John Wilkins my grandfather as a young man

Somerleyton Green, Suffolk

John 3rd from left

John with 1st wife Florence Emily Masters and son John William taken Jan 1916

John and 2nd wife Mildred Willsden and corgi Sally in their garden at Bourton on the Water

John was the 3rd child of John Wilkins and Harriet White, he was born at Little Stoke, Checkendon where his father was a farm labourer I think his father worked there for some time, he was married from there in 1882 and left sometime between 1888 and 1901. In 1901 the family lived at "Owlsmoor" Crowthorne in Berks, John was a "boy on farm", His life is a bit of a mystery until he got married, He met Florence in London, where she was a housemaid in service with her sister, at sometime John sent a postcard to Florence from Somerleyton Green  it was address to Miss Masters in Wildbrooks, Cookham, Berks, the postcard says "Dear Florrie, I am sending a PC of house I am stopping  hope you got my letters in time am quite well hope you are the same, I have not had so much to do today, nice weather here, write soon, with love Jack. Why he was there I don't know,  it was before they were married in Aug 1914 and both were living in London at the time of their marriage, John was working as a stableman for Friary Meux Brewery. John moved his family from London to Bourton on the Water, Gloucestershire in about 1917, John worked for the council driving a steam road roller then at Gilberts the grocers in Bourton, another son Herbert Edward Fred was born at Crown Cottage, Bourton on 30 May 1920, sadly Herbie died at the age of 6 months of  bronco pneumonia, Florence took Herbies death very badly and according to a relative was never the same after. Florence died in June 1942 following a thyroid operation. John married Mildred Willsden Dec 1944 and they moved into Mills house in Bourton, I was born in 1950, John died in 1959 so I did not know him for very long, we used to visit some Sundays and he came and stayed with us once, he was a very softly spoken man, very kindly always very smart, usually wearing a suit with a waistcoat and a pocket watch. He had a corgi called Sally who was devoted to him, he grew vegetables in his garden, and my father said that his father never raised his voice to him. John died in Bristol Hospital in 1959.

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