William Carl HOOKINS (Tree D)

This is William Carl HOOKINS whose own family has been mentioned before with photos of 2 of his sons. William Carl was born in September 1895 at Caroline Street in Camden Town. He had 5 brothers and 2 sisters and they were the children of Edwin Alfred HOOKINS and Jessie (nee JEFFERY). Edwin was a Carman from the 1880s (which could be a driver of a horse and cart for deliveries or even a horsedrawn tram) but in 1915 was defined as a Horse Keeper and in 1919 as a General Labourer. Although William Carl was born at No 37 both in the 1891 and 1901 Censuses 25 Caroline Street and judging from the borth of William's other siblings the family also lived at Preston Street, Camden Street and Bayham Street within Camden Town. William Carl was a Compositor and died in Rainham Essex towards the end of 1974.

Victor Leslie HOOKINS (Tree D)

I mentioned on a previous post that Victor Leslie HOOKINS made his home in Canada and worked with young people at the Malibu Club. He may just have be doing a scouting expedition towards his future homeland when he travelled into New York aboard the ss Drakensberg Castle (originally called Empire Allenby) the day before his 24th birthday. You may not be able to see that the ship was carrying a locomotive on the foredeck and cowsheds on the after deck - interesting cargo. I wonder where they ended up?


In January of the following year (1947) Victor arrived in New York again aboard the English Prince. She was built in 1942 in Sunderland and launched the following year. She was chartered in 1953 but retained her name and was returned to the Prince Line in 1957. In 1961 she was sold to a Liberian Shipping Company when she was re-named Simos and 2 years later she was transferred to the Greek flag. She went aground near Cape St Vincent in 1972 and although refloated she was condemned as unseaworthy ad laid up in Setubal before being towed to Bilbao the following year for breaking up.

Edward John HOOKINS (Tree D)

Edward John HOOKINS was born 1n 1916 in Ponders End Middlesex the first child of Edwin John HOOKINS (featured in the last posting) and Elizabeth (nee DUKE). Edward's mother died less than 6 years later after the birth of his second sibling leaving 3 children under the age of 6. Edward John was a Gardener/Driver and married Lily PENNEY on Christmas Day in Walthamstow in 1937 and in the following 5 years had 3 children.

Edward John is pictured again here flanked by Ada and Albert Francis HOOKINS. Edward John's father married again within 3 years of the death of his first wife providing a mother-figure again for his 3 young children. His second wife was Ada and together they had a further 5 children. The second of these was Albert Francis who was born in 1926 who eventually moved to Australia where he raised his own family and where he eventually died in 1986.

Ada died in Kings Lynn the year before.

Edwin John HOOKINS (Tree D)

Edwin John HOOKINS was born in 1887 in Kentish Town and became a Fitter's Mate. In 1915 he married Elizabeth DUKE at St Matthew's Church in Ponders End with whom he had 3 children, one of whom was born in Ponders End and the other two in Chingford. Unfortunately Elizabeth died in 1922 at the age of just 33 very soon after the birth of her last child. Edwin then had 3 children under 6 to care for and he married again in 1923 to Ada RUMBLE with whom he had a further 5 children. Edwin died on Christmas Day in 1956 in Chingford and is buried at Enfield Crematorium. Ada died in 1985 in Kings Lynn at the age of 93.

Family of William Carl HOOKINS (Tree D)

William Carl HOOKINS married Sarah MONK in 1919 in West Ham and they had 3 sons together. The eldest on the left was Ronald William Nathaniel who was born in 1921 and died in 2001. He married Alma Sylvia COLLINSON in 1944 again in West Ham and in order no doubt to redress the male/female balance in the family had 3 daughters together all with christian names beginning with "S". (We also had 2 daughters with the same "S" initial too.)














The youngest son Victor Leslie is shown here. Victor was I believe in the Merchant Navy and I know he travelled to New York in 1946 on the Drakenburg Castle and again in 1947 on the English Prince. Although he married a Hendon girl they were married in what must have been a lovely setting at Yellowknife which is on the shores of the Great Slave Lake in North West Territories of Canada. Between 1962 and 1972 the couple were involved in the Malibu Club and spent future years returning there to assist with the work. Malibu is an evangelical resort for High School youth in the fiords about 100 miles north of Vancouver. There is no road access - everyone arrives by boat or seaplane - a great beginning for the young people who spend just one week at the camp. A picture of the setting is below and looks idyllic.



The couple also worked with YWAM and Victor's wife worked at the office when MV Anastasis was commissioned for Mercy Ships - the very ship which my daughter joined when she began her connection with Mercy Ships.

Later Victor and his wife settled in Chemainus on Vancouver Island but Victor sadly died in 2002 but it was good to have some connection with them both before that happened and to see that connection continue through contact with his wife.