A wedding group on Northgate in 1917

Most of us inherit photographs without knowing much if anything about the people shown on them. This wedding photograph on the front of a postcard belongs to Frank Watkinson who knows the young child was his mother Muriel Spencer born on 9 November 1915 and the bride was her aunt Muriel Maud Alderson. The postcard was addressed to Driver J Spencer, Royal Engineers, Regimental Number 99376 and was sent by Mrs J Spencer, ‘Northgate, Tickhill, Nr Rotherham, England’, sister of the bride and mother of Muriel Spencer.

Thanks to Peter Welch for finding out the following information: Joseph Spencer, the postcard’s recipient, was born in Worcester in 1873 and married Sarah Kate Alderson at Bawtry on 21 October 1912. As well as their daughter Muriel born in 1915, they had a son, John Christopher Spencer, born in 1920. (John Christopher joined the Royal Engineers in WW2 and was killed on 7 January 1942 while clearing mines near Agedabia in North Africa. He was subsequently buried in Benghazi War Cemetery, Libya.) Returning to Joseph Spencer, his enlistment in the 224th Field Company of the Royal Engineers was confirmed on 6 June 1915 when he was 37 years and 11 months old (he was actually 41 years old), and 5feet 8 inches tall. He lived in Northgate, Tickhill, with his wife Sarah Kate. He embarked for France in June 1916 where he must have been serving when he received the wedding postcard in 1917. He was not demobilised until 22 February 1919 when he was entitled to receive the Victory Medal and the British War Medal.

By the time the 1939 Register was compiled, Joseph and Sarah Kate lived at ‘The Bungalows’ on Wong Lane and Joseph worked as a screen hand at a local colliery. Sarah Kate died on 15 June 1942 aged 57 while Joseph Spencer died on 20 January 1944 aged 70.

The bride in the photograph, Muriel Maud Alderson, born in Tickhill in 1890, was married to Joseph Mills on Monday,  4 June 1917, by the Rev. H E Booty at St Mary’s Church, presumably the date when the photograph was taken. Joseph was then aged 28, lived in Newgate Street, Worksop, and worked as a collier (men in this occupation were exempt from conscription introduced in 1916).

Before her marriage Muriel worked as a domestic servant at a local farm. Witnesses who signed the marriage certificate were John Alderson, a joiner (and undertaker) who was Muriel’s father and her sister Elsie Thornton Alderson who is sitting at the right-hand edge of the wedding group. It is likely that Muriel’s parents are sitting to her right. The man sitting next to Elsie could be Joseph’s brother William, possibly the best man. Next to him could be Joseph’s widowed mother Sarah.

The photograph was taken outside what is believed to be 50 Northgate, the Spencer family home. It is interesting that the younger men are not in military uniform, probably they too were colliers or farm workers and so also exempt from military service.

By 1939 Joseph still lived in Newgate Street, Worksop, but he was now the licensee of the ‘Robin Hood’ public house. He was registered there along with Muriel and their son John.