Ernest James HOOKINS was born on 26th August 1887 at 3 Bath Road in Mitcham but the address no longer seems to exist. He was the 6th of 11 children born to George HOOKINS and his wife Caroline (nee TRASH).
In the 1891 Census George was living as HOSKING at Bath Road with his parents + 5 of his siblings + his maternal grandfather and a lodger. In the 1901 Census the family is indexed as HOSKIN and are living at 6 Bath Road where Ernest is with his parents + 7 siblings and his maternal grandfather. However by 1911 Caroline had been widowed, but was still living at No 6 with Ernest and his 5 siblings, and Ernest's occupation was described as Grave Digger.
Two years later Ernest married Mary Ann BULL in Croydon and children were born to them in 1914 (Ernest James) and 1916 (Mary A).
Ernest enlisted in the Army Service Corps (K Company) on 4 January 1917 in Kingston when his address was still recorded as 6 Bath Road. His occupation at that time was a Packer and the Service No. allocated to him was 26088. A record has also been found of an Ernest J HOOKINS who was entitled to a Victory Medal 1919 and whose Regimental No was T/254810.
In 1923 the couple's 3rd child, Charles, was born, but, on 27 April 1929, Ernest's wife Mary Ann died and was buried in Church Road Cemetery in Merton.
 |
St Mary's Walton-on-Thames
|
Ernest was left with 2 teenage children and the younger one born only 6 years before, but on 18 October 1930 he re-married, this time to Sarah Mary BROOKER at St Mary's Church Walton-on-Thames. At that time Ernest was a Packer in a Varnishing Works.
The couple had a son, Neville James, who was born on 11 October 1931 but sadly Ernest himself died on 18 August just 3 years later.
 |
| Ernest James HOOKINS |
