yeovil people

Harold Jack Bartlett

Glove Cutter and Auxiliary Fireman

 

The events that took place in John Frederick 'Fred' Bartlett's early life are unclear. He was born in Martock on 24 July 1890 the son and one of the nine children of John William Brain Bartlett (1861-1896) and Elizabeth (Bessie) Ann née Lavis (1864-1940). However, in the 1901 census 10-year-old John, together with his 8-year-old sister Kate, were recorded as "Pauper Inmates" at the District Union Workhouse in Preston Road. Despite this initial setback in his life, by the time of the 1911 census 20-year-old John was living in Park Street with his mother and four of his younger siblings. He gave his occupation as a leather dresser.

On 13 April 1914 John married Evelyn Alice Maunder (b1889) at Holy Trinity church. They were to have two children. Harold Jack Bartlett was born in Yeovil on 31 August 1914.

Very little is known of Harold's early life (despite the photograph below), but in March 1936 he married Stella Maud Singleton (1916-2004) at Yeovil. They set up home at 22 Queen Street and are recorded in the 1939 England and Wales Register (the pre-war census) in which Harold gave his occupation as a glove cutter and ironer and Stella gave hers as a gloving machinist.

In the notes column of the register, appears the note "A.F.S." indicating that Harold was an unpaid part-time volunteer (but could be called up for whole-time paid service if necessary) of the Yeovil Auxiliary Fire Service.

Harold died in Yeovil during the spring of 1953, aged just 38. Stella later moved to Wellington Flats and was certainly living there in 2004 at the time of her death, a the age of 88.

 

gallery

 


From my collection

15-month-old Harold Jack Bartlett, photographed at Christmas 1915 by Witcomb & Son.

 

A photograph of the mid-1960s taken from Huish and looking north along Queen Street. Harold and Stella lived at No 22. 

 


Courtesy of Bob Banfield

The Yeovil Auxiliary Fire Service parade on 23 April 1939 in Petters Way (and photographed from outside the law courts). Harold is almost certainly in this photograph.