HAMSON-LANE Family History

Brian David Hamson (1933-1996)                                                                         

Partner of Patricia Dorothy Eastland and 'root person' for the Hamson family history - Generation 1.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hover cursor over each image for details of its content.

 

Birth: 

2 October 1933, St. Mary’s Hospital, Portsmouth, Hampshire.

 

Portsmouth, Hampshire, where Brian was born, is a Royal Navy garrison town on the south coast of England overlooking the English Channel. He was the third of seven children born to his parents.

 

On the eve of World War II (1939-1945), on 29 September 1939, a register was compiled by the Registrar General of everybody living in the United Kingdom for the purpose of issuing identity cards, ration books and call-up papers. Brian and his mum were registered as evacuees living at 63, Tournament Road, Salisbury, Wiltshire. We don’t know the reason for their evacuation at this time, neither are we sure of the whereabouts of the rest of their family who weren't registered. However, by the middle of 1940, Brian and his mum returned to Portsmouth, and his youngest siblings were born in 1941 and 1942 at the home where they had been living before the onset of war.

 

Between the ages of 6 and 12 years, Brian lived through the hardships and disruption caused by World War II, including air raids, food rationing, the blackout and a severe shortage of coal. This war was horrific for all concerned, most especially for those who lost loved ones, had their homes destroyed or were separated from their families through evacuation. It is not known whether Brian lost loved ones (other than his father) or had his home destroyed.

 

Parents:

Harold Ernest Hamson (1909-1944) and Eileen Elsie Ellen Fielder (1913-1956).

 

Harold was a motor lorry driver for a local butcher before the war, and then during the war he worked as a fire engine driver on H.M. Dockyard, Portsmouth, a primary target for bombing raids by the German Airforce, which made his job very hazardous.

 

Harold died 19 May 1944, from pulmonary tuberculosis at the young age of 35 years, just 18 days before the Allies stormed the beaches of Normandy and changed the course of the war. It's probable that a combination of appalling working conditions, poor nutrition and exhaustion, precipitated his demise. Harold's death led to extreme hardship for Eileen as she struggled to support her young family by herself.

 

Step-father:

George Alexander Watt (1913-1986).

 

10 years after Harold's death, Eileen married George, a retired R.A.F. Telegraphist 24 December 1954. At the time of this marriage, George was 41 years old and working as a driver/fireman for British Railways. Although he moved into Eileen's home, family lore suggests he was a brutal man, very much disliked by Brian and his siblings.

 

Siblings:

Dennis Ernest [John Ernest] Hamson (1930-1994), Kenneth Alan Hamson (1931-1956), Anthony Michael Hamson (1934-2003), Rosemary Hamson (1938-1938), Stephen Hamson (1950-1950), Christopher Hamson (1950-1950) and 2 x living.

 

Rosemary was born 21 June 1938, and this poor little soul lost her fight for life, when she died prematurely at 5 days old.

 

Eileen gave birth to twin boys Stephen and Christopher, 7 January 1950. Although they were given the surname ‘Hamson’, their biological dad’s name wasn’t included on their birth certificates. Stephen lost his fight for life 12 January 1950, when he was 6 days old. Christopher clung onto life for a short while longer, and died 21 January 1950, when he was 14 days old. Both of these poor little souls died prematurely, with Stephen weighing 2 lbs 14 ozs, and Christopher weighing 2 lbs 12 ozs.

 

Kenneth Alan died 9 November 1956, when he was 25 years old, from acute heart failure at or on the way to St. Mary's Hospital, Portsmouth. He'd electrocuted himself while using an electric drill in the motor garage where he worked as a maintenance fitter. A week later, Eileen died 15 November 1956, from cervical cancer and heart failure (this was also the day on which the inquest into Kenneth Alan's death took place). There seems little doubt that the hardships and emotional trauma Eileen had endured, undermined her health and accelerated her death at the young age of 43 years.

 

Partnership: 

1959, Portsmouth, Hampshire (Brian was 26 years old).

 

Partner: 

Patricia Dorothy 'Pat' Eastland, born 17 May 1935, 28, Victoria Road North, Portsmouth, Hampshire. Died 9 April 2006, Bristol Royal Infirmary, Bristol, Gloucestershire.

 

Brian first met Pat while she was serving with the W.R.A.C. Corps. Inside 6 months, he and Pat were sharing a life together, and their first child was born 12 months later.

 

Children: 

4 x living.

 

In 1961, Brian and Pat moved from Portsmouth to Weymouth, Dorset, and had 3 more children between 1962 and 1965. In 1970, Brian moved his family from Weymouth to Bristol, Gloucestershire, where he had secured a job as the manager of a butcher’s shop.

 

Marriage: 

5 April 1975, Parish Church of St. Peter, Chippenham, Wiltshire (Brian was 42 years old).

 

Without warning, Brian abandoned Pat and his children after 16 years of being together, and married the work colleague. Worthy of note, is the fact that he cited the address where he had been living with Pat and his children on his marriage registration record. Brian and his wife settled in Marlborough, Wiltshire, where they had 3 children between 1975 and 1977.

 

Spouse: 

Living.

 

Children: 

3 x living.

 

Occupations: 

National Service (1951-1953) and butcher (1954-1996).

 

On 3 October 1951, Brian started his National Service (compulsory peacetime military conscription) in the Royal Corps of Signals, with whom he served in Britain and Hong Kong until October 1953. He was then discharged to the Army Reserve in October 1957. This was the only deviation he had from his lifetime career as a butcher.

 

Hobbies and interests:

Unknown.

 

Death: 

2 January 1996, Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford, Oxfordshire (Brian was 63 years old).

 

Cause of death: 

Fatal stroke.

 

Other nformation:

 

In 1992, two of his sons tracked Brian down and let him know that he had a number of grandchildren, and offered him the chance of becoming involved in their lives'. Brian’s response was as expected — he turned their offer down.

 

On 8 June 1998, a fire broke out in Brian's old home in Marlborough, Wiltshire, it was one of many listed timber frame buildings dating back to the 1500’s. An investigation concluded that the fire had been caused by water getting into the electricity supply. It took 100 firemen from two counties to put the fire out.

 

Note: In keeping with National Genealogical Society guidelines, personal information about living ancestors hasn't been revealed on this website.