Reginald William HOOKINS was born on 28 March 1896 at 11 Carlton Terrace, East Stonehouse.
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His birth certificate however shows the name of HOOKINGS. He was the 2nd child of 7 born to James HOOKINS and his wife Ellen Jane (formerly KNOWLES nee SNELL). Ellen also had 2 sons by her previous marriage and 4 of the children with James were born prior to their marriage in 1902.
Reginald William was apparently known as Bill, the beginning of various usages of his different names including the different surname recorded on his birth certificate. In the 1901 Census he is recorded as William and is living at 1 Willow Plot in Plymouth with his parents + 2 siblings and 1 half sibling.
He is still found as William in the 1911 Census living with his parents, 3 siblings and 1 half sibling at 1 Cambridge Street in Plymouth. Whilst there currently seems to be a Cambridge Road in Plymouth, there seems to be no trace of Cambridge Street.
In World War 1, Reginald William was in the Labour Corps as a Private, Service No 144887 and was awarded the Silver War Badge and a Campaign Medal.
On 2 Aug 1915 he married Lilian Edith COX at the Register Office in Plymouth being know as William HOOKINS on the marriage certificate. At that time he was described as being a General Labourer.
Over the next 22 years 8 children were born to the couple - Lilian Gwendoline in 1916, William John in 1918, Irene Beatrice May in 1922, Betty Violet in 1927, Lucy D in 1929 (although she sadly died the same year), Rose in 1932, Ruby D in 1936 and Shirley in 1937.
In the 1939 Register he is recorded as being William R and is living at 15 Richmond Street in Plymouth. Again currently there seems to be a Richmond Road but not Street in Plymouth but he is living at Richmond Street with his father, wife Lilian and daughter Irene. Children of certain ages are often blanked out of this register and there are 4 hidden entries here whom I suspect to be Betty, Rose, Ruby and Shirley. William's job is now shown as being an Asphalter.
By 1955 all of the daughters had married.
Reginald William's wife Lilian died in the first few months of 1976 only for him to die a month or so later. Interestingly his death is registered in the names of both Reginald William HOOKINGS and William Reginald HOOKINS perhaps to include what he considered to be his proper name of William Reginald HOOKINS but also to tie in with his name as recorded on his birth certificate.
