Herbert Ellis

Their Story

We are grateful to family member John Shepherd for his help in researching and writing this story.

Early years

Herbert Ellis was born on either 28th or 30th of September 1899, at 15 Equity Buildings, Phoenix Street in Somers Town (St Pancras area), in London. His parents were John Hale Ellis, then working as a carman, and his wife Elizabeth Annie Stubbings. As far as we can tell, Herbert was their tenth child (in the 1911 census, Elizabeth recorded that she and John had had 14 children; but we can only trace 11 registered births, of which Herbert was the 10th).

He was baptised along with two of his older siblings at St James’, St Pancras on the 5th of January 1900. The baptism record gives his birth date as 28th September, but his birth was registered as 30th and that is the date recorded for him on the 1939 National Register.

Equity Buildings was described at the time by Charles Booth as “a queer little paved cul de sac; low one-storey two roomed cottages, with a little wash-house and yard behind”.

In the 1901 census, John and Elizabeth Ellis shared their two roomed cottage with two daughters (aged 17 and 9) and four sons (15, 7, 5 and little Herbert aged 6 months). The father, John, was working as a “sandwich” man – a walking advertisement. He would have worn two advertising boards—one hanging in front of his chest and one on his back, fastened by straps over the shoulders.

By 1910, the family were living in two rooms at 91 Cromer Street. John was unemployed and he was admitted to the workhouse on several occasions that year. His past occupation was said to have been “16 years with livestock provider”. According to workhouse records, his wife complained of his dilatory manner and his family refused to support him, he being able bodied.

The 1911 census records most of the family at 91 Cromer Street (5 males and 2 females in 2 rooms) but father John is not present: he had entered the workhouse in February and appears to have remained there for many years. One of the older sons, Fred, has married and is living at 38 Charlotte Terrace. Another child, Louisa, is not present either: she would marry later that year stating her address as 38 Charlotte Terrace. Two of Herbert’s older brothers were working as newsboys, an occupation that Herbert would follow a few years later.

Army service

When war came in 1914, Herbert was too young for military service but towards the end of the war, in August 1918, he was enlisted in the Labour Corps, and he appears also to have served in the Army Service Corps, but was not sent overseas. After the war he applied for a pension, claiming to be disabled by hysteria, but his claim was rejected.

In 1921 Herbert was back living with his mother at 16 Charlotte Terrace, along with his sister Gertrude (36) and his younger brother Percy. Both Herbert (now 21) and Percy (19) were news vendors by this time.

Marriage, and children

In 1924, Herbert married Alice Mary Fisher at St Silas’ Church in Clerkenwell, and they went on to have six children. They lived at 12 Thanet Street in Camden throughout the 1930s.

Alice died in early 1943 aged 41, with five of their offspring still children. As our contributor John Shepherd put it: “we can only surmise what effect this might have had on Herbert and also the fact that he would have been out on street corners selling his newspapers right through the blitz”.

Final days

Some time in the early 1940s, Herbert was admitted to The Grove (Long Grove) mental hospital in Epsom. Very few records have survived for Long Grove patients so we may never know precisely when, or what caused him to be admitted. He died there on 14 January 1945 from “exhaustion of epilepsy”, and was buried at Horton cemetery on 20 January in grave 2641a.

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This Story was brought to life by: Shaun J. — thank you Shaun.