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Old 25-05-22, 23:52
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Default Who Do You Think You Are - Sue Perkins 26th May

On BBC1 at 9 p.m. and repeated next Tuesday at 10:40 p.m.
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Old 26-05-22, 23:11
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Episode summary:

Sue Perkins grew up in Croydon, the eldest of three children of Bert and Ann Perkins. She looked through a box of old family photos with her TV partner Mel Giedroyc. There were photos of Bert, of her parents' wedding, of Bert's parents Albert Edward and Florence Perkins, of Bert's identical twin David Perkins, of Ann's mother Lydia Müller, and of Lydia's parents Emil Gustav Müller and Anna nee Tislow with their 8 children. Sue never knew her grandfather Albert. In with the photos was Albert and Florence's marriage certificate, showing that they married in 1917 at the Catholic Church in Bodmin, Cornwall, when Albert as 41 and Florence was 22. Albert was a Sergeant in the Army. There was also a letter from the Swanage District Nursing Association, dated 10 Jun 1937, asking Florence to come back to work for them.

Sue went to Bodmin and met a genealogist outside the old Catholic church (now converted to housing) and was shown Albert's birth certificate. He was born on the 19th Dec 1875 in Axminster, the son of Henry Perkins and Fanny nee King. Henry's occupation was railway signalman. Fanny's death certificate showed that she died on the 23rd Jul 1876, age 36. The 1881 census showed Henry remarried, to a Mary Ann, with Albert's older brother Sidney Perkins and younger half-sister Bessie Perkins also in the household. Henry's death certificate showed that he died on the 7th Nov 1882, age 52, of TB. Mary Ann had died a few months earlier. Albert and Sidney were taken into the workhouse. The Exeter workhouse minute book had an entry dated 19 Dec 1882 saying that their uncle, Mr Francis Perkins of Frome, a watch-maker, had asked for Sidney, then aged 10, to be discharged into his care, and another dated Oct 1883 where he asked the same for Albert, aged 7.

Sue then met a military historian at Bodmin Keep, who showed her Albert's attestation papers. He joined the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry in 1892, giving his age as 18 although he was really only 17. His service in the army included serving in India in 1897-8 and guarding Boer prisoners in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) during the Boer War. He volunteered to rejoin the army for the First World War and was sent to Salonika, then returned to the UK with trench foot. His discharge papers gave his address as Bulford Camp, Salisbury, Wiltshire. Sue went to Bulford Camp and met an historian who told her that Florence trained as a midwife, qualifying in May 1928, and was appointed as a municipal midwife in Southampton in 1936, meaning that she worked as a midwife during the Second World War.

Sue then went to Southwark to find out about her grandmother Lydia's family. She knew that Lydia's family used to live at 11 Emerson Street, which has now been replaced by a block of flats. Sue met an author and showed him Emil and Anna's wedding photograph. He showed her their marriage certificate. They married in 1901 at St Paul's German Reformed Church, aged 23 and 21 respectively, both fathers being farmers. On the 1911 census they had 6 children and Emil was a tailor. They were all listed as German nationals. After the sinking of the Lusitania in 1915, public opinion turned against German nationals in the UK, and German men were interned as enemy aliens. Emil's processing form showed that he was sent to KCK, i.e. Knockaloe Camp on the Isle of Man. Sue met an historian at the visitor centre there and was shown photos of the camp.

The 1901 census showed Anna's birthplace as a town in Lithuania / Russia. Sue went to Marijampole in Lithuania, near to where Anna came from, and near the border with Germany. She was told that the Tislows' ancestors would have emigrated from Germany to Lithuania. She was shown Anna's family tree, including Anna's younger siblings, her parents Johann and Paulina, and Johann's parents. Sue went to the area where Anna was born to look for the Tislows' farm, and met a local who remembered the Tislow family as having a very big house and farm and being the richest family in the area. Nothing remains of their house or farm now.

Sue returned to Marijampole and met an historian who explained that in 1939 when Nazi Germany and the USSR divided up Europe, Lithuania was given to the USSR. The Tislows went to Germany as they were of German origin. The historian showed Sue an immigration document pertaining to Anna's brother Albert Tislow, which included the information that he had a sister in England. In March 1941 Albert and his wife Emilia and family were put into a German resettlement camp and graded. Emilia's sister Adelina was classed as a "deaf mute and imbecile" and recommended to be put to death. Albert and his family moved back to Lithuania when Germany took it, but then the USSR took it back and Albert had to work as an agricultural labourer there for years. In 1957 the family applied to move back to Germany (the programme didn't specify which Germany, West or East) and they were accepted.

Sue went to the church where Anna was baptised and found that it had been turned into a boxing gym.
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Old 27-05-22, 09:51
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This is Albert Perkins on the 1891 census, with his uncle Francis at 3 Bath Street, Frome:

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/discovery...=successSource

Francis died in 1909, age 63.
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Old 27-05-22, 15:59
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I found it interesting that Sue's maternal grandfather was never mentioned - her grandmother was always referenced as Lydia Muller. Her grandfather was Stanley George Smith, who married Lydia in 1935. Sues mother was born in 1942. Stanley died in 1993 in Bromley.
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Old 28-05-22, 17:14
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Albert and Florence Perkins on the 1939 Register, Albert's occupation clerk and Florence's municipal midwife:

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/imageview...d8&pId=2440812
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