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Mark
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7 Mar 2016 14:23 |
Information taken from the http://www.ganderairporthistoricalsociety.org/_html_war/Ratcliffe.htm website.
My relation is......
S/L Frank Ratcliffe
by Frank Tibbo
The former military cemetery in Gander, which is maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, has many markers. Plot 6, Row 14, Grave 12 has the following information:
RATCLIFFE, Sqdn. Ldr. FRANK LATHAM, 172923. RAF (V.R.). 1st May, 1945. Age 42. Son of Mrs. M.J. Ratcliffe, of Wallasey, Cheshire, England; husband of F. Margaret Ratcliffe, of Wallasey.
Ratcliffe Street, Gander is named to honour Frank L. Ratcliffe who lost his life on May 1, 1945, in the crash that also claimed the life of Joe Gilmore. The body of Mr. Gilmore is also interred at the Commonwealth Graves Cemetery, Gander.
There are four streets in the Town of Gander that are named for the same persons as were streets in the airport residential area. Ratcliffe Row was a street located on the RAF Side. The other streets are Elizabeth, Pattison and Wright. MacDonald Street was on the airport side, but it was not called after the same person as is MacDonald Drive in the Town of Gander.
Ratcliffe Row on the airport residential area and Ratcliffe Street in the Town of Gander were named to honour Squadron Leader Ratcliffe, RAF. Ratcliffe was the officer in charge of the Communications section of RAF Ferry Command. He was killed when the Norseman aircraft, in which he was a passenger, crashed en route from Gander to Montreal. Ratcliffe
Ratcliffe came to Botwood, Newfoundland, with the British Air Ministry in the mid-1930s to establish a base for flying boats. At the outbreak of WWII he came to Gander with the Ferry Command (RAF) and was granted the rank of Squadron Leader. Except for two short term transfers, once to Montreal, and the other to the Bahamas, he remained in Gander.
He, his wife and son lived in a duplex on Chestnut Street. Mrs. Ratcliffe and son Michael returned to England in 1945 and later settled in Australia. They made a trip to Gander in 1978, and Mike returned again in August 1992.
From the notes of Tom McGrath: "The RAF Ferry Command took over the ferry organization in July, 1941, and on October 7, the RAF also took over the radio station from the Air Ministry, (with F.L. Ratcliffe as officer in charge) as well as the transatlantic control unit."
From the Notes of F.G. Chafe: βIt is worthy to note that prior to the arrival of these planes the first plane to land on the new runways was the Gypsy Moth owned and operated by Mr. Douglas Fraser. The second plane to use the runways was a Beechcraft owned by Dupont Chemical Works of the USA and was the first to try night flying from the airport. All the Feil lighting had been installed at that time and was placed in operation. Squadron Leader Pattison and Mr. F.C. Jewitt were taken up on the first flight and Messrs. Ratcliffe, Bailey and the author (F. Chafe) on the second.β
From: The Propagander [Published quarterly at the U.S. ARMY AIR BASE Gander, Newfoundland β FALL 1944] "Early in 1937 Squadron Leader F.L. Ratcliffe and Flight Lieutenant C.M. Brant engaged the local staff, among the first of which were Vince Myrick, Art Pittman, and a little later, Bill Heath, Charlie Blackie and Bill Lahey. In a short time the radio station was ready for operation with facilities for direct communications across the Atlantic.
In February, 1939, Chestnut Avenue, named after Mr. Chestnut the engineer, was built with its comfortable houses. Squadron Leader and Mrs. H.A.L. Pattison, Squadron Leader and Mrs. F.L. Ratcliffe, Mr. and Mrs. Ron Hayden of Shell Oil and Mr. McTaggert-Cowan, meteorologist of the Department of Transport, Canada, were among those who established homes."
From the details above I have found out he had a son Michael and a Wife Margaret. I have been unable too as yet find a marriage or birth date for Michael. Can anyone assist with Australian research
Best wishes and thanks
Mark
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ArgyllGran
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7 Mar 2016 16:20 |
Gander is in Newfoundland. So . . . . .
Margaret F Ratcliffe in the UK, Outward Passenger Lists, 1890-1960 Name: Margaret F Ratcliffe Gender: Female Age: 36 Birth Date: abt 1901 Departure Date: 11 Jun 1937 Port of Departure: Liverpool, England Destination Port: St John's, Newfoundland, Canada Ship Name: Newfoundland Shipping line: Furness Line Official Number: 147312 Master: T H Webber
Travelling with Michael W Ratcliffe, age 3.
Last UK address: Brynkie, Briar Drive, Heswall, Wirral.
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ArgyllGran
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7 Mar 2016 16:21 |
Possibly Michael's birth, if he was born in England ??
Births Sep 1933 (>99%) RATCLIFFE Michael W Gridley Elham 2a 1881
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ArgyllGran
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7 Mar 2016 16:22 |
Frank's marriage:
Marriages Jun 1929 (>99%)
Gridley Margaret F Ratcliffe Mildenhall 4a 2055 Ratcliffe Francis L Gridley Mildenhall 4a 2055
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ArgyllGran
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7 Mar 2016 16:33 |
Margaret's birth??
Births Sep 1900 (>99%) Gridley Margaret Frances Petworth 2b 314
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ArgyllGran
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7 Mar 2016 16:39 |
A tree on Ancestry says that that Margaret married Robert McBroom in Perth, Australia in 1929, and later lived in Nedlands, WA.
However, it names her as: Margaret Frances Gridley/Ratcliffe/McBroom
but doesn't give any Ratcliffe details.
There's a Michael William Ratcliffe in Nedlands later, at 45 Ord Street:
Michael William Ratcliffe in the Australia, Electoral Rolls, 1903-1980 Name: Michael William Ratcliffe Gender: Male Electoral Year: 1958 Subdistrict: Nedlands State: Western Australia District: Curtin Country: Australia
(and several other years - up to 1980, per Ancestry)
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ArgyllGran
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7 Mar 2016 16:45 |
Margaret Francis McBroom in the Australia, Electoral Rolls, 1903-1980 Name: Margaret Francis McBroom Gender: Female Electoral Year: 1954 Subdistrict: Nedlands State: Western Australia District: Curtin Country: Australia
Living with Robert McBroom, at 45 Ord Street. - same address as Michael
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ArgyllGran
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7 Mar 2016 16:47 |
But how could she marry Robert in Australia in 1929, as well as marrying Frank in England in 1929 ???
The Ancestry tree must have the wrong date of her second marriage.
EDIT: Ancestry suggests this is her marriage, but there's no date:
Margaret Ratcliffe in the Australia, Marriage Index, 1788-1950 Name: Margaret Ratcliffe Marriage Place: Western Australia Registration Place: Perth, Western Australia Registration Number: 2336
She's still Ratcliffe in 1954:
Margaret Frances Ratcliffe in the Australia, Electoral Rolls, 1903-1980 Name: Margaret Frances Ratcliffe Gender: Female Electoral Year: 1954 Subdistrict: North Perth State: Western Australia District: Perth Country: Australia
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ArgyllGran
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7 Mar 2016 16:54 |
And she's McBroom by 1958:
Margaret Francis McBroom in the Australia, Electoral Rolls, 1903-1980 Name: Margaret Francis McBroom Gender: Female Electoral Year: 1958 Subdistrict: Nedlands State: Western Australia District: Curtin Country: Australia
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ArgyllGran
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7 Mar 2016 17:01 |
There's no sign of a wife or family with Michael in any of the ER's up to 1980.
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+++DetEcTive+++
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7 Mar 2016 17:12 |
She appears to have migrated to Australia in 1949
Item details for: PP4/1, 8388 Request copy Title RATCLIFFE Margaret Frances, Michael william [Application by British migrants for assisted passage] Contents date range 1949 - 1949 Series number PP4/1 Control symbol 8388 Citation NAA: PP4/1, 8388 Item barcode3362583 Location Perth Access status Open Date of decision 27 Mar 1998 Physical format PAPER FILES AND DOCUMENTS (allocated at series level) Date registered 21 Oct 1998
Although it probably won't help to find Michael, as the file is marked 'Open', you can request to be sent a copy of the file.
http://www.naa.gov.au/collection/search/index.aspx click on Record Search - a new page opens in a new tab Click Name Search from the green tabs Ratcliffe as the family name From the drop down list - Immigration & Naturalisation Refine the result by adding Margaret. The top result is should be hers
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Mark
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7 Mar 2016 18:28 |
Just come back from taking my mum out for a belated mothers day treat. WOW thank you so much for all the information posted ever so grateful :-D
Edit - just to keep people updated have found the tree on ancestry and sent a message to verify connections and to see if any further information can be got.
Again thank you so much
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+++DetEcTive+++
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7 Mar 2016 19:29 |
The WA Ask a Librarian service can check ER for Michael based on the last known address http://slwa.wa.gov.au/find/services/information_services
Although there are no M W Ratcliffes in WA in the phone book, there are several M's http://www.whitepages.com.au/
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ArgyllGran
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7 Mar 2016 21:37 |
Hmmm - now not sure about the Margaret in 1954 Perth ER.
This is the right Margaret at 45 Ord Street:
Margaret Francis McBroom in the Australia, Electoral Rolls, 1903-1980 Name: Margaret Francis McBroom Gender: Female Electoral Year: 1954 Subdistrict: Nedlands State: Western Australia District: Curtin Country: Australia
(She's still there up to 1980, as is Robert.)
So - were there two Margaret Frances Ratcliffes? Or is it possible that she could be on two ER's at the same time? Maybe if Nedlands didn't compile theirs until later in the year than Perth, and she married and moved in the interim???
There's no Margaret Frances Ratcliffe showing on any Australian ER after 1954, so it must be her registered in both places.
EDIT: and now I see I've already posted both the 1954 records in earlier posts!
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Chris Ho :)
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8 Mar 2016 06:33 |
National School Admission Registers & Log-books 1870-1914 Transcription (Find My Past)
First name(s) Margaret F. Last name Gridley Birth year 1900 Birth date 16 Aug 1900 Event year 1907 School name Haughley Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Town Haughley County Suffolk Parent name(s) William Gridley (also, below 25/1/99)
Births Mar 1899 (>99%) --------------------------------------------------------- Gridley Kathleen Mary Petworth 2b 327
Chris :)
http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D6896868
(Frank Latham Ratcliffe. Also on FMP)
http://www2.mcb.wa.gov.au/NameSearch/search.php
(Karrakatta Cemetery) (has McBroom, if relating)
(Sister)
Passenger Lists leaving UK 1890-1960 Transcription (Find My Past)
First name(s) K M Last name GRIDLEY Title MISS Gender Female Age 28 Birth year 1900 Occupation HOUSEWORK Departure year 1928 Departure day 18 Departure month 8 Departure port LONDON Destination port FREMANTLE Destination FREMANTLE State Western Australia Destination country AUSTRALIA Ship name ORSOVA
(last UK address, Croft Villa, Kingsway, Mildenhall, Ely)
(Parents)
Deaths Sep 1910 (>99%) ---------------------------------------------------- Gridley William B 42 Sudbury 4a 355
Marriages Jun 1891 (>99%) ------------------------------------------------------ Gridley William Barton Cosford 4a 911 Phillips Louisa Cosford 4a 911
Marriage Gridley Kathleen M Female Standring Arthur Male Perth 312 1930
http://www.bdm.dotag.wa.gov.au/_apps/pioneersindex/default.aspx
STANDRING , Kathleen Mary 25 Oct 1982 aged 83 years.
(Plaques - St Mary's Church, Busselton)
http://www.ozburials.com/CemsWA/Busselton/busselsmp.htm
(if her)
http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/46274426
(1947 Divorce?)
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Mark
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8 Mar 2016 13:55 |
Thank you very much Chris :-D
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SylviaInCanada
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9 Mar 2016 04:39 |
That is a very strange entry into Australia that DET found
Most of the records that I have found been for the actual entry of people, this is the first time I have seen an Application by British migrants for assisted passage apparently made IN Australia
I can see no actual entry for them
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+++DetEcTive+++
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9 Mar 2016 09:07 |
I've come across several similar entries Sylvia, but have never been interested enough to ask for a copy of the (open) record. Most of the 'normal' ones have full dobs.
Could the entry be linked to Michael realising he didn't have citizenship in his own right?
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SylviaInCanada
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9 Mar 2016 19:15 |
DET
it could be, I suppose ...... or the Immigration people realising that he needed the permission.
I wish I could find the ship they took passage on ............ I thought that assisted passage to Australia was only from England, but did it also apply to other countries such as Canada?
I've looked but just cannot find a passenger list with them on.
Everyone I knew who went to Australia on Assisted Passage applied from their home country, or the country they were living in, eventually received notice that they had been accepted, and then were told the date and ship that they were to take.
This applied to my cousins in the late 50s and early 60s, and to my best friend around 1962. I also had to apply from England when I was planning on going out there in 1964 to a position in Queensland. I cancelled out before I got my notice of sailing, but I had been accepted and you can still find my file :-)
That's what I meant about applying for the Assisted Passage IN Perth ......... it's applying after the fact
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ArgyllGran
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9 Mar 2016 22:59 |
Mr William Micheal Ratcliffe in the Fremantle, Western Australia, Passenger Lists, 1897-1963 Name: Mr William Micheal Ratcliffe Gender: Male Birth Date: abt 1934 Departure Place: Tilbury, United Kingdom Arrival Date: 28 May 1949 Arrival Place: Fremantle, Western Australia, Australia Age on Arrival: 15 Vessel: Asturias
Travelling with Mrs Margaret Frances Ratcliffe, age 48. Going to Busselton, WA.
It doesn't say whether assisted passage or not.
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