Lieutenant Henry Edward MacDonald Welsh Guards and Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve
The Man Henry Edward MacDonald was born on Tuesday 13th January 1903 in Brixton, London, son of Henry Edward Senior a Telegraphist at the General Post Office and Louisa Wilgress nee Pipe. He had two sisters, Olive Louise Wilgress (1900-1984) and Eileen Ivy (1901-70) and the family lived at 26 Elliott Road, Kennington.
Henry junior and Eileen were Baptised together at St John the Divine in Kennington on 25th May 1904. Tragically Henry Senior was admitted to a lunatic asylum on 7th December the same year possibly at Colney Hatch and he died in 1906 aged 36 when Henry junior was aged just 3, Olive 6 and Eileen 5. Louisa was unable to look after the children herself and so the children were orphaned and split up, Henry was sent to the Orphan Working School and Alexandra Orphanage, Maitland Park, Haverstock Hill, St Pancras, Eileen to St Hilda’s Home, Beckenham, Kent and Olive to Holmdale, Burnham Road, Leigh on Sea. They were all reflected thus in the 1911 census and Louisa was shown as a widower and Stepdaughter to 75-year-old Timothy Downey living at 26 Elliot Road, North Brixton. She was working as a Waitress for the General Post Office.
In about 1920 aged 17, Henry enlisted into the Welsh Guards, serving largely through the inter war years and attaining the rank of Sergeant Major. On 29th November 1926 aged 23 he married Mary Charlotte Wilson, a nurse, in St Gabriel’s Church, Pimlico in the parish of St George’s Hanover Square. They had one daughter Olive Eileen MacDonald born on 18th June 1927 in Lambeth. She died in 2001.
Henry saw service during World War II until about 1942 aged 40 when he transferred into the Royal Naval Reserve as a Temporary Sub Lieutenant, Special Branch, seeing service with the Sea Cadet Corps and joining the General Post Office. He was promoted to Lieutenant on 1 December 1948. Following the war he was awarded the Defence and War Medal 1939-45.
He and Mary separated and during the last quarter of 1945 and he re-married to Agnes Vivien (Cissie) Graham in Camberwell, Surrey they had one son, Ian born on 8th February 1953 and passing away in 2015 aged 62.
He was awarded the Cadet Forces Medal and upon his retirement in 1967 aged 65, the Imperial service Medal as a Technical Officer in Glasgow.
Henry died aged 81 in the first quarter of 1984 in Surrey, Mary passing away aged 78 during the same period in Southampton and Cissie in 1990 aged 83 in Surrey.
Henry junior and Eileen were Baptised together at St John the Divine in Kennington on 25th May 1904. Tragically Henry Senior was admitted to a lunatic asylum on 7th December the same year possibly at Colney Hatch and he died in 1906 aged 36 when Henry junior was aged just 3, Olive 6 and Eileen 5. Louisa was unable to look after the children herself and so the children were orphaned and split up, Henry was sent to the Orphan Working School and Alexandra Orphanage, Maitland Park, Haverstock Hill, St Pancras, Eileen to St Hilda’s Home, Beckenham, Kent and Olive to Holmdale, Burnham Road, Leigh on Sea. They were all reflected thus in the 1911 census and Louisa was shown as a widower and Stepdaughter to 75-year-old Timothy Downey living at 26 Elliot Road, North Brixton. She was working as a Waitress for the General Post Office.
In about 1920 aged 17, Henry enlisted into the Welsh Guards, serving largely through the inter war years and attaining the rank of Sergeant Major. On 29th November 1926 aged 23 he married Mary Charlotte Wilson, a nurse, in St Gabriel’s Church, Pimlico in the parish of St George’s Hanover Square. They had one daughter Olive Eileen MacDonald born on 18th June 1927 in Lambeth. She died in 2001.
Henry saw service during World War II until about 1942 aged 40 when he transferred into the Royal Naval Reserve as a Temporary Sub Lieutenant, Special Branch, seeing service with the Sea Cadet Corps and joining the General Post Office. He was promoted to Lieutenant on 1 December 1948. Following the war he was awarded the Defence and War Medal 1939-45.
He and Mary separated and during the last quarter of 1945 and he re-married to Agnes Vivien (Cissie) Graham in Camberwell, Surrey they had one son, Ian born on 8th February 1953 and passing away in 2015 aged 62.
He was awarded the Cadet Forces Medal and upon his retirement in 1967 aged 65, the Imperial service Medal as a Technical Officer in Glasgow.
Henry died aged 81 in the first quarter of 1984 in Surrey, Mary passing away aged 78 during the same period in Southampton and Cissie in 1990 aged 83 in Surrey.
The Story The medal group awarded to Henry Edward MacDonald were acquired from E-Bay on 27th June 2022 and of interest because of the double long service combination.
Interestingly Ancestry.UK revealed a lot of additional detail, as there were 44 specific family tree entries, including a photograph of Henry in uniform in the Welsh Guards, before he joined the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve during World War II. Also pictures of his immediate family and some useful snippets of information, including the very sad demise of his father and subsequent orphaning of Henry and his sisters.
All of this enabled a reasonable biography to be pieced together for a man who served for many years in uniform, but primarily during the inter war years 1918-1939.
One unresolved query is the fact Henry was awarded his ISM as a Technical Officer in Glasgow! This could be a London Gazette error as there is no mention of Scotland in any other parts of the research.
Interestingly Ancestry.UK revealed a lot of additional detail, as there were 44 specific family tree entries, including a photograph of Henry in uniform in the Welsh Guards, before he joined the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve during World War II. Also pictures of his immediate family and some useful snippets of information, including the very sad demise of his father and subsequent orphaning of Henry and his sisters.
All of this enabled a reasonable biography to be pieced together for a man who served for many years in uniform, but primarily during the inter war years 1918-1939.
One unresolved query is the fact Henry was awarded his ISM as a Technical Officer in Glasgow! This could be a London Gazette error as there is no mention of Scotland in any other parts of the research.
Medal Details:
- Defence Medal: Unnamed as awarded. .
- War Medal 1939-45: Unnamed as awarded.
- Imperial Service Medal: HENRY EDWARD MACDONALD
- Cadet Forces Medal: TY.LT. (SP) H.E.MACDONALD. R.N.V.R.
This page last updated 4 Oct 22
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