Griffith Arthur HOOKINS (Tree G)

Griffith Arthur HOOKINS was born on 26 August 1885 at Worley Court, St Botolph in the City of London. He was the 9th and last child born to Henry Charles HOOKINS and his wife Caroline (nee BAKER).
His first appearance in a Census occurred in 1891 when he was living at 7 Royal Albert Buildings, St Botolph with his parents + 5 of his siblings. However by the time of his 2nd Census appearance in 1901 his father had died and he was living with his widowed mother at 11 Tarrow Street in Newington being described as a Carman Coalman possibly as a man with a horse and cart delivering coal.
He married Rosina YOUNG on 15 May 1890 at St Crispins Church in Bermondsey and their first daughter Rosina Maud was born just a few months later in Walworth. So the 1911 Census shows the family of 3 living at 17 Bagshot Street in Walworth with Griffith still employed in the same role.

17 Bagshot Street, Walworth

In 1912 their second daughter Ellen Lilian was born in Bermondsey and 2 years later Griffith's address is recorded as 8 Alsace Street in Walworth where he was still living in 1918 by which time he was known as Arthur, a name he used during his army career which initially made his records hard to identify.

He joined the Army Service Corps on 23 September 1901 aged 18 years 1 month when in fact he was only 16 years 1 month! It wasn't his height that fooled them because he only measured 5'2¾" in height. Perhaps he thought using his second forename would somehow mask his correct age. His Service No. was T18516 and he was discharged on 22 September 1913. However he re-enlisted again joining the Army Reserve in October 1914 and became a driver with the 127th Brigade of the 201st Company. His Service No. was now T/2SR/01509 and he served in France and was awarded the 1914/15 Star Medal. He served until 18 March 1919, was judged to be of good character, a good horse transport driver, hard working, honest, sober and trustworthy. Nevertheless there were a few occasions where he was "Confined to Barracks" or under "House Detention" for misdemeanours usually related to absences, although one instance involved "neglect of duty while on Stable Picquet inattention while on Sentry".

Nothing further is heard about him until he appears in the 1939 Register, still as Arthur and still at 8 Alsace Street where he is living with his wife Rosina and daughter Ellen, their other daughter having married in 1932. Griffith is here described as a Railway Carman which probably involved deliveries to and from the railway station. Elsewhere he is described as a Horse Carman for British Rail.

Griffith died in the early part of 1969 with his widow Rosina surviving for just 3 years more.