ANNIE WORSLEY 

Annie Worsley is one of the eight ladies on St. Mary’s Weaverham “Roll of Honour”. There are no Worsley lads listed on the “Roll of Honour” but her brother William did enlist and comment is included in Annie’s story.

 

The 1901 census has the Worsley family living at Weaverham cum Milton, which on the census is a different area to Weaverham and Acton Bridge. John Worsley, father and head of the family, aged 48 was a Railway Signalman, born Lowton Lancs; Wife Sarah aged 41, born Wybunbury; Herbert son, aged 16 Railway Clerk, born Earlstown; William son, aged 13, born Weaverham; Arthur son, aged 11, born W/ham: Elsie and Annie daughters, aged 6, born W/ham. The 1911 census has Annie aged 16, single, working as a nurse girl, born in Acton living at home, Church View, Weaverham, with mum and dad, brother and a sister Elsie, CheshireBMD records Annie & Elsie born in Weaverham in 1895 so it is assumed twins. The census records Elsie as “not working.” John, father, still working as a Railway Signalman.

Forces war records: have no records for Annie, she was not listed with the Red Cross V.A.D. records. The Medal Roll records a Annie M. Worsley (one Annie M. Worsley card only) as a V.A.D. The information appears to state she was at the 2nd Gen. Hosp. 12/1/16 to ?/8/16; 1st Gen. Hosp. 4/10/16 to 4/4/17; 3rd London Hosp. 25/?/17 to 25/4/18. The Red Cross have this lady from Accrington, aged 24 in 1916. There is second Annie Worsley listed in the Red Cross records but she was from Swinton, Manchester.

Checking the 1911 census for Annie again, the site offers other connections to an Annie Worsley, checking these through, one is a link to a document that shows Annie emigrating to Canada and the document is dated 9th April 1920, there is a Passenger Declaration for Annie, which has the following information; Name - Worsley Annie; age – 24; Occupation – Nurse; Intended Occupation - going to be married; Birthplace – Weaverham; Race – British; Religion – Protestant; Object in coming to Canada – to be married; Able to read- Yes; Can you write – Yes; Who paid the passage – Self; Intend to remain permanently in Canada – Yes; Destined to – Fiancée (filled in) and F.D. Walley (Struggling to read his address.); Name of Railway on which passenger has order or ticket – C.P.R. (Canadian Pacific Railways); Nearest relative in country from whence passenger came – Father, J. Worsely, 6 Church Lane, Weaverham, Cheshire; This is obviously St. Mary’s Annie Worsley. She is one brave lady, I hope it was all worth while

Taking a leap of hope, was F.D. Walley with the Canadian Forces? The Canadian WW1 Forces Records are viewable and there is a Frank Dudley Walley, Cpl, with the 50th Battalion, Regt. No 434154, he had enlisted on 31st Dec. 1914 and sailed the following year 27th Oct. 1915. The records go on to state Frank was born 16th Dec. 1893 in Cheshire. CheshireBMD records a Frank Dudley Walley born Tattenhall 1894. Besides the two pages shown on the initial Canadian Forces Records for Frank there is a 60 page attachment which can be downloaded to view. These records go on to state that Frank was badly injured on the 18th Nov 1916 whilst fighting on the Somme. Frank was repatriated to the UK for medical treatment where he appears to have been at the Lord Derby War Hospital, Warrington from 30th Nov. 1916 to 10th Jan. 1917, transferred to 1st Western General Hospital at Fazakerley until 8th Jan. 1918 then to a convalescent home, Woodcote Park, at Epsom until 21st March 1918, before returning to Liverpool for repatriation to Canada and being discharged from the army as medically unfit and awarded a pension. The army records confirm he was single when signing up and his mother, Mary Walley, of 27 Slatey Road, Birkenhead was his next of kin. The records go on, under the heading “Department of Veterans Affair” this document records Franks death on the 9th June 1966. There does not appear to be any mention of his marriage to Annie or of any children.

Where did Annie meet Frank? Was she nursing at the Lord Derby, Warrington or Fazakerley? Unfortunately a person who is working as a nurse, and Annie is recorded as a “nurse girl” in the 1911 census and the Passenger Documents for Canada, she also states she is a nurse, that she/they are not recorded with the Red Cross or V.A.D. records. Also asking at Warrington Library/Archives section and at Chester Records Office if lists of nurses who worked at the hospitals where available. This appears not to be the case and no records appear to be available of working nurses.

The Scarlet Finders web site states the following “Tracing civilian nurses can be difficult. Before 1919 there was no register of nurses, and no national regulation or standards for nurse training. During the 1860s and 1870s training was normally for one year, and it was considered that most of what was essential could be learnt in that short time. During the last decades of the nineteenth century the realisation dawned that a longer period of training was necessary to produce a ‘professional’ nurse. However, hospitals were not compelled to train nurses for three years, with the result that nursing became a two tier system with what some regarded as ‘proper’ nurses, who had completed three years training in a large general hospital, and ‘the others.’” And so it was to prove for Annie. At the end of the research I was no wiser as to her place of work.

It is assume that Annie met Frank whilst he was recovering from his injuries in the UK, Warrington or Fazakerley.

Checking on Frank and the UK census information, the 1901 census has the Walley family living in Chester on the High Street, mum, dad and two brothers Stanley and Ronald. The 1911 census has Frank working for and living with John Harvey Brown family at Coronerage Farm, Broomhall, Nantwich. Working with the dairy herd. Frank was single.

U.K. National Archives record a A. Worsley departing Liverpool 19 ? for St. Johns NF (Newfoundland) Canada. Emailing the Canadian Library/Innisfail library/Innisfail & District Historical Village re the interest in Annie Worsley & Frank Dudley Walley. they replied saying the search had found no records but via Ancestry.ca had found them on the 1921 Census of Canada with Frank D. Walley and spouse Annie Walley residents of Poplar Grove, Red Deer. So it does appear that Annie and Frank did marry sometime after her arrival in 1920 and made their way to Central Alberta.

The Canadian 1921 census, confirmed that Frank and Annie had married and now lived in Red Deer. Whilst checking out data, Annie travelling back to Liverpool in June 1934 with the destination in the UK of 6 Church View, Weaverham. Annie returns to Canada and Frank on 14th Sept. 1934, sailing from Liverpool with the destination of 187 - 5th St. West N. Vancouver BC. Annie came home again in may 1956 on the SS “Empress of France,” incoming port Liverpool with the UK address of 34 Church Lane, Weaverham. Annie declares herself as a housewife. She also declares she is on a 4 month visit.

 

One of the last bits of paperwork to find was reference to the marriage between Annie and Frank and it states Frank Dudley Walley, male, with a marriage date of 26th April 1920, the marriage place was Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada and the spouse was Annie Worsley. After just 18 days in Canada, Annie had married Frank, so it does look like it was all worth while for Annie!

Fazakerley Hospital; known as 1st Western General Hospital was located in Fazakerley, Liverpool. The hospital had 153 beds for officers and 4204 beds for other ranks with additional beds in auxiliary hospitals in the surrounding area. The hospital became a specialist centre for the surgical treatment of injuries to the jaw and fractures of the thigh. (Frank’s injury was a severer thigh injury.) Today the site is the University Hospital, Aintree. The website on the history of the hospital asks for information on those who had treatment there. I have forwarded Franks details and his connection to Annie, who I understood was a nurse but I did not know where she nursed and commented on the possibility of them meeting at the hospital.

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William Worsley

Not listed on St. Mary’s R.o.H. Plaque is William Worsley, brother of Annie Worsley.

Guardian Article 23rd March 1917, P5/C2;

WEAVERHAM GENTLEMAN’S PROMOTION BECOMES CAPTAIN IN R. E.

The announcement of Sir Douglas Haig’s recent promotion order of the appointment of Second Lieutenant W. Worsely R.O.D. Royal Engineers to the rank of captain is of interest to our many Weaverham and district readers. The younger son of Mr. John Worsley of Church View, Weaverham, at the out break of hostilities he relinquished the important post of Assistant Traffic Superintendent, Central Argentine Railway, Rosario to return to England and enlisted in October 1914 in the King’s Royal Rifles. On arrival at regimental headquarters, although with no previous military training, his obvious familiarity in the handling of men caused him to be made a corporal on the spot and promoted to sergeant at the end of the first week. Passing the winter of 1915-16 on active service in the trenches, his general efficiency and resourceful handling of his platoon on more than one critical occasion, gained him the rank of company sergeant-major and subsequent promotion to a commission in the Royal Engineers. The signal services he has rendered in the Railway Operation Division of the Engineers have resulted in his present promotion and his numerous Mid-Cheshire friends will wish him well in the wider activities now assigned to him.

Cheshirebmd record William Worsley born 1888 in Weaverham.

The Medal Card for William has him with the K.R. Rifles, Sgt. Reg. No R6810. Awarded the 15 Star, British and Victory medals. Theatre of War, France, Date of Entry, 23/7/1915. The reverse of the Medal Card has an address of Boston Spa, Yorks, up to the 20th Feb. 1922, post that date William appears to be returning to Argentina.

Arthur Lesley Worsley

William’s son, Arthur Lesley Worsley was killed in WW2, C.W.G.C. - remember Arthur at Runnymede Memorial, killed on the 7th Feb, 1943. Arthur was a Pilot Officer with the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, No130162. He was with 425 (R.C.A.F.) Sqdn. There is no mention of his family.

Research Bob H.