Biography

Alfred Hirst Ramsden's name appears on the 1945, 1946 and 1947 Service List of the West Yorkshire Electoral Rolls listed at the address Glenholm, Linton. Apart from those mentions we do not know his connection with Collingham or Linton, and he does not appear on the 1939 National Registration in either Collingham or Linton.

Family background

Alfred's parents, Joe Ramsden (1876-1945) and Mary Eliza Ramsden (nee Bullock) (1875-1922) had married on the 18th February 1907. Joe was a butcher. Their first child, William, was born in 1908. Then, on the 24th December 1911, a pair of twins were born, Alfred Hirst Ramsden, and his brother, Ronald Bullock Ramsden.

Within the next year, a family tragedy struck, when William dies in 1912, but Joe and Mary then went on to have two daughters, Mary (b. 3rd May 1914) and Ann (b. 13th July 1916). By 1921, the family were living at 9, Bradford Road, East Ardsley. Mary Ramsden (Snr) died in 1922, leaving Joe to bring up his four remaining children who would have been aged 11 (the twins), 8 and 6 years old. Four years later, Joe re-married, this time on the 23rd October 1926 to Emily Lettice Tindall. As we progress into the 1930s the Ramsden family appear on the electoral rolls at 8 Pilden Lane, East Ardsley in each year from 1934 to 1939.

In the National Registration in 1939, Joe and family were recorded at 8 Pilden Lane. In the house were Joe, a retired butcher and his wife Emily, Ronald who was a woollen manufacturer's clerk, Mary, a private secretary to the directors of a colliery and Ann who was an elementary school teacher. Alfred Hirst Ramsden was not listed. Instead Alfred was living with Edgar and Mary Lawson at Fairview, Osgoldcross. Edgar was a farm horse and cow man. Alfred was listed as being a works manager at a concrete products and pipe factory.

In 1943, Alfred Hirst Ramsden married Gladys M Tindall. We have found Gladys working as undertaking housework for her father and mother at The Farm, Linton Spring, so this is likely where Alfred's connection with Linton arises. There were no electoral rolls during the war years so we cannot find where Alfrd and Gladys first settled into married life, but given that Alfred was serving, Gladys may well have stayed in Linton, explaining why Alfred appears towards the end of his service on the 1945 to 1947 Service Electoral Rolls in Linton.

Service record

We do not know exactly when Alfred joined up, but the Nominal Roll of Airmen and Airwomen of the RAF shows Alfred Hirst Ramsden with a service number 1004800 and this number corresponds to enlistment between September 1939 and February 1940 at RAF Padgate.

We have no further details of Alfred's war service at present.

After the war

In 1946, Alfred and Gladys announced the birth of a son, but Alfred seems to have stayed in the services until around 1947. After that time he and Gladys and family set up home back in East Ardsley and they appear on the electoral rolls of 1948 and 1949 at 63 Main Street (or 63 Whittakers Yard) in East Ardsley, Rothwell.

Alfred Hirst Ramsden died on the 7th June 1988.

Biography last updated 15 January 2024 14:12:12.