Liverpool & South West Lancashire FHS - Forum

Hi

I’m new to the forum and live in London. I’m doing research on my late father, Patrick Pridham, who was born in 25 Berkley Street, Toxteth in September 1929. He was the only member of his family to be born in Liverpool as his family (father George Venning, mother Florence and older brother Derek) had come from London. I also know that he lived at 73 Coltart Road and 81 Kingsley Road before the family returned to London during the Second World War.

I have had help from Liverpool Record Office Research Service who found out the years he lived in the different houses at least up to 1939. It was Kingsley Road that my dad mentioned most and that was probably the last road he lived in Liverpool until I guess the War.

He also said he attended Granby Street School. Unfortunately the Record Office could find no reference to any Pridhams in their Granby Street archive (his brother Derek may also have attended) or much relevant archive to the period he was there. I have also done research at the National Archives in Kew about the school but the only documents relevant to his period were official documents and though interesting, they made no reference to him personally.

I remember my dad talking about some friends they had in Liverpool, possibly neighbours, called the Carpenter family. Their daughter Brenda was a childhood friend of my dad as I think they were of similar age.

So basically, I‘m wondering if anyone in the Society/forum, has any knowledge of the Pridhams, in the area during the 1920s - early 1940s either from personal memory or handed down the generations. Perhaps even old memorabilia such as old photos they might be willing to share? I was also wondering if any descendants of the Carpenter family were still around Liverpool and may be able to help?

Thanks in advance for any help

P.S I’m hoping to visit Liverpool soon to visit some of my dad’s old childhood places and possibly do additional research at the Record Office.

Hi Prid and welcome,

I think a good candidate would be, Brenda A Carpenter, born 1934, Liverpool.

Parents, Allan Carpenter/Annie Whitehead, married, Liverpool, 1931.

The 1939 register records the family living at 12 Eversley St, Liverpool.

Eversley St runs through Granby St in to Kingsley Rd.

Brenda went on to marry Francis Thornber, 1959, Liverpool.

It appears Brenda was an only child, Allan Carpenter died 1942 Liverpool, Mother Annie died, 1977, birth date given 26 Oct 1889, date of birth recorded 1939 reg, 29 Oct 1889.???

No children are recorded to the Thornber/Carpenter combination, England & Wales.

Brenda Anne Thornber died, April Qtr, 2004, Basford, Derbyshire, Birth Date, 7 November 1934, corresponds with 39 register date of birth.

Hi and welcome to the forum, it's unfortunate but not all of the school records have survived, I'm not sure that there was any strict rule about whether to and where to deposit records and many may have just vanished into the ether.

For photographs, social media is often the best place to enquire, there are sometimes collections in private hands or even family photographs that might help, try Facebook and put Liverpool into the top search box for some of the groups, one for example being Liverpool Hidden History.

Hi

Thanks Bertieone for looking up about Brenda Carpenter. It's a pity she didn't have any descendants but at least we know. Thanks for your efforts.

Mary, I'll do as you suggested and try some Facebook groups. Thanks for the suggestion.

I've also contacted my aunt (my dad's brother's widow). Although she doesn't have any old photos from the period, she did say that my dad's father used to get paid for after dinner speeches and that my dad's brother used to play in an amateur band in Liverpool. He would have probably been a teenager at the time. So I might explore those areas as research too though again, I'm not sure how much, if anything, would exist now. I guess the FB groups might help with those too.