Liverpool & South West Lancashire FHS - Forum

Hello everyone and a very happy Christmas to you all.

Whilst salivating as the aroma of Christmas lunch wafts gently through the house I am searching for information on another of my WW1 Liverpool Regiment soldiers, this time Ernest Meal.

I know that he enlisted into the 9th King's Liverpool Regiment in November, 1914, but I can find little else. Such an early enlistment into the 9th King's suggests, at the very least, that he enlisted in Liverpool, and it is likely that he lived there, too. I have no reason to believe that he was a casualty of the war as he doesn't appear on the Commonwealth War Graves website, nor Soldiers Died in the Great War.

I suspect (from my Ancestry searches) that he was born in Slaithwaite, Yorkshire about 1881/2, as he is the only Ernest Meal listed on the 1891 Census. His family, including a twin brother Henry, were all still in Slaithwaite, Yorkshire at the time of the 1901 Census.

However, a general Ancestry search on his name brings up no entry in the 1901 Census and no other references.

Can anyone help me over this particular brick wall?

Thanks,

Ken

Hello Ken and Greetings from the snow-covered Emerald Isle!

There's another Ernest Meal in the 1891 and he's in Liverpool:
Meal, Earnest (sic) - 1884 - West Derby - Lancashire.
Parents: George & Martha Meal; Address: 78 Woodville Terrace, Everton, Liverpool.
RG12 / 2950 / 99 / 28.

Marriages Dec 1879> Meal, George to Barton, Martha - West Derby - 8b - 611.

While I can find his parents in 1901 and later, haven't found this Ernest yet. However, and this I find odd, Ernest's 4 siblings in the 1891 and a brother 'Charlie' born in late 1891 were all registered births but his wasn't. Perhaps although listed as a Meal he was 'fostered' or 'taken in'?

Dickiesam

Would this be his medal card?

Excellent! Thanks Dickiesam.

That is much more likely to be the right mean, especially as they lived in Everton, the home of the 9th King's. Plus, there were two other Meals who served in the Battalion, Fred and William - probably Ernest's younger brothers.

I have found Fred and William on the 1901 Census, but not Ernest/Earnest.

Anyone else like to point me in the right direction? I'm fortunate that the surname I'm looking for this time is quite rare.

Thanks again,

Ken

MaryA wrote:Would this be his medal card?

Thanks Mary, that's him. The card tells me that he didn't serve in France until after the end of 1915, although he enlisted in November, 1914. Unfortunately, none of the three brothers' service records appear to have survived.

Seasons greetings,

Ken

Hi Ken,
I also found William and Fred in the 1901. William with his parents and Fred in Liverpool School Board Truants School, Hightown, Liverpool. But Ernest is still missing.

Like their brother Ernest, 10 years later there is no sign of them so far. I was wondering if Ernest had a 'preferred' second forename but all the male Meal births between 1881 and 1891 have been accounted for, and there wasn't a single 'Ernest bn Liverpool', among them. Maybe there's a weird spelling/transcription of Meal I haven't tried yet!

Dickiesam

I'm having no success with Ernest on Ancestry either, and I don't have access to the 1911 Census to try there.

Thanks for looking.

Ken

I think I have him on the Record search pilot site see below

Name: Thomas Earnest Meal
Gender: Male
Baptism/Christening Date: 30 Dec 1883
Baptism/Christening Place: Lancashire, England
Birth Date:
Birthplace:
Death Date:
Name Note:
Race:
Father's Name: George Meal
Father's Birthplace:
Father's Age:
Mother's Name: Martha
Mother's Birthplace:
Mother's Age:
Indexing Project (Batch) Number: I00540-4
System Origin: England-EASy
Source Film Number: 2147887
Reference Number: item 8 p 21

cant find birth registration did a first name search no matches


The baptism took place at one of these churches

Holy Trinity Wavertree
Parish Church of Knotty Ash
St Luke the Evangilist Walton on the Hill
Or Parish Registers of Stoneycroft

(Why oh why cant they just put the name of the church?)

I got these churches by searching the library catalogue using the film reference number

I would go for St Luke the Evangilist Walton on the Hill.

Baptisms: 7 Nov 1889 St Mary, Walton on the Hill, Lancashire, England
Willie Meal - Child of George Meal & Martha
Born: 19 Oct 1889
Abode: 6 Springbank Road
Occupation: Traveller
Baptised by: F. Linstead Downham
Register: Baptisms 1883 - 1894, Page 223, Entry 1784
Source: LDS Film 1647561

family search also has

1.George Meal - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Male Marriage: 09 NOV 1879 , Lancashire, England
Father: James Meal Spouse: Martha Barton

2. Harriet Ethel Meal - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Female Christening: 27 DEC 1885 , Lancashire, England
Father: George Meal Mother: Martha

3. Ellen Constance Meal - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Female Christening: 30 APR 1882 , Lancashire, England
Father: George Meal Mother: Martha

IGI
GEORGE MEAL Christening: 09 OCT 1831 Slaithwaite, Yorkshire, England
Father: JAMES MEAL Mother: ANN
Extracted birth or christening record
Batch No.: Dates: Source Call No.: Type: Printout Call No.: Type:
C108281 1813 - 1842 0990698 Film 6911103 Film

Happy Boxing Day everyone (not for us Aussies in the cricket )

Here's the family from Dickiesams post
Great find 1891

George Meal bookkeeper bn Childwall 32
Martha 34, Ellen 9, Earnest 7, Harriet 5, Fred 3, William 1
all born West Derby.
Birthplaces listed as Weskerby.

Tina

added there's an Ellen C (Constance?)servant in 1901 in W Dby bn 1883
birthplace Knotty ICH....yes I've sent an error into Anc#

Thanks for that Tina Ellen C born 1883 Knotty Ash so Thomas Earnest could have been baptised there in 1884.

Hi Katie
Good possibility about Knotty Ash, Dad born Childwall, mother & sibs West Derby.
I know Ellen C is the correct one as she's listed with her folks in the unmentionable census....
Aged 28 yrs.
Harriet Ethel is 25 perhaps another for Knotty Ash baptism??
Pilot just says 27.12.1885 Lpool...
Charles 19.(baptised St Peters 23 Nov 1891 no maiden name)
As an aside there's an Alex Meal male 70 yrs listed.
Tina
Sorry Ken side-tracking from your original post

temp today 39c...Christmas Day 40c PHEW......

Hi Tina

The film reference for Harriet Ethel is the same one for Thomas Earnest Meal so its St John the Evangilist Knotty Ash. I dont think these records are on micro film , will do a quick check tomorrow

Thanks Katie, Susan and Tina, what would we do without you?

The blanks are being filled in nicely. I wonder what happened to the brothers after the war. All three survived, so there should be something to discover somewhere.

Best wishes,

Ken

I think William married Beatrice Rennie 1914 to confim this the marriage will have to be checked they had four children.

1. Martha B Meal 1916
2. George W Meal 1918
3. Gladys Meal 1919
4. Charles R Meal 1921


There was a death registration

Dec qtr 1922

William Meal aged 32 years West Derby 8b 521


Cannot find any trace of Thomas (Earnest) Meal or Fred Could they have emigrated? and returned to England on the outbreak of the War to enlist.

Just remembered something

Fred in Liverpool School Board Truants School, Hightown, Liverpool. posted by DickieSam

If Fred was in this school for playing traunt could he have been sent to Canada with the home children? There is a T. Meal listed on the Ancestors on board site born 1883ish also going to Canada just a thought

If Fred was in this school for playing traunt could he have been sent to Canada with the home children? There is a T. Meal listed on the Ancestors on board site born 1883ish also going to Canada just a thought.

Good thought Katie!
Could be why they are not in the unmentionable census, as Tina succinctly put it.

And because I could only find a Meal marriage for William, the same one that Katie found to Beatrice Rennie in 1914, if Fred and Thomas E had been in Canada did they go back to Canada after the war where they might already have wives and family?

Outgoing passenger: Meal, T - 1883 - departing 23rd June 1910 from Liverpool on the Laurentic bound for Quebec.

Dickiesam

Searched home children data base at Canadian archvies no matches. I think we will have to work on the Siblings of Fred and Thomas (Earnest) Meal Wonder if they became seafarers?

To Katie & D.S
Brilliant input and ideas!!
Sad about Wm Meal.
Not much help here 1938 Directory have only found 2 Meals
Arthur florist 58 Edge gro Lpl 7
Jn G freight clerk 52 Grantham St Lpl 6.
There's a Beatrice Meal who marries in 1926 to Charles McDonough
St Saviour Everton, no other surname listed.

There's a Charles R Meal married Christ Church Everton 1950 to Janet Maxwell.
And George W Meal to Susanna Bonner
St John the Baptist, Tuebrook 1944.
Sons of Beatrice & Wm??
Tina

These are all the Meal marriages in Lancs from 1900 [when Ernest/Thomas would have been 16ish] and 1935.

MEAL, John Gibbons - West Derby - 1906 Dec qtr.
MEAL, Harriet E - West Derby - 1913 Dec qtr.
MEAL, Ellen C - West Derby - 1914 Sep qtr.
MEAL, William - West Derby - 1914 Sep qtr.
MEAL. Alice M M - West Derby - 1916 Mar qtr.
MEAL, Helen - Ormskirk - 1916 - Jun qtr.
MEAL, Jessie I - West Derby - 1918 Dec qtr.
MEAL, Ellen - Toxteth Park - 1920 Mar qtr.
MEAL, Beatrice - West Derby - 1926 Sep qtr.

Looked at 'All counties' but not a hair to be found of Thomas/Ernest, Frederick [the right one, that is] or Charles! Since FreeBMD didn't throw up a match for a death, they must have either emigrated, at least from England and Wales, or entered a monastry.

Dickiesam