My Ramus Family tree

"For optimum view by mobile phone or other hand-held device, please click on the 'Text-Only' version at the bottom of this page"

(To any members of the Ramus family connected to this tree, please feel free to contact me at wolf_e_boy@hotmail.com , as I would love to find out more, and find collaboration works very well. Plus, not all I have is here, as there is just too much to put up without making it confusing to follow. I look forward to hearing from my distant cousins, we have a great history)

Family tree
The Ramus side



Whatever else you do when setting out to do your family tree, the very first thing is to ask your eldest relatives as much as you can, to go back as far as they can remember, because that's the most important part, getting the living memories which will hopefully get you started on the right road. Apart from that, you'll have to learn how to be a detective, spotting and following clues. All census reports that follow will be English census reports, unless otherwise specified.


I've thought long and hard about how to do this, in the end I've just decided to make a start and see where it goes. I've already done over three years of research into the Ramus family tree now, tracing its name back by records to Amsterdam, and David Van Joseph Ramos, born Amsterdam 27 March 1719, I hope eventually to go further back and trace the lineage to the 1400's down in southern Spain, which is where, as Sephardim Jews, my investigations suggest the European part of the Ramus family history begins. Obviously there are other branches of my family tree, which I'll integrate further on, but for now I'm going to concentrate on telling the Ramus story, and not just my direct ancestry, but the wider spectrum of the Ramii, their spread across Britain, and onto America.

Please remember, this is a work in progress, so check back occasionally for any updates, or additions.


Along the way as I've been discovering my heritage, I've unearthed some interesting mini stories, such as four Solomons sisters ending up as wives to three of Isaac and Martha's boys, Old Bailey trials adding a bit of flesh to the bones of the story, and a better understanding of a time in this country long since past as I investigate the different places and jobs that my ancestors occupied, from the Dickensian Field Lane setting of Fagins base in Oliver Twist where the Solomons sisters lived, their father, Emanuel a cigar maker, to Mecklenburgh and Russell Squares in a much more affluent part of London decades later, where Benjamin and Samuel Ramus, (who end up with Rose, and Sarah Solomons), are listed as 'Dealer in Works of Art' and 'Ostrich quill feather manufacturer' respectively. Not forgetting the huge story of Jewish settlement in London, and their effects, which are mainly positive, on the areas they inhabit. I had absolutely no idea of any Jewish heritage in my family when I started, so you can imagine my surprise to find a huge section of it being entirely Jewish.


The first big decision to make is whether I should start to tell the story from now back, which is the way I've discovered it, and would be quite easy to do, or to tell it from the furthest ancestors to now, which I believe would give a bigger picture and better understanding of our ancestry. That last line has probably answered any doubts I may have had as to which way to go.


I'll try and tie the other family lines together in an easy to follow manner once I've moved the Ramus name to a time close enough for all living family members to recognise. In between all of this, I'll be injecting other historical research I've stumbled on which I feel is relevant to the story, the first of which would have to be a brief history of the Sephardim Jews. Sephardim, or Sephardi, basically means they're Jews from the Iberian peninsula of Spain and Portugal, and in 1492, (the same year that Columbus set off on the trip on which he discovered America), some 200,000 of them were expelled by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain as part of the Spanish Inquisition, many being slaughtered in the process. A great deal moved on to Portugal, but after five years they too were forced to either convert to christianity, leave, or die, so by 1497 they were on the move again. Some made their way to Bordeaux in France where there was tolerance towards them, and also in Holland, with the Sephardi building their 'Great Synagogue' in Amsterdam in the 1670's. Renowned as good businessmen, they soon built up trading contacts and Amsterdam thrived rapidly, they would appear to have done just as well soon after arriving in London, within two decades having moved from the poorer quarters of the East end along the Thames, and up to the more affluent center and North of the city.


These are the most distant ancestors I have traced so far on the Ramus side:-

David Van Joseph Ramos, born Amsterdam 27 March 1719. Died 1781, buried at the Portuguese Israelite Cemetery, Ouderkerk.  Buried 4th Nov.
David is my 6 x Great Grand Father.
He married,
Ribca de Leao (Lion), born 1732 Amsterdam. Died 1799, buried at the Portuguese Israelite Cemetery, Ouderkerk. Buried 17 May
Ribca is my 6 x Great Grand Mother.

Their children were:-
Esther, born Amsterdam 1747
Isaac de David, born Amsterdam  27 May 1752 (See below)
Rachel, born Amsterdam 11 Feb 1756
Judith, born Amsterdam 9 May 1758

Isaac de David Ramos, born Amsterdam, Netherlands 27-05-1752. Died 1830 London, England. Isaac is my 5th Great Grand Father
married
Rosa de David Lopez Penha, born Bordeaux, France 1751. Died 16-05-1843 London, England. Rosa is my 5th Great Grand Mother


Originally I found some of these dates from another family tree, but I later had them confirmed by the Bevis Marks Synagogue records in London, a source that has helped me a great deal since I've been researching, so I'll explain the relevance of Bevis Marks now. Once I'd gone a few generations back with the Ramus family name, I was ordering birth, marriage, and death certificates to corroborate the information I had, as well as hoping for any new info the certificates may glean, and on the marriage certificates of many of the Ramus family in the 1800's, they were married, 'according to the Rites and Ceremonies of the Jewish Religion', and performed by the Chief Rabbi of the Spanish and Portugese Jews Congregation. Bevis Marks is the oldest synagogue in Britain, and was built solely for the Spanish and Portugese Jews, or Sephardim Jews as they are known, and the interior decor, furnishing, and layout of the synagogue were influenced by the great Amsterdam Synagogue of 1677, the main Dutch Sephardim synagogue. This also produced another early revelation, growing up as kids, we always used to take issue with people that pronounced our surname 'Ramos', as they often did, only to find out since doing the family tree, that Ramos was indeed our ancestors surname on arrival to this country in the late 1700's.
.

The 1880's were a busy decade for the ancestral family, and a confusing time for this tree compiler, but worthwhile time spent and great fun detecting. John Ramus comes up as 'Head of Family', at 33 Middleton Square, in the 1881 census, (which was the same address that Benjamin Ramus and Rachael Solomons were married at in 1873). Having taken in his younger siblings after the deaths of his parents back in 1869/70, John and his wife Fanny (Solomons, married 1872) still have his sister Phoebe living with them, as well as Fanny's sister, Sarah Solomons, her Aunt, Sarah Barnett, and two 'General servants', Isabella Hope, 21, and Charlotte Kent, 36. John's, 'Rank, Profession, or Occupation' stated as being an, 'Ostrich Feather Manufacturer' by this census.


On that same census year, John's eldest brother, Simon Ramus, is now living at 15 York road, their deceased parents old residence, his profession is listed as 'General Merchant' and, 'Condition as to marriage', given as, 'unmarried'. Benjamin and his family don't appear in the 1881 census, but him and Rachael have a son, Alfred, registered in April of that year, a certificate I shall have to get, but his birth was registered in Islington, so it's a bit of a mystery as to why they don't come up on a census report for this time.


With Fanny May Simmons, (later known as just May), being born on the 19th of May 1882 to Isaac and Rose, the joy of their daughters birth was unfortunately followed by the death of Isaac just seven months later. On May's birth certificate, Isaac's occupation was given as, 'Ostrich Feather Manufacturer', Rose's maiden surname listed as 'Solomons', and their address, 29 Clephane road, Islington. Then only seven months later, on Christmas eve, Isaac Simmons dies from, 'Aneurism of aorta, suffocation from pressure 2 hours' as stated on the death certificate, and 'Signature, description, and residence of informant' is, 'J Ramus, Brother in law present at death, 29 Clephane road, Islington'.


Just a year and a half after Rose's husband, Isaac passed away, her sister Rachael died, on the 26th June 1884, at 33 Myddleton Square. Cause of death given as, 'Epilepsy, 12 years. Coma and exhaustion, 12 hours'. 'Signature, description, and residence of informant', listed as, 'B. Ramus, widower of deceased present at death, 33 Myddleton Square'. Benjamin's occupation stated as being, 'Ostrich Feather Manufacturer'. Seven years later, by the time of the 1891 census, Rose and Benjamin are living together with Rose's two boys, Joseph, and Emanuel, and Benjamin's boys, Lionel, Victor, and Alfred. Rose is still under the name of Simmons, and listed as a,widow, while Benjamin is stated as being, 'Head' of family, and listed as, 'widower'. It would appear that they've been together since quite soon after their bereavements, as they now have a son between them, Reginald A Ramus, born, London, 1886, according to the census, but I haven't been able to locate a birth certificate for Reginald. A, as yet, and confusingly, there is another Reginald A Ramus, but born 1889, son of Albert Isaac Ramus, a cousin.

{It turned out, that Benjamin and Rose' son, Reginald A, was in fact named 'Ernest Benjamin Ramus' on his birth certificate, keeping that name throughout his life, so I have no idea why they should have given such a completely false name on the census report, I only found out as a result of one of his line contacting me, giving me a name I could trace all the way back to Ernest}. Also, with Rachael having died in June 1884, and Ernest born to Benjamin and Rose by November 1885, it seems surprisingly soon for them to have got it on together, or maybe it just made sense.

Rose's youngest, May Simmons, aged 8, appears to be at a school in St Leonards road, Eastbourne on this census. Benjamin, and Rose's residence on this census is, '21 Mecklenburgh Square', their occupations given as, (Benjamin)- 'Retired Feather Manufacturer', (Rose)- 'Feather Manufacturer'.


Samuel Ramus, (widower), married Sarah Solomons, (sister to Fanny, Rose, and Rachael), on 22-08-1883, 'according to the Rites and Ceremonies of the Jewish Religion', by, S. J. Roco, Minister of the Spanish Portugese Jews congregation, at 57 Russell Square, which was also stated as being Samuel and Sarah's residence. John, and Benjamin Ramus were witnesses on the certificate. Samuel's occupation was given as, 'Feather Manufacturer', which appears to have been a strong link between the Solomons girls and the Ramus brothers.


Henry Ramus, (1872, son of Joseph), my Great Grand Father, married May Simmons, (1882), on 21-12-1899, at the Registry office in the District of Pancras. Henry's, 'Rank or Profession', is listed as, 'Art Dealer'. Their residence is given as, '21 Mecklenburgh Square', which was Benjamin, and Rose's residence on the 1891 census. There are no family members as witness, but this may be because they have lied about May's age, she would only have been 17 at the time of the marriage. According to the law of the time, to be married under the age of 18 would require parental consent, but if a couple were to have been married in a proper ceremony without that consent, then it could not be undone. By the 16th February 1901, Henry and May had their first child, my Grand Father, Reginald Joseph Isaac Ramus, combining Henry's Father, and Grand Fathers names, as well as May's Father's name. Henry's 'Occupation' is listed as, 'Fine Art Dealer', and their address is, '4 Glenshaw Mansions, Priory road, West Hampstead'. They are still there for the 1901 census. Their second son, Neville Walker Simon Ramus, came along on the 4th February 1905, occupation and address the same as on Reg's certificate and the census.


It was only after researching the family tree for some time, that I stumbled across the reason for the 'Walker' in Neville's name. Henry had gone into partnership with William Walker Sampson, another Fine Art Dealer. Mr Sampson was born in Newcastle, son of a ships captain, but had made his way to London with his wife, Nellie Colston, (married 1887), and son Jack, born 1890. By the 1901 census, they were living at, none other than, '21 Mecklenburgh Square', Sampson's occupation given as, 'Fine Art Dealer'. The first time I found out about their partnership, was through www.artrenewal.org and the story of an art dealing, 'cartel' headed by Sampson, with Henry Ramus as his partner, here is an excerpt taken from Vernon Grovesnor Swanson's, 'J.W. Godward: the Eclipse of Classicism', :-

[As early as 1905 another London dealer, William Walker Sampson (1864- October 1929) then in partnership with Henry Ramus, began to advertise and offer J. W. Godward prints and originals. Sampson had begun his art trade career in 1887 and now self-styled himself as a "Wholesale Fine Art Dealer: The British Galleries" of 13 Air Street, Regent Street in London. W. W. Sampson & Son's specialty was selling "English and Continental Modern Art" to the trade rather than to private collectors. After the Godward's death Sampson begins to pay increased attention to the artist's work until his own death seven years later.]


Given that there is no record of the name, 'Walker' anywhere in the Ramus family until this point, I think it's fair to say that Henry and William were very close friends, as well as business partners, for Henry to give his second born son William's middle name. I have further information to confirm the strength of their bond to come.


While Henry had made his way down to London, his brother, Albert Joseph, (Bertie), sister, Louisa Martha (now Stern), and father, Joseph, had all remained in Chorlton Upon Medlock. In the 1901 census, Albert is still living with his father, Joseph, at 2 Norwood street, South Manchester, their occupations listed as, 'Picture Dealers', Alfred Joseph, though, disappears off the radar after 1891. Albert married Nellie Hague on 23rd April 1901, at the parish church, in the parish of Moss Side, (looks as if the Jewish religion is being played down, if not dropped), on the certificate, both Albert, and Joseph give their occupations as being, 'Regilders', perhaps something to do with Martha Louisa'a husband, Sigmund Stern, who had been a, 'Working Jeweller', on the 1891 Scottish census.


Albert and Nellie named their first born, Henry Joseph Ramus, (1901), people can draw their own conclusions, but I think it's a safe guess to say the name acts as a statement that they got on well as a family.

The first decade of the Twentieth century saw Isaac and Martha's boys start passing away, the first being John, who died on the 19th April, 1904, aged 67. In his will he left £28,761, 12 shillings, and 5 pence to his widow, Fanny, and Emanuel Simmons, Ostrich Feather Manufacturer. John had been present at the death of Emanuels father, Isaac Simmons, and it would appear the family friendship remained a close one after Isaacs death in 1882. Using an online money comparison calculator, I found that the amount John left in his will would be the equivalent in todays money of between £2,220,000 based on the retail price index, £11,900,000 based on average earnings, or £20,600,000 based on the share of Gross Domestic Product, either way it would appear the 'boy done good'! More importantly though, John seems to have been very much at the heart of the Ramus family throughout his life, continuously cropping up on certificates, and census reports, witnessing events, staying with relatives, and looking after relatives.

Next to go was Johns youngest brother, Lewis, who had married Annie Barnett. Lewis, aka Alf, died in the latter part of 1906, at just 50, Annie having gone just 3 years earlier. Lewis had given his profession as 'Artist', throughout his working life, and his two sons, Isaac Fernleigh, and Barnett Aubrey, both went on to become artists themselves, although to what level I cannot say. They both dropped their given first names in later life, choosing Fernly, and Aubrey, to register by.

In June 1910 it was Simons turn, aged 75, to get a visit from the Grim Reaper, the eldest of Isaac and Martha's children, I still hope to find some information regarding Simon, as he was born in Brighton, as a number of the extended Ramus family had been. Simon left a wife, Caroline, known as Marth, and four daughters, Marth, Marie, Agnes, and Revil. His working life had been split between, 'General Dealing', and 'Ostrich Feather Manufacturing'.

Later on that year, Joseph, (my 2nd Great Grand Father), died aged 65, of, 'Locomotor ataxia, diabetes mellitus, mental imcompetence, cardiac failure' as certified. His son, Henry, (my Great Grand Father), present at death. Joseph's profession given as 'Fine Art Dealer'. 'When and where died' on the certificate was, 23rd November 1910, 3 Pine Grove, Rusholme, South Manchester. Henry's address given as, '69 Canfield Gardens, Hampstead, London'.

Samuel, Isaac and Martha's third eldest, died on the 1st July 1911, only leaving his wife Sarah, £7 and 10 shillings in his will, suggesting perhaps that he hadn't been quite as successful a businessman as brothers. But that's nothing more than a guess, perhaps their wealth was tied up in property. By now, Benjamin, and Alfred, were the last of Isaac and Martha's boys alive, Benjamin and Rose, at the 1911 census, are staying at what appears to be a small hotel, or home of some description, for a large number of people of varying ages, having been living at flat c, 3 Maida Vale, for most of the preceding decade. They are described as having completed 26 years of marriage by then. Benjamin eventually died on the 28th January 1928.


Alfred emigrated to Canada, marrying Martha Rolley on the 8th December 1878 in Toronto. They are on the 1881 Canadian census, by now with a daughter, Elizabeth, born 1879, and in 1883 they had a second daughter, Christina Ramus. Having been contacted by one of Alfreds descendants, it would appear he went missing, never to be seen again. Alfred was a 'Brakesman' on the Canadian railways, and one day went to work, never to return. There is however, an Alfred Ramus that turns up in the US Federal census of 1901, in Seattle City,Washington, of English origin and parentage, but gives his date of birth as, April,1861, who knows, maybe the two are the same?.


Joseph and Harriet had travelled the British Isles quite extensively while raising their children, having Alfred, Henry, and Martha Louisa, all in Waterford, Ireland, betweeen 1870 and 1874, then Bertie in Glasgow in 1877, turning up at Manchester in the 1881 census, and back in Glasgow by the 1891 census, shortly before Harriets death in 1893 at Whitby, York. Although Joseph named his occupation on Henry, and Alfreds birth certificates as, 'Comedian', while on Louisa Marthas birth certificate, he was by then a, 'Theatre Manager', virtually all other reference to occupation from then on is as an art dealer, and the children would have doubtless at least picked up an education in the world of art as a result of their father's, and the wider family's interest in the field. So with that in mind, I bring you to the unfortunate demise of my Great Grand Father, Henry Joseph Ramus, 1872 to 20th July, 1911.

After a pretty poor nine months of seeing his father and two of his uncles pass away, Henry himself dies at the very young age of just 39, apparently as a result of an infection after having some dental work done.

Apparently, it appears likely that Henry got a cerebral abscess from his dental surgery, not uncommon pre-antibiotics, and the family called in Sir Victor Horsley, Queen Victoria's surgeon, and a 'pioneer of neurological surgery'  as the leading British neurosurgeon at that time to operate. 




The cause of death on Henry's death certificate, was given as, 'Cellulitis of cavernous tissue. Thrombosis of longitudinal sinus'. This extract from Wickipedia will give you an idea of what killed him,

'Cavernous sinus thrombosis (CST) is the formation of a blood clot within the cavernous sinus, a cavity at the base of the brain which drains deoxygenated blood from the brain back to the heart. The cause is usually from a spreading infection in the nose, sinuses, ears, or teeth. Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus are often the associated bacteria. Cavernous sinus thrombosis symptoms include; decrease or loss of vision, chemosis, exophthalmos (bulging eyes), headaches, and paralysis of the cranial nerves which course through the cavernous sinus. This infection is life-threatening and requires immediate treatment, which usually includes antibiotics and sometimes surgical drainage.'
I could hazard a guess that Henry got an infection from whatever dental work he was having carried out, and that that infection turned out to be fatal.

Henry was staying at the Felix Hotel in Felixstowe, where he died, his occupation listed as, 'Fine Art Dealer', and the, 'Signature, Description, and Residence of Informant', is given as a, '(couldn't read) Melville, Inmate', which I thought was a bit odd as they were at an Hotel.

Whatever the reasons for Henry's death, he now left a widow, May, with two young sons to bring up without a father, Reg, 10, and Nev, 6. (May herself was only 27 at the time). ln his will, Henry leaves May £8,317, 8 shillings, 8 pence, using an online, 'measuring worth' calculator, it estimates that this amount could be worth between £692,700 and £5,631,000, depending which criteria are used. Since then I've made some interesting discoveries which at least give an insight into life after Henry.

Just a few months earlier, Henry had filled out the 1911 census report for their house, 69 Canfield Gardens, Hampstead, giving his occupation as, 'Fine Art Dealer', his birth place as, 'Waterford, Ireland'. May's birth place was shown to be, 'London,(resident)', and her nationality, 'American,(parents)', (presumably because Isaac and Rose, her parents, had become citizens of the USA while they lived there). Other than Reginald, and Neville, Henry's niece, Sophia Stern, aged 18, was staying with them too, daughter of Sigmund and Louisa Martha Stern, Henry's brother in law, and sister.
They also had three servants, Agnes Morgan, 20, a Parlour Maid, Mary Morgan, 48, a Cook, and Minnie Coles, 24, a Housemaid. The household was stated as having 12 rooms.

Just six months after Henry died, Reginald and Neville were enrolled at Brighton College, in Eastern road, Brighton, on January 12th, 1912, as boarders in the 'Junior House', for the 'Junior School'. On their entry forms, it asks, 'on whose nomination?', to which, 'Dealer in works of art (no name given)', is written. Next to, 'Parent or Guardian', is written, 'W.W. Sampson, 13 Air Street, London W'. So clearly William Walker Sampson and Henry Ramus were a much closer partnership that just business colleagues. I should also point out here, that when William dies on 31st Oct 1929, he was at 122 Kings road, Brighton, so I'd say it's a reasonable possibility that Reg and Nev could have been visiting him on occasion throughout their tenure at the college, a bit like an honourary Uncle.

In July 1914, the boys were reported as having left the college, but there was no other reference to the matter, and they were back next term. Joyce Heater, the Brighton College archivist that worked so hard to find me all this information on Reg and Nev, thinks there's a good chance that their mother, May, pulled them out of school that summer because of the political situation at the time, and the imminent potential of war with Germany, not wanting them to be so near the coast in case of invasion. Clearly, as Joyce also summises, if that were the case, then a change of heart must have followed.
Reginald was only at the school for four years, leaving in December 1916, while Neville, being four years younger, stayed until December 1921. They both appear to have been very involved in sports during their time at the college, playing in the football and cricket elevens, rugby 15's, as well as doing well at boxing, rowing, and athletics, gaining favourable mention in the school notes for pretty much everything they threw themselves into. Sadly there are no photo's of Reg or Nev from this time, despite the fact pictures were indeed taken. The one image that Joyce did manage to dig up, believe it or not, had all Neville's team mates for the 1921 First eleven cricket team, with, 'N W Ramus, absent' written at the bottom corner of the photograph, which we were all absolutely gutted about after all the hard work Joyce had gone to. Nonetheless, I now know more than I ever dared wish that I might about Reg and Nev's young lives, not to mention all I've learned about my family history since starting out on this family tree.

I have a small amount left to add to this side of my tree, which will be Reginald's offspring, and the course of their lives as I've come to know through my research and endless questions asked of my dear old dad.

I have no records of Reg after he left school, until his marriage to Violet Annie Freear Read, on the 14th July 1923, they are my fathers parents. You may think this would be obvious, but it isn't,as you will find out. Reg and Violet were married at the Willesden registry office, London, Reg giving his 'Rank or Profession' as 'Director, Limited Company', naming his father as, 'Harry Ramus (deceased)'- 'Rank or Profession' given as, 'Fine Art Dealer'. Violets father was listed as, 'Harry Read (deceased), 'Rank or Profession' given as 'Master Butcher'. The ceremony was witnessed by, H. Read, (Harry Oliver, Violet's eldest brother), and E.Read, either her mother or aunt. Reginalds address on the certificate is, 21 Rutland Park Mansions, while Violet's is 9 Buckley Road.

Reg and Violet had three children together, listed here:-

Sheila Audrey Ramus, born 2nd October 1924
John Stuart Ramus, born 17th April 1927 John is my Father, (we call him Squire)
Michael Harry Walker Ramus, born 22nd December 1932


One of Squire's memories as a child, is of Reg and Boof coming into their rooms before they went off to the Chelsea Arts Ball, in fancy dress costumes, Boof in a long flowing dress and bonnet, Reg in an elaborate Georgian outfit, with ruffled collar and cuffs, and all very colourful. The Chelsea Arts Ball was an annual event that they went to every year, and we have a part of a photo, with Boof, her sister, Lilian (auntie Bill), and her brother, Frank's wife, Nellie, all in fancy dress, circa 1923. Unfortunately the photo was torn, I might guess perhaps that it was a reaction to having been deserted by Reg, and that it was he that had been removed by this action, but there's no way of knowing really. It's certainly a curious picture, with auntie Bill looking quite happy, but Boof looks distracted, while Nellie in her turban looks bordering on miserable, but again, who knows? Photo's capture a moment, but not necessarily the truth of the moment, I'd dearly love to have the rest of it to see what was missing




There are pictures of Reg and Violet with the children down in Littlehampton on holiday, which Squire remembers well, and at this time they were living just down the road from Hendon airfield, Northwest London, at Hendon Way, next door to John and Beryl Antill. At some point, Reg leaves Violet to run off with Beryl, and they marry in 1935, that same year, Violet marries John Antill. It's only after hearing the story that follows, that I could make some sort of sense of it.

Squire told me how John Antill was a violent man, often beating Violet, or 'Boof' as we knew her, he also hit the children, and threw things at them when he couldn't catch them. One day, Antill was giving Boof another beating, obviously causing a commotion as he went about his attack, while outside of their house a crowd had gathered, his reputation as a wife beater wasn't a secret. Next door there was a lady called Queenie Richards, who later became our Auntie Dickie, and she had heard the noise through the walls. Auntie Dickie was a fit young woman, a strong swimmer that counted cross channel swimmers as friends, and a very strong character too. She crawled out of her first story window, along the window cills and into Boof and Antills place, got the better of John Antill, then gave him two choices, he could go outside to the baying mob waiting to tear him apart, or he could leave out the back and never return, needless to say the gutless wife beater left out the back, and from that moment onwards, Auntie Dickie joined Boof in raising Sheila, John, and Michael, she also adopted Tim, who we would know as our Uncle Tim later on.

From this story, I could hazard a guess that Antill had been doing similar to his first wife, Beryl, and that somewhere down the line, she sought Reg as a shoulder to cry on, only for them to end up together at the expense of poor Boof. I doubt Reg would have envisaged the scenario where Antill ended up marrying the woman he had left for Beryl, but that is what happened. Thank heavens for Auntie Dickie!