Wigan Album

What a small & sad item in the news. Poor girl.

Sadly, she got to join him in death. Her burial is the second in the grave where Richard Speakman is buried - he was buried at the end of December 1943, and she was buried on January 10th 1944. By the time the War Graves Commission came to erect his headstone kerbstones had been installed on the grave.

Rev David Long - do you know more? Could you email me with what you know? much appreciated

Only 17 and her whole world fell apart… it still goes on today where young lads and girls are doing away with themselves - if anything it seems more common..leaving families devastated…I very recently heard an old friend’s son in law
has done the same just before Christmas, leaving his wife and three children to cope with that.
Teck St was very near where I was brought up just off Cambridge St.

I want to find her family, if anybody knows or can help I have left my email.

I’ll get in touch with Tom Walsh he may know something. He’s very knowledgable about St Pat’s Parish. I’m sure she would have attended St Pat’s school … there’s not many people of that generation left. I am certain my dad would have known the family. Everybody knew everybody around there. A school friend of mine lived in little Teck St.

Veronica and Jake, the family may have belonged to St Catharine's as this from 1901 came up in a quick search and they may be relatives, though nothing evident, maybe someone has access to the correct records from the 1920s. :-
Baptisms at St Catharine Scholes in the Town of Wiganhttps://www.lan-opc.org.uk › baptisms_1901-1904
Baptism: 12 May 1901 St Catharine, Wigan, Lancs. ... William Thomas Walsh - [Child] of William Thomas Walsh & Elizabeth ... Abode: 11 Teck Street

Thanks Cyril there was a lot of Walshes around Scholes. I got most of the baptisms for my ancestry from St Pat’s records when I did my research at the History Shop. If Jake goes there they could point him in the right direction.

I can imagine Veronica, as it was and still is a popular name in other places of town too, but it was the name Elizabeth and Teck Street that was flagged. But as you say the best folk to speak to are the archivists.

Cyril I have just looked up in the Cemetery index Elizabeth Walsh is RC along with others in the grave of William Speakman killed at Grt Yarmouth. There are 6 in the grave with the names of Kinnane and O’Neil. The year is 1944.

The grave number is H312 Cyril in Wigan Cemetery.
Jake might want to go and visit.

I have visited, my uncle
Dickie is buried there (Richard Speakman) the index got it wrong. She is buried with my family (kinanes)

Walsh Anthony 55 yrs 18 Teck St. 01-Feb 1954 Welder 19-757 R C

Walsh Agnes 38 yrs Billinge Union Infirmary 31-Jul 1935 [ 18, Teck St. ] H 657 * R C