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Hi my name is June Collins (nee Steele) I have searched for years for detail of my father Herbert Steele, no middle name, born 7th June 1907 in Stockwell Lambeth, he was given his mothers Surname. He flew Lancaster bombers in WW2 from Mepal in Cambridgeshire. He married my mother Hilda Burgess 27th January 1934 and had two children, I am 75 years old now and would really like to know what happened to him after 1977, when that was the last time |I saw him, when a meeting was arranged but he would not tell me of his address saying he may go back to Germany where he was posted in his service years with the RAF. I have searched as many records available to me and have used a private website and many government offices all to no avail, We would dearly like to find out what happened to him before we die to be able to pass on information to children grandchildren and great grandchildren, There is more information available, but I will see if this posting brings any replies. Thankevryone who has taken time to read this.

Sorry no death reg up to 2005 maybe he did go back to Germany
You could try Consular Records on Find my Past

Hi shirley, Thanks so much I will try ,the only other thing is I wonder iif he is still alive any ideas as to how I could check this

June I know it is not impossible but your father would be 103 now

jax

But when you go to the Register Office to do a registration you dont know what they will ask so dont go with all the info
'When i went to register the banns for our marriage that was to be in a Catholic Church so at that time had to be at the Registry Office too ( the registrar had to attend the Catholic Church and marry us again in the Vestry for the legal side) i didnt know what my dads occupation was!! I knew he worked at the Woolwich Arsenal but that was it !! In those day you didnt ask adults personal questions. I put him as a Labourer but he was in fact a senior machine operator in the foundry!!

That death zoe found is indeed a possibility. If the age at death was correct, there is one other person it could be:

Births Dec 1909
Steel Herbert Birmingham 6d 138
(he would not yet have had his 90th birthday)
-- but -- he likely died 1968 Birmingham

June, when did he separate from your family? You saw him in 1977, but before that, when was he last known of? How did you contact him at the time, through his family? I'm wondering whether he might have married again, illegally of course, assuming your mother lived a long life and they didn't divorce. (I see now she died in 1976.)

There are 9 Herbert Steele (no middle initial) marriages 1939-1955, for instance (but I assume he was with you during the war years?). Or ... he might have dropped the "e" to marry; there are marriages in that name 1939-1951 as well.

I would suspect that the plan to go back to Germany was more invented at the moment to put you off trying to stay in touch, maybe.

June, your parents' marriage record gives his surname as Steele *or* Adams.

Name: Hilda W Burgess
Spouse Surname: Steele Or Adams
Date of Registration: Jan-Feb-Mar 1934
Registration district: Chelmsford
Registration county (inferred): Essex
Volume Number: 4a
Page Number: 995

Herbert Adams Burgess Jan-Feb-Mar 1934 Chelmsford
Herbert Steele Burgess Jan-Feb-Mar 1934 Chelmsford

Is it possible he used that surname?

There's no death with that name and a matching birthdate.

What was Herbert's mother's name, and did he grow up with her, and do you know whether he had siblings and who they were?

I just don't see him in the 1911 census to find that info.

No answers to the questions asked here, but why not get somebody else on it and not mention the work done here?

http://www.genesreunited.co.uk/boards.page/board/ancestors/lost%20ancestors/thread/1188027?page=28


Juco, if you had answered the questions at the time ... can you answer them now?

What was Herbert's mother's name?

for starters.

What do you know about his alternate surnames -- Adams and Steele -- if anything?

There doesn't seem to be a marriage in the vicinity of Lambeth for a Ms Steele and Mr Adams, so if Adams was a stepfather's name, it may have been from an informal partnership between his mother and a Mr Adams ...

Whatever the death was that Zoe found has now been deleted ,,,,sigh

Why do people delete info from threads, does'nt make sense

jax

For info

Births Sep 1907
STEELE Herbert Lambeth 1d 347


(Unfortunately, zoe seems to have deleted whatever death I was talking about in my comment earlier. edit -- oops, great minds, jax. Yeah, even in a fit of pique about not getting any response, you still never know what innocent person it might help in future!)


Juco, can you tell us how you are certain that is your father's birth?

June,
Have you considered using the RAF sites:

RAF Mepal - Military Genealogy
Forces Reunited Forum Posts involving RAF Mepal " Here is a story that caught my eye Flt Sgt Henry Hiscox RAFVR July 1944 was a WWII rear gunner with 57Sqn ...

military-genealogy.forcesreunited.org.uk/3704/RAF_Mep...

Another possible:

Lancaster-Archive Forum • View topic - RAF Mepal
lancaster-archive.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=35677&sid...


Do you know your father's rank, squadrons served in?