Selected Biographies

Borrett, Bertie – Born: Long Melford, Suffolk on 23.10.1900.[1]  Parents: Henry Borrett (Blacksmith) and Elizabeth [née Hardy] of Long Melford.  Family Connections: Brother to Henry Borrett [b1898], half-brother of Edgar Borrett [b1872] and John Borrett [b1878]; also, brother-in-law of Stanley Frederick Watson [b1882] and uncle of Jack Henry Borrett [b1896].  Home: 19 Rotten Row, Long Melford (1901 to 1911), St Marys Street, Long Melford (1939).  Occupation: Malt Roaster’s Labourer (1939).  Married: Kate E. Rampling in 1930.  Service Record: No definitive military record found.  Died: Braintree, Essex in 1975.

Borrett, Henry – Born: Long Melford, Suffolk on 24.6.1898.[2]  Parents: Henry Borrett (Blacksmith) and Elizabeth [née Hardy] of Long Melford.  Family Connections: Brother to Bertie Borrett [b1900], half-brother of Edgar Borrett [b1872] and John Borrett [b1878]; also, brother-in-law of Stanley Frederick Watson [b1882] and uncle of Jack Henry Borrett [b1896].  Home: 19 Rotten Row, Long Melford (1901 to 1911), 20 Station Road, Long Melford (1939).  Occupation: Maltster’s Labourer (1939).  Married: Ellen May Cook in 1937.  Service Record: No definitive military record found.  Died: Sudbury, Suffolk 1953.

Borrett, Henry William – Born: Long Melford, Suffolk on 14.3.1872.[3]  Parents: Henry Borrett (Blacksmith) and Mary [née Upson] of Long Melford.  Family Connections: Father to Jack Henry Borrett [b1896]; also, brother of John Borrett [b1878], half-brother of Henry Borrett [b1898] and Bertie Borrett [b1900], father-in-law of Daniel John Pilgrim [b1893] and brother-in-law of Stanley Frederick Watson [b1882].  Home: Station Road, Long Melford (1881), lodging with William Day in Back Lane, Earls Colne, Essex (1891), 56 Swinton Street, St Pancras, London (1901) to [1909], 65^A Camden Street, Camden Town, London (1911).  Occupation: Wheelwright (1891, 1901), Motor Coach Body Maker (1911).  Married: Elizabeth Wadley in 1892.  Service Record: No definitive military record found.  Died: St Pancras, London in 1915.

Borrett, Jack Henry – Born: St Pancras, London in 1896.  Parents: Edgar Borrett of Long Melford (Wheelwright) [see record above] and Elizabeth [née Wadley].  Family Connections: Nephew of John Borrett [b1878], Henry Borrett [b1898] and Bertie Borrett [b1900]; also, brother-in-law of Daniel John Pilgrim [b1893].  Home: 56 Swinton Street, St Pancras, London (1901), 65^A Camden Street, Camden Town, London (1911), 48 St Pauls Road, St Pancras [1919], 2 Fairway Avenue, Hendon [1932], 174 The Vale, Hendon [1960].[4]  Occupation: Sheet Metal Worker (1911).  Married: Margaret Edith Seals in 1930.  Service Record: No definitive military record found.  Died: Hendon, Middx in 1974.

Borrett, John – Born: Long Melford, Suffolk on 31.3.1878.[5]  Parents: Henry Borrett (Blacksmith) and Mary [née Upson] of Long Melford.  Family Connections: Brother to Edgar Borrett of Long Melford [b1872], half-brother of Henry Borrett [b1898] and Bertie Borrett [b1900]; also, uncle of Jack Henry Borrett [b1896] and brother-in-law of Stanley Frederick Watson [b1882].  Home: Station Road, Long Melford (1881), living with Henry Upson (uncle) at 22 Acacia Road, Wood Green, Middlesex (1901), 74 Acacia Road, Wood Green (1939).  Occupation: Harness Maker (1901), Aircraft Detail Fitter (1939).  Married: Alice Upson in 1901.  Service Record: No definitive military record found.  Died: Enfield, Middlesex in 1972.

Related Biographies

Pilgrim, Daniel John – Born: Barnet, Hertfordshire on 1.4.1893.[6]  Parents: Job Daniel Pilgrim (Carpenter) and Ellen [née Reid].  Family Connections: Son-in-law of Edgar Borrett of Long Melford [b1872] and brother-in-law of Jack Henry Borrett [b1896].  Home: 35 Moxon Street, Chipping Barnet, Hertfordshire (1901, 1911), 9 Derby Avenue, Finchley, Middlesex [1926], 12 Brent Place, Barnet, Herts (1939) to [1965].[7]  Occupation: Cabinet Maker (1911), Carpenter [1916], Coach Body Builder (1939).  Married: Olga Gwendoline Borrett [d1951] in 1920 and Alice M. Razzell in 1955.  Service Record: Daniel enlisted in 1911 as Pte.1303 with The Duke of Cambridge’s Own (Middlesex Regiment), being posted with 1/7^th Battalion, Middlesex to France in March 1915 as part of 23^rd Brigade, 8^th Division, seeing action at the Battle of Aubers in May of that year.  In January 1916 he was attached to 1/1^st [Home Counties] Field Company, Royal Engineers until his discharge the following April.  Within three months of his discharge from the Army he enlisted as N^o. F18798 with the Royal Naval Air Service, being posted again to France in February 1918.  With the foundation of the Royal Air Force on 1.4.1918 he was transferred as Air Mechanic (Class II) N^o.218798 to N^o.7 Squadron, remaining with this reconnaissance unit until his discharge in 1919.[8]  Died: Hendon, Middlesex in 1981.

Watson, Frederick Stanley – Born: Long Melford, Suffolk on 7.11.1882.[9]  Parents: James Watson (General Hardwaresman) and Ellen [née Bane].  Family Connections: Brother to Arthur Albert Watson [b1880]; also, brother-in-law of Thomas Edward Pleasants [b1884], Edgar Borrett [b1872], John Borrett [b1878], Henry Borrett [b1898] and Bertie Borrett [b1899], and stepson of Rose Watson [née Richold] [b1863].  Home: Hall Street, Long Melford (1891 to 1939).[10]  Occupation: Hawker and Baker (1901), Hawker (1911), Hawker and Baker [1916], Hardware and Ironmongery Salesman (1939).  Married: Lily Victoria Borrett in 1921.  Service Record: At the Melford Military Service Tribunal in October 1916 Frederick applied for exemption, which was granted for only fourteen days.[11]  He was attested at the end of the month as Pte.S4/218157, engaged as a baker with 435^th [Horse Transport] Company, Army Service Corps.  This unit was sent to France and formed part of 35^th Divisional Train, the Division seeing action in 1917 at the Second Battle of Passchendaele.  Frederick received his discharge in October 1919.[12]  Died: Sudbury, Suffolk in 1966.[13]

Notes – [1] Date of birth taken from the 1939 Register for Long Melford. [2] Date of birth taken from the Admissions Register 9.9.1901 for St Catherines Infants School, Long Melford. [3] Date of birth taken from Baptism Register 5.5.1872 of Holy Trinity Church, Long Melford. [4] Selected addresses from the Electoral Rolls for St Pancras, London, and Hendon, Middx. [5] Date of birth from the 1939 Register for Wood Green, Middx. [6] Date of birth taken from the 1939 Register for Barnet, Herts. [7] Selected addresses from the Electoral Rolls for Finchley, Middx and Barnet, Herts. [8] For Daniel’s varied military career see his Soldiers’ Documents, First World War ‘Burnt Documents’ [WO 363], Royal Navy Registers of Seaman’s Services [ADM 188/597/18798] and Air Member for Personnel and predecessors: Airman’s Records [AIR 79/1969]. [9] Date of birth from the 1939 Register for Long Melford. [10] Recorded as Stanley Watson on the UK Census for 1911 and 1939 Register. [11] For the Tribunal’s ruling see Suffolk and Essex Free Press 4.10.1916. [12] For details of 435^th Company’s movements see War Diary [WO 95/2481].  See also his Soldiers’ Documents, First World War ‘Burnt Documents’ [WO 363]. [13] Recorded as Stanley F. Watson on Death Index.