Ernest Edward Chudely was born in Hammersmith, Middlesex on 25 July 1882 and Christened on 25 November that year. He was the middle child of five born to John and Lydia Chudley; having two older brothers and two younger sisters.
Alfred Jesse born Q4 1877 Hanover Square (Knightsbridge)
John Frederick born Q3 1875 Croydon
Ernest Edward born 25 July 1882 Fulham (Hammersmith)
Minnie Florence born Q2 1885 Fulham (Hammersmith)
Ethel Maria born Q1 1885 Fulham (Hammersmith)
Ernest's father John was born Q4 1848 in Windsor, Berkshire and his mother Lydia in Q4 Wandsworth in 1850. They were married Q3 1874 in Kensington district. John was a domestic servant (Butler) for most of his life but by 1901 he was a caretaker in Bloomsbury, and living away from the family and 1911 he was with Lydia and still a caretaker.
Ernest was enrolled at St Dustan’s Road School, Hammersmith in November 1890.
By 1901 nineteen year old Ernest was still at home with his family but said to be living on own means. Usually that means some sort of private income/pension although prior to enlisting in the army he was a Brewer’s labourer, so maybe it just meant he was working and not dependent on the family budget.
Ernest enlisted in the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry at Hammersmith in 1907. In 1911 ernest was enumerated in barracks at Gravesend, and it would have been at that time that he met his wife Ethel Maud Evenden.
Ethel was the second youngest of nine children born to William James Evenden and Mary Ann Goldsmith who were married at Frindsbury All Saints on 7 March 1870. They were then both living in Frindsbury, but William, was born on the Isle of Grain and MaryAnn was born in Stoke. In 1871 they were living in Allhallows, but moved all around the Hoo peninsula. William was a farm labourer/wagoner.
William James bap 1 July 1872 Stoke buried 18 Aug 1872 Stoke
George William bap 20 Feb 1874 Stoke
Arthur Herbert bap 6 March 1877 Stoke
Henry John bap 10 Aug 1879 Allhallows
Alfred bap 24 Feb 1881 St Mary Hoo (lived at Barn Street)
Louise Annie bap 11 April 1886 Higham
Sidney Thomas bap 11 Nov 1888 Higham
Ethel Maud bap 2 July 1891 Higham
Mabel Gertrude bap 8 Oct 1893 Higham (lived West Court Cliffe)
In 1911 William and MaryAnn, together with Sidney were living at Avery Cottage, Allhallows and Ethel was a domestic servant with a family in Bexley Kent. Ernest was in Barracks at Gravesend.
They were married at Allhallows in October 1912. There were no children born in England from this marriage,although there could have been children born overseas.
No records for Ernest’s army career prior to his death survive, but it appears that Ethel was able to live in married quarters. When war was declared the Duke of Cornwall’s were sent to France and Ernest died of wounds on 15 October 1915. He was buried in Bethune cemetery.
Ernest had left a will leaving everything to Ethel. She may have returned to her parents in Allhallows for a while after Ernest’s death, but in Q2 1919 she remarried to Joseph C Willows at Sculcoates, East Yorkshire. There were three children born to this marriage:
Edith G born Q2 1920 Hoo district
Ernest C born Q4 1924 Strood district
Dorothy M born Q4 1932 Orsett district
In 1939 Ethel and Joseph were living at Thurrock Essex with five children, but as four of the entries for the children are still closed it is impossible to know whether they were Ethel’s children with Ernest or Joseph’s children from an earlier marriage. However, children were usually listed in birth order but with step children coming after those of the head of household. In this case the only open entry is Dorothy who is listed third, so maybe the two after her are her older half siblings.
Edith G Willows married Frederick C Jarrett in 1943 in Thurrock district
Dorothy M Willows married Thomas J Button in 1949 in Thurrock district
Ernest died in 1964 (probably unmarried) in Thurrock district.
Allhallows Remembers
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