have been around 18 years of age, was not one of the party for Australia, at least by this route.
The next journey identified to Australia was in 1921 again departing from London to Sydney but this time on 17 September 1921 on the ship, Orvieto, and seemed to involve Alice Mary Soothill (1916-?) and presumably her parents, Mr J A Soothill (1881-?) and Mrs M Soothill (1881-?). Alice May is known to have been born in Manaia, New Zeland on 6 April 1916. Her presumed parents cannot be traced on my database. So what were they doing in the UK?
The next journey identified to Australia was in 1925 again departing from London to Sydney. This trip involved A (1902-?) and F (1904-?) Soothill, both males. I have not positively identified either yet, but I wonder whether F Soothill is Fred Soothill who was born in Rochdale on 5 August 1903. Fred’s father, John Albert, died in New Zealand on 8 March 1923, so had died by the time that Fred made this journey.
The fourth of this series involved a female, M E Soothill (1906-?), who was travelling from London to Sydney on the ship, Otranto, departing on 18 September 1926. She was described as 20 years of age and her occupation was recorded as a ‘domestic’. This seems likely to be Martha Ellen Soothill who was born in Rochdale in 1906 and was the daughter of John Albert and May Soothill. She eventually married Fred Mills.
The fifth of this series of journeys again involved Walter who was travelling from London to Sydney departing on 1 December 1936 on the steamship, Mongolia. He is now aged 70 and is shown as ‘retired’. I first thought that he had returned from
328