Person:William Turner (141)

William Henry Turner was born on 26th August 1867 at Devonport in Devon, son of a corporal in the Army Service Corps named Edward Thomas Turner and his wife Maria Josephine (or Josephine Maria) McEnery, who was Canadian. The family clearly moved around a lot to places with military barracks, following Edward's work. William's older brother Edward had been born in Woolwich in 1865. Shortly after William's birth the family moved to Ireland, where his parents had another two children: Amy in 1869 at Newbridge in County Kildare and George in 1872 in Dublin. They then moved back to England, to Aldershot in Hampshire where Maria and most of the children (including William) appear in the 1881 census.

In 1889, William joined the Royal Navy. He was to serve in the Navy for over thirty years.

The following year, on 2nd November 1890, he married Elizabeth Mary May in Plymouth. On the same day William's brother Edward married Elizabeth's sister Maude in the same church. The 1891 census finds Elizabeth living at 35 James Street in Plymouth; William was away from home on census night.

William and Elizabeth's first son, William Harold, was born in 1894 in Plymouth. They then moved to Pembroke Dock in Wales before their next son, Lionel Claude, was born in 1898. By 1900 they had moved back to the Plymouth area, settling at 14 Third Avenue in the Camels Head area of Devonport, where they appear in both the 1901 and 1911 censuses. William acted as informant for both his in-laws' deaths: his mother-in-law died in 1910, after which his father-in-law came to live at 14 Third Avenue, appearing there in the 1911 census, before dying there in 1913.

William's elder two sons both joined the Royal Navy and served during the First World War. His youngest son became a boilermaker and emigrated to America in 1923. By this time the family was living at 3 Vanguard Terrace in Devonport.

William died on 6th February 1924. He was 56 years old. Elizabeth survived him by seven years.

1. ↑ Births index, in General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration. (London: General Register Office).

   b. William Henry TURNER, September Quarter 1867, Stoke Damerel Registration District, Volume 5b, page 339, mother's maiden name McEnery

2. ↑ England. 1881 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands: . (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG11; Piece 785; Folio 77; Page 20, 3 Apr 1881.

   Address: Army Service Corps, Aldershot, Hampshire
   [lots of soldiers' families, including]:
   Josephine Maria Turner, wife, married, female, 33 [1847/8], Soldier's wife, b. Canada
   William Henry Turner, son, male, 13 [1867/8], Page boy, b. Devonport, Devon
   Amy Jane Turner, daughter, female, 11 [1869/70], Scholar, b. Ireland
   George Abbott Turner, son, male, 9 [1871/2], Scholar, b. Ireland
   Charles Turner, son, male, 6 [1874/5], Scholar, b. Aldershot, Hampshire
   Maude Turner, daughter, female, 2 months [1881], b. Aldershot, Hampshire

3. ↑ England. England. 1901 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG13; Piece 2111; Folio 86; Page 20, 31 Mar 1901.

   Address: 14 Third Avenue, Devonport, Devon
   3 rooms occupied
   William H. Turner, head, married, male, 33 [1867/8], Chief Stoker R.N., worker, b. Devonport, Devon
   Elizabeth M. Turner, wife, married, female, 31 [1869/70], b. Plymouth, Devon
   William H. Turner, son, single, male, 6 [1894/5], b. Plymouth, Devon
   Lionel C. Turner, son, single, male, 3 [1897/8], b. Pembroke, S. Wales
   Leslie H. Turner, son, single, male, 9mo [1900], b. Devonport, Devon

4. ↑ England. 1911 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. (Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom: The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), (formerly the UK General Register Office.))
   Class RG14; Piece 13032; Schedule 220, 2 Apr 1911.

   Address: 14 Third Avenue, Camels Head, Devonport, Devon
   5 rooms occupied
   William Henry Turner, head, male, 43 [1867/8], married, Chief Stoker - Royal Navy, worker, b. Devonport, Devon
   Elizabeth Mary Turner, wife, female, 41 [1869/70], married 20 years, 3 children born alive, 3 still living, b. Plymouth, Devon
   William Harold Turner, son, male, 16 [1894/5], single, Ship Steward Boy - Royal Navy, worker, b. Plymouth, Devon
   Lionel Claude Turner, son, male, 13 [1897/8], School, b. Pembroke Dock, South Wales
   Leslie Hutchings Turner, son, male, 10 [1900/1], School, b. Devonport, Devon
   William May, father in law, male, 75 [1835/6], widower, 9 children born alive, 5 children still living, Retired market gardener, b. Bradninch Parish, Devon

5. ↑ Deaths index, in General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration. (London: General Register Office).

   d. William H. TURNER, March Quarter 1924, Devonport Registration District, Volume 5b, page 549, aged 55 [1868/9]

6. ↑ England. National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations),1858 onwards. (Ancestry.com).

   1924
   TURNER William Henry of 3 Vanguard-terrace Devonport died 6 February 1924 Probate London 18 March to Elizabeth Mary Turner widow. Effects £1722 10s.

7. ↑ United Kingdom. UK, Royal Navy Registers of Seamen's Services, 1853-1928.

   Summary:
   Name: William Henry Turner
   Date of Birth: 26 Aug 1867
   Place of Birth: Devonport, Devon
   Enlisted: 29 Apr 1889
   Height: 5'3¼"
   Hair: Light Brown
   Eyes: Grey
   Complexion: Fair
   Occupation: Plasterer
   Served until 1919