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Descendents of Christopher Gower + Amelia Pearson
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Christopher
Gower | |
|Amelia
(Amy) Emma Pearson |b.1893 Australia |
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| Ronald| Gower| b.1917| | 3 |
|Doreen |Wiblen |b.1917 | children |
Norman| |
|Berril |Weis |b.1919 | | children |
Harold| Oakes| b.1918| | 5 |
|Leila |Gower |b.1922 | children |
Lionel
Keith| Gower| b.1925| | 4 |
|Peggy |
David| Cantle| b.1928| | 3 |
|Noeline |Gower |b.1927 | children |
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Chris Gower left London on November 2, 1911 sailed to Australia on the Matatua (Shaw Saville Line) - arrived in Sydney on December 19. He was 17 on December 13. The ship was on it's way to New Zealand. No other members of his family were on board. MATATUA - BUILT IN BELFAST BY WORKMAN CLARK IN 1904.SHE WAS THE SISTER SHIP TO MAMARI (2nd) IN 1928 SHE WAS SOLD TO A.BERNSTEIN ( GERMANY ) AND RE-NAMED ' ILSENSTEIN '. IN 1940 SHE WAS SUNK AT SCAPPA FLOW AS A BLOCKSHIP.SHE WAS FINALLY CUT UP FOR SCRAP IN 1950. MATATUA - The Shaw Savill Line's "Matatua" was a 6,488 gross ton cargo liner, built in 1904 by Workman Clark, Belfast. Her details were - length 448ft x beam 56.4ft, and she was reputed to have the tallest funnel in the world at the time. There was accommodation for 6-1st and 200-steerage class passengers. In 1916 she had a serious fire on board while in Canadian waters and the master was killed. Sold to Arnold Bernstein of Hamburg in 1928 and renamed "Ilsenstein"; used on the Havre and later Antwerp to New York service. She sailed to Blyth for scrapping in 1939 but was later towed to Scapa Flow and was sunk there as a blockship in 1940. Demolished on site in 1951. [The Shaw Savill Line by Richard P.de Kerbrech] [North Star to Southern Cross by John M.Maber] [North Atlantic Seaway by N.R.P. Bonsor, vol.4, p.1633] - [Posted to The ShipsList by Ted Finch 3 May 1998] Most of the photos below were sent from Australia by the granddaughter of Bertha Gower, the notes in italics are hers (click on pictures for bigger versions). family details from Carol:
  left: On the back: Arthur & Lizzie Gower with Chris' two eldest,
Ron & Norman.[Australia in the 1920s]
In the mid 1950s Jack's brother, Christopher Gower (Uncle Chris), came back to England with his wife Amy and visited many of the Gower family, including his nieces Queenie and Vera in Hampshire. They travelled on the S.S. Himalaya - for photos of the ship see: www.simplonpc.co.uk/PO_Himalaya_1949.html
Aerogramme, March 1960. Orginally addressed to: Miss V. Gower, c/o Mr. H Fairall, 57 Derby Road, Portsmouth, Hants England (where Vera was living in 1956. Chris and Amy stayed there for a while). Redirected to 319 Twyford Ave., (Vera's half sister). from Mr. C. Gower, 21 Borona Avenue, Epping, Sydney, Australia. 26/3/60 Dear Vera, We have not heard of or from you for such a long time, I thought I would take this opportunity of dropping you a line. We have had 2 or 3 letters from Kathleen [Vera's neice] and one from Queenie [Vera's sister]. We sent Kathleen and John [nephew] an Australian Calender we have not heard yet whether they have received it, if so you may have seen the views. We also sent a Christmas card to you & Mr. & Mrs. Fairall which we hope arrived OK. We hope that both you & Mr. & Mrs. Fairall have enjoyed the best of health and having got over the nasty winter you you are now enjoying the beautiful spring of which England is so famous. We have had rather a hectic time this last 6 months having to travel to Lismore 3 times to see our 2nd son Norman, who unfortunately had a severe stroke in october 1959 and was paralysed both sides. He is out of hospital now but we have not heard for 4 or 5 weeks how he is progressing so will probably go up again next month. Noeline our baby daughter has a little son now that makes her 2 daughters & 1 son. Leila the elder daughter has 2 daughters & 2 sons. Both live about a mile and half from us. I will post you an Australian flowers picture if I can get one, they are hard to obtain but I may get one from my Shell petrol station, they are very interesting and pretty but hard to get. We have seen the films of the terrific storms & snow over England & the continent on our television set, which most interesting. We have a Pye 21" Consul Tele, and get newsreel every night at 7.15. Also saw the Queen & new baby prince. Some people in England wrote us that they had seen on tele, the Great Barrier Reef off Cairns Queensland & the coral growing. Well Auntie Ame & I went up there in 1958 it is about 2000 miles north of Sydney & I drove up in our car, had a lovely time & brought back some coral & shells from the Barrier Reef we went out by ship & had 2 hrs on the reef at low tide the colours of the fish in the pools of water were beautiful, blues, reds, striped greens, and were from 1 1/2" long up to 18" long, one could stand and watch them for hours. Well love from Auntie Ame and myself to you, & kindest regards to Mr & Mrs Fairall. Uncle Chris.
Left:
Chris Gower's death certificate, 1972. His mother's maiden name
was altered by his son Ron, showing the confusion over whether she was
Elizabeth Startup or Baker. |
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