Who Do You Think You Are - Martin Shaw 18th Sep

[kiterunner]

On BBC1 at 9 p.m.

[Guinevere]

I do like Martin Shaw.

[Janet in Yorkshire]

Martin Shaw - *drools*

Jay

[Merry]

I'm getting behind! This is the 4th in the series I won't get to see, because I'm outvoted for control of the remote on Thursdays! I must try and catch up on iPlayer. Which has been the best so far, in case I don't manage them all? I've not seen Brian Blessed, Sheridan Smith or Mary Berry.

[kiterunner]

Out of those three, I would say Mary Berry was the best, then Brian Blessed, and Sheridan Smith was the worst. Unless you're obsessed with the banjo.

[Guinevere]

I loved this one.

Such a lovely man. *sigh*

[kiterunner]

Episode Synopsis.

Martin Shaw was born in Birmingham in Jan 1945 and was brought up there, but now he lives in Norfolk. His father was 21 and his mother 19 when they married. Martin had a photo of his father Frank and his aunt Lillian and their mother Alice all looking sad, from the 1930's. The family story was that Martin's grandfather Edwin Shaw left Alice and the children for another woman, around 1931. Another photo showed Edwin in a Royal Marines uniform, age about 17 or 18.


Martin met a military historian who showed him the Royal Marine service record of Edwin James Shaw. His date of birth was shown as 24 Dec 1899, birthplace All Saints Birmingham. He joined up on the 3rd Jun 1918 and was demobbed in Mar 1919. He then joined the 5th Battalion of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment, a Territorial Army unit, in 1921.

Martin went to the Imperial War Museum to find out about his grandfather's service in the Territorial Army. He was shown Edwin's service record, which showed that he attended the annual training every year, was promoted to Lance Corporal, and was "embodied", i.e. brought into service, on the 1st Sep 1939, appointed Troop Sergeant Major to the 378 Searchlight Battery who were posted at Sheldon in Birmingham, first defending the Castle Bromwich factory where Spitfires were built, and then the aerodrome.

Martin then went to Winson Green, where the Shaw family lived, and visited the church where his grandparents married. He was shown their marriage certificate, which stated that Edwin James Shaw married Alice May Eaborn on the 8th Nov 1919, both aged 21. In fact they were both 19 as Alice's birth certificate showed that she was born on the 28th Feb 1900. Her father was Edwin Eaborn and her mother Mary Ann Eaborn nee Leaver.

Lillian's birth certificate showed that she was born on the 9th Jan 1920, so Alice would have been about 2 months pregnant when she married Edwin Shaw. The researcher could not find a baptism record for Lillian.

The electoral register for 1932 showed Alice and Edwin each back living with their respective parents, not far from each other.

Martin then traced the Eaborn tree back. He found Edwin and Mary Ann Eaborn on a public tree on ancestry with "colourised" photos which he recognised as his grandmother had had copies on her wall. The tree showed that Edwin Eaborn was born in Jul 1857 in Birmingham and had 12 children including Alice. Martin met a local historian who said that Edwin worked in the brass industry in Birmingham and showed him the 1851 census entry for Edwin Eaborn's parents - Edmund and Eliza Eaborn. Edmund was 33, a machinist, Eliza 31, and they had 4 children and a servant. Martin was shown an 1855 newspaper advertisement for the firm of Eaborn & Robinson, engineers, manufacturers of steam engines, and a London Gazette notice showing that they had applied for a patent on certain improvements to machinery used for confectionary manufacture. Martin went to 10 Clement Street where the factory was. The building is still standing, and he looked around the outside of it.

Martin was then shown the death certificates of Edmund Eaborn, who died 26 Jun 1857 age 39, and his partner Matthew Robinson who died 3 Aug 1858, age 32. Both died of TB. The company's stock was auctioned off in 1859. Martin visited Key Hill Cemetery where Edmund was buried. The grave has not survived as part of the graveyard was cleared for the tram lines, but there is a memorial on the wall listing the Eaborns who were buried there, including Edmund and his wife Eliza. Eliza died in 1896. Martin read Edmund's will which was written two days before his death and mentions that his wife was pregnant at the time - Edwin Eaborn was born a week after his father's death.

Martin then went to the Law Courts where a researcher showed him details of the Shaws' divorce. Alice divorced Edwin on the grounds of adultery on the 28th Jan 1935. Edwin went on to marry Annie May Walker,age 36, on the 25th May 1935, and Alice went on to marry Arthur John Hatfield on the 20th Jun 1936. Edwin and Annie had a daughter, Martin's half-aunt, Gabrielle Ann Patricia Shaw, born on the 17th Mar 1937. Gaby is still alive and wrote a letter to Martin enclosing family photos including one of her parents' wedding, and saying that the story she was told was that Alice fell in love with a neighbour, who died before she could marry him, and she then wanted Edwin back but by then he had fallen in love with Annie.

Originally Posted by Guinevere

I loved this one.

Such a lovely man. *sigh*

He is isn't he

I liked this episode a lot.

[kiterunner]

Did anyone else think that the boy in Edwin and Annie's wedding photo looked like Martin's dad?

Also, why did Martin seemingly know nothing about Alice's second husband?

[kiterunner]

Oh, and that story about Lillian not being baptised because her parents were too ashamed of the fact that she was born just seven months after their wedding. Really?!